Former Penn State wrestlers finish with gold at 2023 Senior World Championships
Sunday’s 2023 Senior World Championships bout wrapped up title performances from two former Penn State All-Americans.
Zain Retherford and David Taylor both grabbed gold medals in the freestyle tournament, capping off undefeated runs with championship round wins.
Retherford captured his first world title with an 8-5 victory to put him at 4-0 on the tournament — outscoring his opponents 28-7 throughout the 70 kilogram class.
Taylor’s title match ended with a pin almost six minutes into action, leaving him at 5-0 through his latest 86 kilogram title.
Taylor’s matchup with Iran’s Hassan Yazdanicharati was the fourth time the two faced with a world or Olympic title at the helm, and extended his record against Yazdanicharati to 5-1.
The latest Nittany Lion gold medals could be a sign to come for the remainder of the tournament, which continues until September 24th. … rest of story at … PSUcollegian.com/wrestling/former-penn-state-wrestlers-finish-with-gold-at-2023-senior-world-championships
Chris Campbell Took A Week Of Vacation From Job To Compete At 1990 Worlds
World champion Chris Campbell was an attorney when he made a successful wrestling comeback in his 30s
There are stories that are stranger than fiction. Then there’s Chris Campbell. His improbable comeback tale includes more twists and turns than an ambitious Hollywood script could handle. And it’s all real.
Campbell was an NCAA champion for Iowa in 1976 and 1977 but it was borderline miraculous that he made it there. Dan Gable — an assistant coach at the time — flew to Westfield, New Jersey, in 1973 to speak at a banquet as a favor to then-athletic director Bump Elliot. A young Chris Campbell was in the audience. “I really liked your speech,” Campbell told Gable. “I’d really be interested in wrestling at Iowa.”
Oh, by the way, “I’ll kick your butt,” Campbell told Gable during the exchange.
Gable learned that Campbell went out for wrestling when the basketball coach told him “You suck.” He wrestled JV as a sophomore but Campbell’s mother wouldn’t sign a release for his junior year. He eventually competed as a senior season, winning a state title following an undefeated season.
“Nobody really recruited me because they were afraid my mother wouldn’t sign off,” Campbell said. “Nobody really knew about me because I only really wrestled one year of high school at the varsity level.”
Iowa Wrestling Scholarship
The Hawkeyes offered Campbell a books scholarship after he placed second at Junior Nationals in Iowa City a few weeks later. He sold his car, purchased a ticket to Iowa with the money, and began work at a Ford factory while he trained with the Hawkeyes.
Gable took over as head coach during the 1976-77 season and Campbell was his first individual NCAA champion following two titles and three appearances in the finals.
That led to a successful freestyle career where he won a World title in 1981 following a fifth-place finish in 1977. Campbell made the 1980 Olympic team but the United States boycotted due to the Soviet Union’s invasion of Afghanistan. The strict amateur rules at the time meant Campbell often lived on food stamps. … rest of story at … Flowrestling.org/articles/chris-campbell-took-a-week-of-vacation-from-job-to-compete-at-1990-worlds
Graham grad Taylor wins third world wrestling championship
He’ll seek second Olympic gold in 2024
David Taylor, a 2009 Graham High School graduate, won a world wrestling championship in the 86-kilogram freestyle final Sunday in Belgrade, Serbia.
Taylor, 32, was a four-time state champion at Graham and a two-time NCAA champion at Penn State. He’s now a three-time world champion. He won titles in the same weight class in 2018 and 2022.
“I’m the most dynamic, dominant wrestler the sport has ever seen,” Taylor said in an interview shared by Flo Wrestling on social media. “I truly believe that. Say whatever you want to about championships, I’m out there scoring the most points I possibly can at every single level. That’s something I want to be remembered for.”
Taylor pinned Hassan Yazdani, of Iran, in the final. Taylor also beat Yazdani to win the gold medal at the Olympics in Tokyo in 2021.
“I just think the fact that I’ve had to go through (Yazdani) every single time I stepped out there says speaks volumes,” Taylor said, “because without me that guy’s winning every single one of these for forever.”
Taylor will attempt to qualify for the Summer Olympics next year in Paris. The trials will be held at his alma mater, Penn State, in April. … rest of story at … Daytondailynews.com/sports/graham-grad-taylor-wins-third-world-wrestling-championship
Maryville’s Mike Denney, seven-time national championship winning coach – OTM671
For over 50 years, Mike Denney was in and around the sport of wrestling, teaching the next generations of wrestlers and coaches. A seven-time national championship winning coach at the Division II level, Denney announced his retirement this past spring after serving the last 12 years at Maryville University in Missouri. Denney won seven titles at Nebraska-Omaha before the program was dropped the night his program won their third straight title for the second time in school history. “That other place” will honor the 2011 NCAA Division II championship team in October during the Omaha-Niagara hockey game. Coach Denney talks about the healing process the current administration at UNO is offering and some interesting stories about how Maryville got Denney’s old mats when they were launching the program. Join Kyle Klingman and Andy Hamilton as they talk about the world of wrestling on the flagship podcast of Trackwrestling.com from FloSports. … rest of story and program at … Mattalkonline.com/trackwrestling/on-the-mat/maryvilles-mike-denney-seven-time-national-championship-winning-coach
TDR blog
After 20 seasons of publicizing wrestling The TakeDown Report’s (TDR) focus has changed to the collecting of college coaching records from North America since 1903. We will continue to recognize and reward successful wrestlers in eastern North Carolina (east of Raleigh & Fayetteville), assist with schools in starting or re-starting a team and this blog. Join us on our FaceBook Page – “The TakeDown Report” for photos and news. Please send results, stories, links and news to pass along. E-mail us at takedownreport@gmail.com
Martin Fleming, Editor
Takedown Report
Takedown Report 