Klessinger: O’Connor’s unwavering grit led to a second title
TDR Editor’s Notes; Another in a series of articles by Coach John Klessinger in WIN wrestling magazine. He writes about the tenacity of the University of North Carolina’s two time National champion. Another connection to our state is that Coach Klessinger formerly coached at SouthWest Edgecombe High School about 20 years ago before moving back to his home state of Maryland. We welcome your input and reactions to us at martinkfleming@gmail.com ++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
By John Klessinger
Substitute wrestling with any other life endeavor and it is the same. North Carolina’s Austin O’Connor demonstrated what we already know but quickly forget when adversity comes our way. Success is not a straight line. It is filled with pain and heartache. But that is why we love stories like O’Connor’s. Whatever happens in wrestling or life, get up, move forward, and keep believing in yourself.
O’Connor found out before the ACC tournament in 2022 that his ACL was partially torn. He knew full well that it would worsen if he wrestled. He was the returning 2021 NCAA champion. But, as I had come to learn about the Lockport, Ill., native, not wrestling wasn’t an option for him. Ingrained in O’Connor is an attitude of toughness and self-belief.
O’Connor would come into the 2022 NCAA tournament as the No. 11 seed; his lowest seed in the four years at the tournament. After placing sixth in 2019 and seed No. 2 in 2020, O’Connor came into 2021 as the two seed, upending No. 1 Sammy Sasso of Ohio State, 3-2, in the final.
The ACL injury prevented a repeat. In overtime, O’Connor lost his 2022 NCAA tournament opening match to Dazjon Casto from the Citadel. Through the progression of the ACC and NCAA tournaments, O’Connor would fully tear his ACL. After the loss to Casto, he won four consecutive consolation matches to earn his fourth All-American honor. He medically forfeited his remaining matches, placing eighth.
“I wanted surgery as soon as possible,” Austin recalled. “It hurt losing and placing eighth. But I knew I could win it again.”
His knee sustained a lot of trauma. Outside of reconstructing the ACL, his lateral collateral ligament (LCL) and medial collateral ligament (MCL) were damaged.
“I’ve always had the hard route,” he said. “I went into surgery confident. I knew it would be tough, but I also knew it would work out if I put in the time and sacrifice,” he said about his mindset before surgery.
Austin is no stranger to success. He was a four-time state champion at St. Rita of Cascia High School in Illinois. … rest of story at WIN-magazine.com/2023/04/06/klessinger-oconnors-unwavering-grit-led-to-a-second-title
The Three Ways Wrestling Saved My Life
By Peyton Robb
Peyton Robb was hospitalized shortly after the conclusion of the 2023 NCAA Wrestling Championships. He had been recovering in a Lincoln hospital until his recent release. Below are Peyton’s comments about his experience and his gratitude for the support shown to him.
Wrestling has always been known as a head-down, hard-nose sport. It has broken me before, and I’m sure it will again, but during my time in the hospital I always approached my new obstacles with a different mindset. I can’t thank wrestling enough for giving me the mental strength that it took to just keep looking forward when all signs and symptoms of the infection were pushing me back.
With the mental side of wrestling comes the physical. During much of my time in the hospital, I had a variety of issues at any time that we were trying to deal with. Things were not looking great early on in my stay; my body had been in sepsis, I had acute heart failure, kidney failure and hypotensive blood pressure, among other things. I spoke with multiple doctors during this time and more than once I was told that if not for the shape that my body was in, I could have ended up much worse, or even dead. The physical demand that I’ve gone through for all my wrestling training has paid off in much more than just wrestling.
The final way that wrestling saved my life is through the love and generosity of the wrestling community. Once again, this group has shown that when push comes to shove, it doesn’t matter what color singlet or what logo you wear, we are all in it together. … rest of story at Huskers.com/2023/4/3/the-three-ways-wrestling-saved-my-life
Top All-Time Division III Coaches in Dual Meet Wins
TDR Editor’s Notes ; This list of college coaches by the number of dual meet victories in which they led their teams while in Division III. Division III was created apart from Division II with it’s first championships in 1974. The D-3 schools are ones without athletic scholarships and in wrestling they are clustered mostly in the Northeast, Northern Plains and some in the midwest. Coaches with connections to North Carolina schools include Jamie Gibbs at Baldwin-Wallace (79th) who coached at UnC-Pembroke before going on to Ohio. Listed are just the top100 coaches but we seek to keep track of all. We welcome input, information and reactions to us at martinkfleming@gmail.com
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ALL-TIME Div. III Coaches Top 100 (or so) with at least 110 wins
- Jare Klein (Olivet College) 569 – III
- Bill Racich (Ursinus College) 540 – III
- David Icenhower (College of New Jersey) 534 – III
- John Reese (Wilkes Univ.) 515 – I/III ????
- Max Servcies (Wabash) 487 – III
- Ned McGinley (King’s College) 458 – III
- Roger Crebs (Lycoming College) 439 – III
- Mike Olson (UNC-Pembroke, Upper Iowa, Monmouth) 428 – II/III ???
- Lonnie Morris (Johnson & Wales) 422 – III
- Phil Grebinar (Worcester Poly Tech.) 414 III
- Jim Miller (Wartburg) 413 – III
- Bob Skelton (Western New England College) – 402 III
- Robert Marshall (Del. Valley Coll./Dickinson) – 396 III
- Al Baxter (Buena Vista Univ.) 376 – III
- Budd Whitehill (Lycoming Coll.) 376 – III
- Ron Beaschler (Ohio Northern Univ.) 374 – III
- Don Murray (SUNY-Brockport) 359 – III –
- Bruce Haberli (New York Univ.) 335 –III
- Jeff Swenson (Augsburg Coll.) 321 – III
- Tom Kessler (York College) 321 – III
- Steve Eldridge (U.S. Coast Guard Ac.) 317 – III – Inc.,
- Dave Mitchell (Luther College) 315 – III
- Bob Del Rosa (Case Western Reserve) 310 – III
- Kerry Volkmann (John Carroll) 304 – III
- Daryl Arroyo (Springfield, Mass) 301 – III
- Willie Myers (Wisconsin-Whitewater) 301 – III
- Tim Fader (Wisc.-Eau Claire, Whitewater, La Crosse) 300 – III
- Martin Nichols (Ithaca College) 299 – III
- Byron James (Wisc.-River Falls) 297 – III
- Al Sosa (SUNY-Oneota State) 284 — III
- Kenneth Ober (Elizabethtown College) 282 – III
- Jon Laudenslager (Wilkes University) 282 – III
- John Elton (St. John’s {Minn.} 273 – III
- Frank Cheek (Humboldt State) 261 – III
- John Oostendorp (Coe College) 266 – III
- Jay Jones (Rhode Island College) 261 – III
- Dave Kemmy (Roger Williams) 251 – III
- Bryan Brunk (Messiah College) 255 – III
- Al Hanke (Elmhurst Coll./Lake Forest Coll.{ILL}) 246 – III
- Brad Bruhn (SUNY-Cortland) 236 – III – retired in 2022
- Randy Steward (Loras College) 235 – III
- James R. Howard (SUNY-Oswego State) 234 — III
- John Davis (Maryville College) 224 – III
- Steve Stellner (Montclair State) 223 – III
- Russell “Rusty” Carlsten (Rhode Island College) 222 – III
- Dave Malececk (Wisc.-Lacrosse) 220 – III
- Drew Black (Wesleyan Univ/Phoenix.) 219 – III
- Bob Gaudenzi (Hunter College) 218 – III
- Jerry Petrofes (Lebanon Valley College) 214 – III
- Tony DeCarlo (John Carroll Univ.) 213 – III
- Donald Montgomery (Mount Union College) 212 – III
- Johnny Johnson (Wisc.-Stevens Point) 206 – III
- Ron Zalokar (Carthage College) 204 – III
- John Summa (Baldwin-Wallace College) 201 – III
- Earl Fuller (Rochester Inst. Of Tech.) 197 – III
- Gary Franke (Washington & Lee) 196 – III
- Ron Peterson (Simpson College) 195 – III
- Duane Ritter (SUNY Oneonta State) – 195
- Larry Shank (Heidelburg College/Capital) 194 – III
- George Olson (Wheaton College) 192 – III
- Richard Walker (Wartburg College/Grinnell College) 191
- Sebastian Amato (Trinity College) 189
- Sam Case (McDaniel Coll.(West.Md./John Hopkins) 189
- Rich Achtzehn (York College, Penna.) 184
- Mike Howard (SUNY-Oswego State) – 184
- Richard Walker (Wartburg College) 183
- John Hopkins (Scranton University) 183
- Jon Egan (Roger Williams) – 183
- Tom Jarman (Manchester, College) 179
- Chester Anderson (Bemidiji State) 177-III (inc.)
- Jon McGovern (Dubuque University) – 171
- Eric Keller (Wartburg/Nor.Central Coll.) 168
- Craig Thurber (Thiel College) – 167
- Claude B. Sharer (Case Western Reserve) 166 – III
- Gene Nighman (SUNY-Cortland) 163-III
- Don Parker (Wisc-Eau Claire/Upper Iowa) 163 – III
- Brian Anderson (Wabash College) – 161
- Kevin Puebla (Augustana College, Ill.) 158 – III
- Jamie Gibbs (Baldwin-Wallace) – 154
- Mike Poe (Millikin College) 149 – III
- Leo Kocher (University of Chicago) 148 – inc.
- Mike Duroe (Cornell College) 145
- Joe Galente (College of New Jersey) 145
- Steve Marianetti (Elmhurst College) – 144
- Alan Zellner (Kutztown/Wilkes Univ. ) 140
- Bruce Shumaker (Apprentice School) 138
- Eric Van Kley (Central College ) 136
- Larry Sciacchetano (Montclair St. & NY-Maritime) 135
- Dave Schutter (Truman/NE Mo. State) 133
- Branden Totten (Delaware Valley College) 132
- James A. White (Washington & Jefferson) 132 – inc.
- Neil Turner (Messiah College) 131
- John Piper (Muhlenberg/Lafayette/Wash.&Lee) 131
- James Holder (Springfield College) 131
- Ron Headlee (Waynesburg Univ.) 130
- Brandon Brissette (Olivet College) 129
- Paul Solberg (Luther College) 127
- John Garriques (Centenary College) 127
- Greg Ilaria (U.S. Merchant Marine Coll.) 120
- Chris Walter (Wisc.-Platteville) 117
Top Active Division III Coaches in Dual Meet Wins
TDR Editor’s Notes ; This list of college coaches by the number of dual meet victories in which they led their teams while in Division III. Active D-III Coaches with connections to North Carolina schools include Jamie Gibbs at Baldwin-Wallace who coached at UnC-Pembroke before going on to Ohio. Just outside being on this list is Scott Honacker at Williams College with 95 wins. He is also the top all-time coach in wins while at Williams. Before taking the reins at this historic college in the moutains of western Massachusetts Scot was the head coach at J. H. Rose High School in Greenville. Listed are just the top 35 coaches but we seek to keep track of all. We welcome input, information and reactions to us at martinkfleming@gmail.com
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ACTIVE Coaches(D-III)– Top 35 (or so) with at least 100 wins
- Roger Crebs (Lycoming College) 439
- Lonnie Morris (Johnson & Wales) 422
- Ron Beaschler (Ohio Northern Univ.) 374
- Bruce Haberli (New York University) 335
- Dave Mitchell (Luther College) 315
- Tim Fader (Wis.-Eau Claire,Whitewater, La Crosse) 300
- Martin Nichols (Ithaca College) 299
- Jon Laudenslager (Wilkes University) 282
- John Oostendorp (Coe College) 266
- Jay Jones (Rhode Island College) 261
- Bryan Brunk (Messiah College) 255
- Brad Bruhn (SUNY-Cortland) 236 – retired in 2022
- Dave Malecek (Wisconsin-LaCrosse State) 220
- Drew Black (Wesleyan Univ.) 219
- Johnny Johnson (Wisconsin-Stevens Point) 206 – retired in 2021
- Duane Ritter (SUNY Oneonta State) 195
- Mike Howard (SUNY-Oswego State) 184
- Jon Egan (Roger Williams) – 183
- Jon McGovern (Dubuque University) – 171
- Eric Keller (Wartburg College) – 168
- Craig Thurber (Thiel College) – 167
- Brian Anderson (Wabash College) – 161
- Jamie Gibbs (Baldwin-Wallace) – 154
- Leo Kocher (University of Chicago) 148 – inc.
- Joe Galente (College of New Jersey) 145
- Steve Marianetti (Elmhurst College) – 144
- Eric Van Kley (Central College) 136
- James Holder (Springfield College) 131
- Ron Headlee (Waynesburg Univ.) 130
- Brandon Bissette (Olivet College) 129
- Jason Garriques (Centenary College) 127
- Greg Ilaria (U.S. Merchant Marine) – 120
- Al Russomano (Scranton Univ.) 112
- Joe Favia (Stevens Institute of Tech.) 103
- Keith Norris (John Hopkins Univ.) 102
10 Years of NCAA Championship Data
With another NCAA Tournament in the books, it gives us the opportunity to add more data to the ever-growing pile of stats. Looking back at the last ten years, here are some updated figures regarding key benchmarks in college wrestling.
Since there was no national tournament in 2020, our look has extended back to the 2013 season. Also, remember that the Ivy League schools did not participate during the 2021 season, so their numbers may have taken a slight hit, as a result.
NCAA Titles
(30) – Penn State: Zain Retherford (3), Jason Nolf (3), Bo Nickal (3), Aaron Brooks (3), Carter Starocci (3), Ed Ruth (2), Vincenzo Joseph (2), Nick Lee (2), Roman Bravo-Young (2), Quentin Wright, David Taylor, Matt Brown, Nico Megaludis, Mark Hall, Anthony Cassar, Max Dean
(9) – Cornell: Yianni Diakomihalis (4), Gabe Dean (2), Kyle Dake, Nahshon Garrett, Vito Arujau
(9) – Oklahoma State: Alex Dieringer (3), Chris Perry (2), Dean Heil (2), Jordan Oliver, AJ Ferrari … rest of story at Intermatwrestle.com/articles/26620?utm_source=Wrestling+News
All Time Top Division II Coaches in Dual Meet Wins
TDR Editor’s Notes ; This list of college coaches by the number of dual meet victories in which they led their teams while in Division II. It is tricky to keep track of records when a school changes in divisions while under the same coach. Coaches with connections to North Carolina schools include M. Olson in 4th, P.J. Smith tied for 11th, K. Caudell of Belmont Abbey (53rd), B. Gorney of Livingstone (59th) and O.T. Johnson of UNC-Pembroke(60th). Jason Valek made a strong start leading the Newberry College program to almost 200 wins in South Carolina. We have just the top 60 coaches listed but do keep track of all. We welcome input, information and reactions to us at martinkfleming@gmail.com
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ALL-TIME Coaches (D-II)– Top 60 (or so) with at least 120 wins Wins
- Pat Pecora (Pitt-Johnstown) 646
- Doug Parker (Springfield, Mass) 485
- Don Elia (Carson-Newman) 461
- Mike Olson (UNC-Pembroke, Upper Iowa, Monmouth) 428 inc.
- Arthur “Bucky” Maughn (N Dak State) 408
- David James (Cent. Oklahoma) 396
- Mike Denney (Maryville Univ./Nebr.-Omaha) 389
- Vaughn Hitchcock (Cal-Poly-SLO) 353 – II
- Jim Makovsky (Minn. St.-Mankato/Valley City St.) 324
- Steve Costanzo (St. Cloud Univ.&Dana Coll.) 319
- Robert “Rummy” Macias (Minn. St.-Mankato) 299
- P.J. Smith (UNC-Pembroke, Campbell) 299
- Vince Monseau (West Liberty St./Peru St.) 286
- Jim Koch (Wisconsin-Parkside) 277
- Mike Sterner (SW Minnesota St.) 254
- William “Bill” Corman (Shippensburg State) 243
- Jason Liles (S.D. State/Montana St.-Northern) 236
- Robert Fisher (Kutztown Univ.) 236
- Doug Henry (Gannon Univ.) 234
- Terry Wetherald (Univ. of Indianapolis – Ind. Central) 230
- Robin Ersland (Minot St./Cent. Mo. St./Calif. (Pa.), N. Mich. 225
- Marc Bauer (Univ. of Nebraska-Kearney) 215
- Larry Kristoff (So. Illinois-Edwardsville, SW Mo. St.) 212
- Jason Reitmeier (Augustana College-S.D.) 212
- Heath Grimm (Upper Iowa Univ.) 210
- Mike Wehler (Mercyhurst, West Liberty State) 208
- Mike Palmisiano (Nebraska-Omaha, Ohio Northern) 200
- Tracy Borah (Western State College) 200
- Jason Valek (Newberry) 194
- Joe Seay (Cal. State Bakersfield) 187
- Allan Abraham (Calif. State San Francisco) 176
- Miles Van Hee (Western State College) 170
- Lars Jensen (Calif. State San Francisco) 170
- Stamatis Bulgaris (Wright State & Dayton) 169
- Ray Kowatch (Ashland College) 167
- John Oxton (St. Cloud State Univ.) 167
- Paul Kendle (Augustana College-S.D.) 163
- Howard Westcott (Portland State) 162
- Doug Moses (N.M. Highlands, So. Color., Col. St.) 155 – inc
- John W. Hancock (Northern Col., Col. St. Coll) 152
- Bill Garland (Minnesota State-Moorhead) 147
- Roger Denker (Central Missouri State) 143
- Jack LaBonde (Northern Colorado, Col. St. Coll) 142
- Chuck Piper (Colorado Mesa St.) 138
- James Kisgen (McKendree College) 138 D-II since 2013
- John Sterner (Minnesota State-Moorehead) 137
- Scott Ritzen (Chadron State College) 135
- Pat Timm (Northern State) 135
- Warren Williamson (South Dakota State ) 134
- Dave Shutter (Truman State, NE Missouri State) 133
- Mike McGlinchey (Salisbury State) 133
- Jack Maughan (Northern Colorado) 129
- Ken Caudell (Belmont-Abbey) 127
- Martin Grahn (Portland State) 126
- Jason Ramstetter(Adams State) 125
- Dan Hinkel (Kutztown) 124
- Jason Warthan (Indianapolis) 123
- Mark Osgood (Ashland Univ.) 121
- Blaine Gorney (Livingstone) 121
- Othello ‘O.T.’ Johnson (U. N.C.-Pembroke) 119
Top Active Division II Coaches in Dual Meet Wins
TDR Editor’s Notes ; This list of college coaches by the number of dual meet victories in which they led their teams while in Division II. Active D-II Coaches with connections to North Carolina schools include Kenn Caudell of Belmont Abbey (14th), and O.T. Johnson of UNC-Pembroke (17th). Listed are just the top 25 coaches listed but we seek to keep track of all. We welcome input, information and reactions to us at martinkfleming@gmail.com
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- Pat Pecora (Pitt-Johnstown) 646
- Mike Denney (Maryville Univ./Nebr.-Omaha) 389
- Jim Makovsky (Minn. St.-Mankato/Valley City St.) 324
- Steve Costanzo (St. Cloud Univ.&Dana College) 319
- Robert Fisher (Kutztown Univ.) 236
- Doug Henry (Gannon Univ.) 234
- Jason Reitmeier (Augustana College-S.D.) 212
- Heath Grimm (Upper Iowa Univ.) 210
- Mike Wehler (Mercyhurst, West Liberty State) 208
- Doug Moses (New Mex. Highlands, So. Colo., Col. St.) 162 inc.
- Chuck Piper (Colorado Mesa) 138
- James Kisgen (McKendree College) – 141
- Pat Timm (Northern State) 135
- Kenn Caudell (Belmont-Abbey College) 127
- Jason Ramstetter (Adams State College) 125
- Jason Warthan (Indianapolis Univ.) 123
- Othello ‘O.T.’ Johnson (U. N.C.-Pembroke) 119
- Shawn Nelson (Findlay Univ.) 104 inc.
- Seth Bloomquist (Shippensburg State) 102
- Dalton Jensen (Nebraska-Kearney) 94
- Dock Kelly (Anderson) 93 ** now at NAIA school
- Dax Charles (Colorado State-Pueblo) 87
- Todd Steidley (Central Oklahoma) 86
- Brian Tucker (Seton Hill) 81
- Brett Hunter (Chadron State) 78
2023 North Carolina “HALL OF FAME DAY” CELEBRATION
April 1, 2023
DEAR Fans of Wrestling:
ONE OR MORE OF THE NORTH CAROLINA CLASS OF 2023 HONOREES AND THE NATIONAL WRESTLING HALL OF FAME AND MUSEUM CORDIALLY INVITE YOU TO ATTEND THE 19th “HALL OF FAME DAy” CELEBRATION ON MAY 21, 2023 AT THE FRIDAY CENTER IN CHAPEL HILL.
THE SOCIAL WILL BEGIN AT 2:00 P.M. and DINNER SERVED AT 3:00 P.M.
THE AWARD PRESENTATION WILL FOLLOW DINNER.
THE PURPOSE OF THIS BANQUET IS TO HONOR AND RECOGNIZE INDIVIDUALS FOR THEIR YEARS OF COMMITMENT AS POSITIVE ROLE MODELS TO OUR STUDENT ATHLETES.
THE CLASS OF 2023 HAS GIVEN COUNTLESS HOURS OF THEIR TIME INSTILLING IN YOUNG PEOPLE THE SKILLS NEEDED TO SUCCEED IN ALL AREAS OF LIFE. THE LIFETIME SERVICE TO WRESTLING AWARD IS FOR YEARS OF DEDICATION TO THE SPORT OF WRESTLING AS A COACH, OFFICIAL, OR CONTRIBUTOR. THEY WILL BE PERMANENTLY RECOGNIZED AT THE NATIONAL WRESTLING HALL OF FAME AND MUSEUM IN STILLWATER, OKLAHOMA.
The Class of 2023
“Lifetime service to wrestling” award
Billy Baker
David Barker
Paul Crouse
Sara Koenig
Ryan Blackwell – Medal of Courage
This is an opportunity for you to honor these great individuals and promote the positive aspects of our oldest and greatest sport—“wrestling”!
To register for the “Hall of Fame day” celebration.
Please complete the appropriate sections and return to the address listed.
We are looking forward to May 21st—a great day for North Carolina’s outstanding individuals and the sport of wrestling. North Carolina can be proud of these deserving honorees.
Yours in wrestling,
Rex Wells, President
North Carolina Chapter
REGISTRATION FORM
2023 North Carolina “HALL OF FAME DAY” CELEBRATION
Location: The Friday Center Chapel Hill, NC
Banquet Registration
Please make check ($60.00 per person) payable to “National Wrestling Hall of Fame, North Carolina Chapter” and return by May 14, 2023.
Name___________________________________________________________
Total Number Attending ___________
NAME(S) OF GUEST(S): (Please print neatly. Name tags will be made from this.)
__________________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________________
Total Amount Enclosed for Tickets _________________
I (WE) ARE ATTENDING IN HONOR OF (RECIPIENT’S NAME): ______________________________________________
HONOREES’ SPECIAL CONTRIBUTION
Yes, I (We) want to honor (Honorees’ Name(s) ___________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________________
And support the National Wrestling Hall of Fame and Museum by sending a special contribution in the name of the above-mentioned Honoree(s).
______ $25 ______ $50 _____ $100 _____ $250 Other Amount ______________
The NWHOF is a 501(C) 3 Corporation. Any Special contributions made on behalf of an honoree is tax deductible. Your name will be included on The Special Contribution Page in the Banquet Program. Please write below how you wish to have your name listed.
__________________________________________________________________
RETURN COMPLETED FORM TO: National Wrestling Hall of Fame
North Carolina Chapter
123 Foxden Drive Unit 204
Fletcher, NC 28732
(828) 779-1474
Or purchase online at: https://nc-nwhof.ticketleap.com/
Please check-in at the registration table that day. If you purchase tickets online, please e-mail the names to rexwells1977@gmail.com to have name tags made.
All Time Top Division I Coaches in Dual Meet Wins
TDR Editor’s Notes ; This list of college coaches by the number of dual meet victories in which they led their Division I teams. Several of the coaches have a greater overall number of victories when their time as a coach at another level is added in. Some notes of interest are John Smith of Oklahoma State is closing in on the 2nd spot and could pass Harold Nichols in a year or two. Tom Borelli moved past Bob Guzzo of N.C. State and Dan Gable of Iowa. Brian Smith of Missouri moved past four coaches to tie Carl Adams at 20th. Tom Ryan of Ohio State and Mark Manning of Nebraska both moved past the 300 wins mark to join just 31 other D-I coaches of the past 120 years of college wrestling. We welcome input, information and reactions to us at martinkfleming@gmail.com
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ALL-TIME Coaches(D-I)– Top 125 with at least 116 Wins
- Dale Thomas (Oregon State) 616
- Harold Nichols (Iowa St.) 493
- John Smith (Oklahoma State Univ.) 476
- Gary Taylor (Rider) 442
- Bobby Douglas (Iowa St/CSSB/ArizSU) 440
- J Robinson (Minnesota) 440
- Jack Childs (Drexel) 423
- T.J. Kerr (U. Calif. Bakersfield/San Jose St.) 421
- Wally Johnson (Minnesota Univ.) 392
- John Johnston (Princeton) 382
- Bill Lam (North Carolina Univ.) 378
- Lonnie Timmerman (Drake) 364
- Tom Borelli (Central Michigan) 360
- Bob Guzzo (N.C. State ) 356
- Dan Gable (Iowa) 355
- Russ Hellickson (Ohio St./Wisc.) 350
- Paul Mance (Appalachian State.) 348
- Rob Koll (Stanford/Cornell Univ.) 334
- Gray Simons (ODU, Tenn, L. Haven, Ind. St.) 327
- Carl Adams (Boston Univ.) 326
- Brian Smith (Missouri/Syracuse) 326 up 4 spots
- Bob Bubb (Clarion Univ.) 322
- Jack Spates (Oklahoma & Cornell) 322
- Dave Amato (Brown) 319
- Joe Seay (Okla.St., Ca.-Bak., U.Tenn.-Chatt.) 319
- Dennis Deliddo (Cal. St. Fresno) 313
- Ron Finley (Oregon Univ.) 311
- Ed Peery (U.S. Naval Academy) 311
- Tom Ryan (Ohio State/Hofstra) 307
- Randy Stottlemyer (Pittsburgh) 304
- Mark Manning (Nebraska/Northern Iowa) 303
- Stan Abel (Oklahoma, Cincinnati) 302
- Roger Sanders (Bloomsburg, New York Univ.) 300
- Duane Goldman (Indiana Univ.) 297
- Dick Bonacci (Cleveland State) 296
- John McHugh (Maryland, Catholic, American) 288
- Craig Turnbull (West Virginia Univ.) 287
- Joe Begala (Kent State Univ.) 282
- Tom Brands (Iowa & Virginia Tech) 282
- Ed Carlin (Syracuse Univ.) 280
- Jim Zalesky (Oregon State/Iowa) 278 (now at NAIA school)
- Clifford Keen (Michigan Univ.) 274
- Dave McCuskey (Iowa / Univ. Northern Iowa) 262
- Tim Flynn (West Virginia/Edinboro St.) 254
- Ron Gray (Kent St./Franklin & Marshall) 253
- Arnold ‘Swede’ Umbach (Auburn Univ) 249
- Joel Greenlee (Ohio Univ.) 244
- Roger Reina (Pennsylvania, Univ. of) 242
- Red W. Watkins (Appalachian State/Maryville) 239
- Joe McFarland (Michigan/Indiana) 238
- Ed Steers (Army, E.C.U. William&Mary) 235
- Cael Sanderson (Penn State, Iowa State) 235
- Barry Davis (Wisconsin) 234
- Oscar Gupton (Virginia Military Institute) 232
- Mark Johnson (Illinois & Oregon State) 231
- Pat Popolizio (North Carolina St., SUNY-Bing.) – 231
- Kevin Dresser (Iowa St./Virginia Tech Un.) 228
- Tommy Chesbro (Oklahoma State) 227
- Pat Santoro (Lehigh University, Maryland) 225
- Harry Houska (Ohio University) 224
- William Sheridan (Lehigh & Penn) 222
- Bob Carlson (Utah State) 221
- Fred Powell (Slippery Rock State) 221
- Dale Bahr (Michigan) 221
- Bill Harvey (Duke) 220
- Chuck Patten (Northern Iowa Univ.) 217
- Grady Peninger (Michigan State Un.) 213
- Ed Michael (Buffalo) 213
- Fred Davis (Brigham Young Un.) 210
- Scott Goodale (Rutgers University) – 209
- Bill Koll (Penn State, Northern Iowa, Cornell Coll.) 208
- William “Sully” Krouse (Maryland) 207
- Paul Billy (Delaware Univ.) 206
- Jimmy Miller (Cornell Univ.) 203
- Linn Long (So. Illini-Carbondale/Colorado) 203
- Tim Neumann (Nebraska) 199
- Jim Andrassy (Kent State Univ.) 198
- Charles Sherwood (Cent. Mich. Un.) 195
- Jerry Cheynet (Virginia Tech) 194
- Charlie Speidel (Penn State) 191
- Greg Strobel (Lehigh University) 189
- Fran McCann (Indiana St/WinonaSt./Notre Dame) 184
- Steve Garland (Univ. of Virginia) 181
- Charles Mayser (Iowa St./Yale/Franklin&Marshall) 180
- Clyde H. “Red” Whitman (East Stroudsburg St.) 180
- Jessie Reyes (Purdue) 179
- Reg Wicks (U.S. Naval Academy) 173
- John Stutzman (Bloomsburg/Buffalo Univ.) 173
- Steve Martin (Old Dominion Univ.) 172
- Pete (Tom?) Robinson (Old Dominion Un.) 172
- Thad Turner (Lehigh Univ.) 171
- Dan Wirnsberger (Bucknell/Bloomsburg) 170
- Carl Poff (Lock Haven Univ.) 167
- John Sacchi (Rutgers University) 167
- Lowell Lange (Georgia Tech/Cornell Coll.) 161
- Joe Wells (Oregon State Univ.) 161
- John Trudgeon (V.M.I.) 160
- Hugh Otopalik (Iowa State) 159
- Jack Effner (Clev. St./U.S. M.A.) 158
- Mike Young (Boise State) 155 – inc.
- Harold Pinther (Eastern Illinois Univ.) 149
- Jay Weiss (Harvard Univ) 147
- Rob Hjerling (Citadel) 144
- Donn Matson (Cal. State-Fullerton/Santa Barbara) 144
- Ray Swartz (Central Oklahoma, U.S. Naval Acad.) 143
- Richard Voliva (Rutgers Univ.) 142
- Myron Roderick (Oklahoma State Univ.) 140
- George Redman (Central Conneticut)133
- Jerry Swope (Millersville Univ.) 133
- John Mark Bentley (Appalachian St.) 133
- Kerry McCoy (Maryland/Stanford) 131 – retired 2019
- Joe Seay (Okla.St., U.Tenn.-Chatt.) 130
- Bert Waterman (Yale University) 130 – inc.
- Mark Branch (Wyoming Univ.) 130
- Steve Suder (Wyoming University) 127
- John Schutz (U.S. Naval Academy) 126
- Ron Russo (Columbia Univ.) 125
- W. Roy Phillips (Franklin & Marshall/Pennsylvania) 124 – inc.
- A. Frank Teske (Virginia Tech) 122
- Neil Turner (Lock Haven) 120
- Mark Cody (Presby/Oklahoma/American) 119
- Greg Randall (Boise State) 117
- Ike Sherlock (V.M.I./Campbell) 116
- Jim Heffernan (Univ. of Illinois) 116
- Zeke Jones (Ariz. St./U. of Penn.) 116
Top Active Division I Coaches in Dual Meet Wins
TDR Editor’s Notes ; This is the first of a series of lists of college coaches by the number of dual meet victories in which they led their teams. This year two Big 10 coaches, Ryan & Manning joined the 300 win club which grew to six in Division I coaches. Sanderson of Penn State jumped up three rungs on the list past the top North Carolina Coach, Pat Popolizio at North Carolina State, into 12th place. Bentley of Appalachian State joined the top 25 part of the list. We have just the top 30 coaches listed but do keep track of all. We welcome input, information and reactions to us at martinkfleming@gmail.com
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Top 30 Division I ACTIVE Coacheswith at least 100 Wins
- John Smith (Oklahoma State Univ.) 476
- Tom Borelli (Central Michigan) 360
- Rob Koll (Cornell Univ.) 334
- Brian Smith (Missouri/Syracuse) 326
- Tom Ryan (Ohio State/Hofstra) 307
- Mark Manning (Nebraska/Northern Iowa) 303
- Tom Brands (Iowa & Virginia Tech) 282
- Jim Zalesky (Oregon State/Iowa) 278 now at NAIA school
- Tim Flynn (Edinboro State Univ.) 254
- Joel Greenlee (Ohio Univ.) 244
- Roger Reina (Pennsylvania, Un.) 242
- Cael Sanderson (Penn State, Iowa State) – 235
- Pat Popolizio (North Carolina St., SUNY-Binghampton) – 231
- Kevin Dresser (Iowa State/Virginia Tech Univ.) 228
- Pat Santoro (Lehigh University, Maryland) 225
- Scott Goodale (Rutgers University) – 209
- Jim Andrassy (Kent State Univ.) 198
- Steve Garland (Virginia University) 181
- John Stutzman (Buffalo SUNY, Bloomsburg) – 173
- Dan Wirnsberger (Bucknell, Bloomsburg) 170
- Jay Weiss (Harvard Univ.) – 147
- Chris Bono (Wisconsin/South Dakota/U.Tenn.Chatt.) 144
- John Mark Bentley (Appalachian State) – 133
- Jason Borelli (American/Stanford Univ.) – 131
- Mark Branch (Wyoming Univ.) – 130
- Mark Cody (Presbyterian, Oklahoma U., American U.) – 119
- Jim Heffernan (Illinois University) – 116
- Zeke Jones (Ariz. St., Univ. Of Penn.) – 116
- Roger Kish (North Dakota State) – 109
- Greg Williams (Utah Valley State) – 101
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
