A Coaching Legend With A Rather Peculiar Start
By Jeff Bro Olsen
Robert “Thors” Thorson has to be one the most unlikely wrestling coaches in the entire state.
He never wrestled in either high school or college.
Eventually, he became a renowned practice room wrestler after he arrived in Fertile in 1965 to teach elementary school.
Now retired, Thors, as he is called, turned 80 on August 16.
“I graduated from Halstad High School, which is about 70 miles north of Moorhead.
Play basketball in high school?
“Yeah, I did. I wasn’t worth a damn. I sat on the bench the whole damn time except my senior year. I think I scored a total of one point, but I could guard really well.”
He’s a man who always cheers for the underdog and noted that Halstad High School didn’t have wrestling. … rest of story at Theguillotine.com/A-coaching-legend-with-a-rather-peculiar-start/
Caleb Murphy seizing his chance with IU football: ‘My whole life’s led up to this moment.’
Zach Osterman of the Indianapolis Star
BLOOMINGTON – Nestled a little more than halfway between Mitchell and Salem on State Road 60, Campbellsburg is roughly 51 miles from Indiana University’s Memorial Stadium.
As of 2010 census, Campbellsburg claimed a population of 585 people. Its elementary school and its high school adjoin one another. The West Washington Senators compete in Class A.
It is not traditionally the kind of place Big Ten football programs go looking for talent. But Caleb Murphy was determined to do anything he could to close those 51 miles and play bigtime college football for his state’s flagship school. So he started a wrestling program.
“I was just looking for another avenue to compete in the offseason,” Murphy said, “a way I could improve on the football field in the offseason.”
It was one of the many ways Murphy made sure he fulfilled his FBS ambitions, but it might have been the most telling.
At the time, Murphy’s shop teacher, Dennis Tankersley, coached the sport at a regional rival, Salem. Murphy and a friend approached Tankersley with a proposal: If they could get enough signatures to get in front of the school board, and then get the board to agree to support a wrestling program at West Washington, would Tankersley consider coaching them instead.
“Once he said yes, it just kind of rolled,” Murphy said, “and within a year we were a team and competing.”
By his own admission, Murphy struggled his first year. An older teammate actually wrestled ahead of him at Murphy’s original weight class, 220.
By the end of his wrestling career, cut short because of a collarbone injury, Murphy locked down that varsity 220 spot. … rest of story at Indystar.com/story/sports/09/30/caleb-murphy-iu-football-roster-indiana
LONGTIME COAST GUARD COACH STEVE ELDRIDGE PASSES AWAY
The U.S. Coast Guard Academy announced the passing of longtime wrestling coach Steve Eldridge. Eldridge coached wrestling for 47 seasons and cross country for 43. He is a Division III wrestling hall of fame inductee and four time New England Coach of the Year. He was inducted into the Coast Guard Academy Hall of Fame in 1989. Eldridge retired from coaching in 2014 with over 300 career dual meet wins.
CGA Mourns Loss of Coach Eldridge
Long-time Coast Guard Academy wrestling and men’s cross country head coach, and CGA Athletics Hall of Famer Steve Eldridge passed away last week.
Eldridge spent 47 seasons as the head coach of the Bears. He was inducted into the National Wrestling Coaches Association Division III Hall of Fame in 1995 and earned the Lifetime Service to Wrestling recipient by the Hall of Fame. He is the first coach at the Coast Guard Academy to earn national Hall of Fame honors as a coach.
Under his guidance, the Bears have enjoyed great success with five New England Championships while placing second four times. Eldridge earned Coach of the Year honors four times.
Coach Eldridge has twice served as the President of the National Wrestling Coaches Association and has twice hosted the Division III National Championships at the Academy.
Eldridge has coached nine All-America selections including two-time National runner-up Chris Fertig and Nate Giorgio.
Eldridge also served as the men’s cross country coach for 43 seasons, retiring after the 2011 season. He coached four All-Americans in cross country and led the Bears to the NCAA Division III Championships in both 1989 and 2001. … rest of the story at D3wrestle.com/longtime-coast-guard-coach-steve-eldridge-passes-away/
NCWA Nationals Host City Announced
The NCWA Board has approved the recommendation of the National Tournament Search Committee to accept a contract offered by the city of San Juan, Puerto Rico to host the 2023 National Collegiate Wrestling Championships at the Roberto Clemente Coliseum.
The decision was made after an exhaustive search starting in May when the Credit Union of Texas Arena in Allen, Texas became unavailable. The Committee Considered Sites in Reno, NV. Daytona, FL. Provo, Ut. Iowa City IA, and many others but Puerto Rico emerged as the overwhelming best choice for the 26th Annual NCWA National Collegiate Wrestling Championships.
The move to host Nationals in Puerto Rico comes as part of a bold undertaking by the NCWA to bring folkstyle wrestling to the colleges and universities of PR. Eight of the schools on the Island have committed to join the NCWA and have hired or are actively hiring coaches to fulfill their desire to bring college wrestling to their respective schools. As you may have already noticed on the NCWA official website 4 teams are already approved and listed for competition this season.
Puerto Rico has pushed hard to get the Nationals there on their Island. When we arrive to compete in March, the NCWA athletes will be making history by being largest college event in the history of Puerto Rico. Many teams are planning early arrivals, or extended stays, over their spring breaks to enjoy the culture, food, warm beaches and amazing sunshine. The white sandy beaches boast amazingly warm waters in the 80’s throughout the year, with March being typically 82-85 degrees. With winter cabin fever at its peak, some warm tropical breezes will be a welcome change for many wrestlers, coaches and families.
Hotels will be posted shortly with team and family rates. Many unheard of for a beach location during spring break. Families can take advantage of the discounted rates to plan a vacation alongside the National Championships. … rest of the story at https://ncwa.net/news/2022/ncwa-nationals-host-city-announced
UNC wrestling program receives new practice mats, resolves safety issues
Following a recent run of success that has included a national championship for wrestler Austin O’Connor in 2021, the sixth-year senior said he believes the UNC wrestling team has earned a new practice room.
“We have already done things this program hasn’t seen in over 20 years, so I think we are finally getting recognized,” he said.
In the fall of 2019, UNC began plans for a new wrestling facility that were unfortunately halted due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
As the university began to return to normalcy, the program was looking to upgrade its current wrestling facility. At the end of the Tar Heels’ 2021-2022 season, the coaching staff went to UNC administration to highlight the safety issues in their practice space.
The mats the team had been practicing on were aging and becoming soft. Their foam started to break down, get torn up and form divots in sparse areas causing more injuries — particularly ankle problems — for the team. It was a want but also a need, and the administration answered.
After receiving the new mats the week of Sept. 25, the UNC wrestling squad came together to move them into the soon-to-be upgraded space.
“It became a team bonding activity for the guys with a simple reward,” head coach Coleman Scott said. “Do the manual labor and, in return, have an improved practice space.”
They began to roll out the mats last Tuesday, and while waiting for them to fully settle into shape, the team practiced in Woollen Gym’s combat room during their final week of preseason — a displacement that is familiar to them.
“It was easy to work around,” associate head coach Tony Ramos said. “When you are coming off of COVID, where we were out of our facilities for basically a whole year, it’s easy for a week and a half.”
Along with the new mats, the Tar Heels’ personal wrestling weight room will also be getting an upgrade. The team was previously working with a makeshift area consisting of old weight racks and weights. Now, the team will be getting a custom space with new equipment, thanks to a donation from former UNC heavyweight Spencer Nandolsky, who wrestled at UNC from 2004 to 2006. … rest of story at Dailytarheel.com/article/2022/10/sports-unc-wrestling-new-mats
Rider Athletics Mourns The Loss of Gary Taylor
Legendary Wrestling Coach, Rider Hall of Famer Passes at 73
The Rider University Athletics Community is mourning the loss of legendary wrestling coach and Athletics Hall of Famer Gary Taylor. He was 73.
In his illustrious Rider career, Taylor accumulated 442 dual victories – good for 3rd all-time in Division I at the time of his retirement, 14 conference championships and mentored 15 different wrestlers to 17 All-America honors.
“We are deeply saddened by the passing of Coach Gary Taylor,” said current Rider Head Coach John Hangey, who wrestled and coached at Rider under Taylor. “He was a legend at Rider, a giant in the wrestling world, a special person who molded young men, and most importantly, a great father and husband. Gary touched many lives and will be sorely missed. We love you, Coach Taylor!”
Taylor took the reins of the wrestling program nine years into its existence in 1978-79. Over parts of the next five decades, Coach Taylor would cement his legacy as one of the all-time greats – not just at Rider – but in the history of the sport.
Taking over for another legend in his own right, the program’s founder Barry Burtnett, Taylor set his sights on establishing Rider on the national scene. The first step toward accomplishing that goal came in 1980, when Lou DiSerafino became the first Rider wrestler to earn All-American status. In 1984, Taylor led the Broncs to their first conference championship. The ball got rolling – and it didn’t stop for 39 years.
The Broncs didn’t just hold their own on the national stage. The climb continued to its apex in 1997, when Taylor guided Rider to the number seven ranking in the nation by Amateur Wrestling News for the final five weeks of the season. An unprecedented nine Broncs were national qualifiers that year, bested only by the University of Iowa’s 10 representatives.
“Our thoughts and prayers go out to Gary’s family,” said Rider Athletic Director Don Harnum. “Gary was a personal friend to me and so many others at Rider and in the wrestling community who , like me, are shocked and saddened by his sudden passing. Gary was and always will be a Rider coaching legend and be remembered as great man.”
15 different wrestlers became All-Americans a total of 17 times under Taylor. He led the Broncs to 14 conference championships – five in the East Coast Conference, eight in the East Coast Wrestling Association and one more in the Eastern Wrestling League. He was named conference Coach of the Year nine times. His wrestlers qualified for NCAA’s 173 times and earned individual conference titles on 110 occasions. He was presented with the Lifetime Service Award from New Jersey Chapter of the National Wrestling Coaches Association in 2018.
Impressive as his triumphs on the mat are, Taylor was also lauded for his contributions to the greater campus community. In 2004, he was presented the Rider Sesquicentennial Medal of Excellence. … rest of the story at gobroncs.com/news/2022/9/15/wrestling-rider-athletics-mourns-the-loss-of-gary-taylor
Daniel Ownbey Named Montevallo’s First Men’s Wrestling Head Coach
MONTEVALLO, Ala. – The University of Montevallo Athletics Department has announced Daniel Ownbey as the first Men’s Wrestling Head Coach in school history.
Ownbey comes to Montevallo from Wheeling University where he has served as the head coach since 2020.
“I would like to thank Mark Richard and Dr. John Stewart for the opportunity to become the first head wrestling coach at the University of Montevallo,” remarked Ownbey. “I am extremely excited to be returning to the south and beginning the process of building what will be a successful program. I want to also thank Wheeling University and Carrie Hanna for the amazing opportunity they provided me. There are amazing things in the future for the University of Montevallo, and I am excited to be a part of their family.”
In May, President John Stewart announced the addition of Men’s Wrestling, marking the university’s 22nd intercollegiate athletic sport. “We are really excited to serve wrestling student-athletes coming into the Falcon Family,” said Dr. Stewart. “Too many of our high school wrestlers have had to leave Alabama to compete at the highest levels so we are very pleased to keep them right here in their home state.”
With the addition of men’s wrestling Montevallo became just the second university in the state to offer the sport and the first at the NCAA Division II level. “Daniel has the opportunity to change the landscape of college wrestling in Alabama. Montevallo will be the only Division II institution sponsoring the sport and providing wrestling scholarships to prospective wrestling student-athletes,” said Director of Athletics Mark Richard. “Daniel brings a wealth of knowledge and experience to Montevallo and he will hit the ground running as he recruits to field the first team in school history for the Fall 2023 semester.” During the 2021 season at Wheeling, Ownbey helped rebuild a wrestling program that had not been active since the 2018-2019 season. He worked on recruiting and put together a roster that could be the foundation of the program. He had three wrestlers compete in the MEC Championships.
Ownbey arrived in Wheeling after spending the 2019-2020 season as an assistant coach at Division II Newberry College in South Carolina. Prior to that, he had coaching stints at Greensboro College, UNC Pembroke and Ferrum College.
During his coaching experience, Ownbey has helped tutor a combined 17 regional placers and seven national qualifiers.While at Newberry, Owenby was part of a program that placed five wrestlers at the NCAA Super Region 2 Tournament and had four qualifiers for the NCAA Division II Wrestling Championships.
Ownbey helped with the continued development of 2019 National Runner-Up and 2020 Super Region II Wrestler of the Year Isaiah Royal. Royal, who wrestled at the 141-pound weight class, went 23-2 during the 2019-20 season with both losses coming to Division I opponents.
As a student-athlete, Ownbey was a four-time All-American and a two-time national champion in the 141-pound weight class at UNC Pembroke. He became the school’s first-ever two-time champion, its third four-time All-American, and graduated in 2015 as the program’s third-winningest wrestler with a career mark of 133-18 (.881). Ownbey was the Region II Wrestler of the Year in 2015 and a finalist for the NCAA Division II Wrestler of the Year that season.
A native of Asheville, North Carolina, Ownbey was a two-time state champion at Enka High School, where he won 110 of his last 111 high school matches. … rest of the story at https://montevallofalcons.com/news/2022/8/4/daniel-ownbey-named-montevallos-first-mens-wrestling-head-coach.aspx
Caleb Beaty presented the 2022 Lee Carroll Award
State Champion Caleb Beaty of Corinth-Holders High School was presented the 2022 Lee Carroll Award recipient at halftime of a recent football game between C.H.H.S. and rival Cleveland High School. Caleb repeated as an undefeated state champion at 195 lbs. in the 4-A division this year as a junior. The 24th Lee Carroll Award is for excellence in athletics, and sportsmanship by an underclassman wrestler in eastern North Carolina.
Lee Carroll started wrestling his sophomore year when Tarboro High School re-started the sport in 1992 with Butch Sadler as his coach. Lee won 112 matches in just 3 years with the Vikings. Lee was state runner-up his junior year before becoming a record setting undefeated state champion in 1995 with a (50-0) record. Lee went on to start four years at North Carolina State qualifying for the Nationals 3 times. Lee has taught engineering graphics at N.C. State as an adjunct professor and has his own interactive design agency, Forged Media, in Raleigh. He has been recognized and inducted in the Tarboro High Athletic Hall of Fame.
Logan Tortual of Rosewood was the Lee Carroll Award wrestler for the 2021 season. Other previous award winners include Javon Armstrong of Pamlico County in 2020, Aaron Bancroft of Wilson Fike High School (2019), and brothers Christian and Timothy Decatur of Rosewood tied for this award as top-level underclassmen wrestlers in 2018. Jaqwuez Norman of Farmville Central (2017), Kaleb Taylor of Rosewood (2016), Wilson Smith of Rocky Mount (2015 & 2014), Angel Najar of North Pitt (2013), Alexander Knight and Jacineto Williamson of Rocky Mount in 2012, Chris Fess of Beddingfield and Tamaris Lane of Nash Central in 2011, Chandler Phillips of Rocky Mount (2010), Landon Lucas of SW Edgecombe (2009), Corey Smith (2008) and Eric Sutton (2007) of Tarboro, Zach Shearin and Paul Horner (2006) and Pat Anstead (2004) of Southern Nash, Jimmy McNamara (2005) of Wilson Hunt and Sammi Hadi (2003) of SW Edgecombe.
The TakeDown Report has promoted amateur wrestling for over 20 years in eastern North Carolina reporting wrestling results and encouraging media coverage of the sport. Fleming noted, “We desire to encourage wrestlers and teams in this area to realize the hard work, determination and discipline it takes to be a top notch wrestler,” he added. The TakeDown Report sponsors the Award. Contact the TDR at martinkfleming@gmail.com or call (252) 883-3311. Fans are invited to check our blog at https://takedownreport.wordpress.com/ or https://www.facebook.com/The-TakeDown-Report-235098404048/ or on Twitter Martin Fleming @MFlemdog.
U.N.C. WRESTLING ANNOUNCES 2022-23 SCHEDULE
CHAPEL HILL N.C. – Carolina’s wrestling squad will defend its home territory six times during the 2022-23 season, hosting four preseason top-25 teams in Chapel Hill for home duals while facing two more top-25 teams on the road.
“This is going to be a fantastic season,” said head coach Coleman Scott. “We are looking forward to the many opportunities for our guys to compete with the best and get stronger with every bout, and I can’t wait to hit the mat this year.”
After the opening intrasquad Carolina Blue & White scrimmage on Oct. 21, the Tar Heels begin their season at the Southeast Open the first weekend in November and then face Campbell in a dual on the road on Nov. 11.
Carolina then takes on the preseason-ranked No. 7 Michigan Wolverines in a dual meet at Boshamer Stadium, home of UNC’s baseball team. It will be a unique and first-of-its-kind event in Chapel Hill.
Other highlights include a visit from No. 4 Ohio State on Nov. 20, a trip to New Orleans for the National Collegiate Duals on Dec. 19 and 20, and a stop at preseason No. 18 Pitt on Feb. 3.
Carolina will open January on the road with a tournament at Franklin and Marshall before hitting the road again with stops at Penn, Harvard, Brown and Duke before returning to Chapel Hill. … rest of the story at Goheels.com/news/2022/9/9/carolina-wrestling-announces-2022-23-schedule
NWCA All-Star Classic Makes Its Return After Four-Year Absence
by Kyle Klingman
This year’s NWCA All-Star Classic features 13 confirmed matches with eight returning national collegiate champions on the card.
The National Wrestling Coaches Association All-Star Classic presented by Cliff Keen will make a triumphant return this year — and the scheduled matchups will make for one of the best wrestling events this year.
This was a staple meet of the college season but it went on a four-year hiatus. Thanks to the efforts of the NWCA, the All-Star Classic presented by Cliff Keen will be held on November 22 in Austin, Texas, and will be streamed LIVE on FloWrestling. Eleven men’s and two women’s matches have been confirmed, with more women’s matches close to being confirmed.
“I know I speak on behalf of our Board of Directors when I extend heartfelt thanks to the participating wrestlers, their coaches, and our partners at FloSports for providing us with this opportunity to showcase our heroes and champions,” NWCA executive director Mike Moyer said.
The feature bout is at 174 pounds, which is a rematch of the 2022 NCAA tournament finals between Penn State’s Carter Starocci and Virginia Tech’s Mekhi Lewis. Starocci — the two-time returning champion at the weight — outlasted Lewis, a 2019 NCAA champion at 165 pounds, 5-5 in the second tiebreaker. This will be the second meeting between the two.
The 165-pound match between Iowa State’s David Carr and Princeton’s Quincy Monday has been years in the making. Their fathers — Nate Carr of Iowa State and Kenny Monday of Oklahoma State — are two of the greatest wrestlers in American history, and their rivalry might be the fiercest in college history. This will be the first meeting between their sons.
Returning NCAA champions on the card include Carr, Lewis, Starocci, Keegan O’Toole, and Aaron Brooks. One of the confirmed women’s matches includes a returning NAIA champion versus a returning NCWWC (NCAA programs) champion. Adaugo Nwachukwu of Iowa Wesleyan was a 2022 NAIA champion at 136 pounds and is moving up to 143 to face 2021 NCWWC champion Alara Boyd of McKendree.
Every wrestler on the card is a returning All-American.
The All-Star Classic has provided some of the most memorable moments in college wrestling history. Cornell’s Kyle Dake and Penn State’s David Taylor met for the first of three times in college at the 2012 event. Iowa’s Brent Metcalf earned a technical fall over North Carolina State’s Darrion Caldwell in 2008 before Caldwell defeated Metcalf, 11-6, during the 2009 NCAA tournament finals.
Iowa State’s Dan Gable won 181 consecutive matches over his high school and college career before losing to Washington sophomore Larry Owings, 13-11, during the 1970 NCAA Championship finals. Gable wrestled his final collegiate match several days later at the All-Star Classic, earning a fall over Old Dominion’s Wayne Bright in front of a partisan crowd in Ames, Iowa.
In 2016, Helen Maroulis became the first American to win an Olympic gold medal in women’s freestyle wrestling. Prior to that, she wrestled in the 2014 All-Star Classic and picked up a 15-0 technical fall over Jillian Gallays. … rest of the story at NWCAonline.com/nwca-all-star-classic-makes-its-return-after-four-year-absence
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
