My friend and sometime collaborator, Kalea Yoshida of the great Play, Actions Sports blog (http://playactionfashion.com) posted this picture on my Facebook page the other day.
We share a passion for sports and especially for our beloved wrestling programs;
She's an Iowa Hawkeye fanatic, while I'm a Minnesota Golden Gopher nut case.
Just looking at the picture inspired my excitement for the upcoming wrestling tourney.
I would love to drive down to St. Louis and attend the 2015 NCAA Wrestling Championships, taking place from March 19th through the 21st.
The only wrestling championship I've ever attended was 2002 up in Albany, New York, where my beloved Minnesota Golden Gophers won the championship.
It was such an amazing experience.
In fact, the Gophers' 2002 title was their second of back-to-back National Championships, and they did so with very different results than what earned them the 2001 title.
In 2001, the team placed a record ten (10) wrestlers in the top-8 finishers, which ensures a wrestler of All-American status.
No first-place finishers, but the total team points earned was tops among all schools, with 138.5 pts. This topped host Iowa, who finished second-place with 125.5 pts.
The feat was literally historic, as no team in the history of the national tournament had won the team title without a finalist.
The Gophers' victory also ended Iowa's streak of six (6) consecutive National Championships, and for the Gophers to do it in front of the Iowa fans, according to Gopher Coach J.Robinson, gave the title extra significance.
It was also the wrestling program's 1st-ever title and the school's 1st title from ANY sport since 1979 when Men's Hockey captured the NCAA crown.
In my mind, the 2002 tourney was even better.
Why?
Defending a title has to be among the most difficult tasks a team can undertake in any sport.
You go the whole season with a target on your back, so the pressure to try and repeat is elevated. Expectations are a heavy weight to carry.
While I'll admit being present at the tourney and hoisting the trophy at the end of the night, (even though I was just the team's admin assistant), gives me a bias that skews objectivity.
When I close my eyes, I can still feel the electricity of Gopher fans chanting the Minnesota rouser, as it echoed throughout the Times Union Center, (which was known as the Pepsi Center at the time).
Still, there are other factors besides my personal experience, that inform my opinion.
Another reason 2002 was the best championship was watching the great Cael Sanderson of Iowa State surpass the legendary Dan Gable in the NCAA wrestling record books.
Watching that ultimate manifestation of greatness and achievement was something I'll never forget.
In fact, as we probe deeper, there's interesting symmetry and contrast to Gable and Sanderson's careers.
Of course, Gable is a singular figure that's synonymous with his sport like almost no other figure in any sport.
Gable was undefeated throughout high school, and only lost one, single match in his entire college career; the championship match of his senior season in 1970.
Gable was upset by sophomore Larry Owings from the University of Washington.
After that loss, Gable attacked his Olympic career earning the Gold medal at the '72 Munich games; a tournament he wrestled without yielding a single point to any opponent he faced.
In Gable’s final 21 Olympic qualification and Olympic matches, he scored 12 falls and outscored his nine other opponents, 130-1.
Much like Owings was to Gable, Sanderson's final opponent of the 2002 season was Sophomore Jon Trenge of Lehigh, who sported a gaudy 35-3 season record. Trenge still holds many records at Lehigh. He looked like he was chiseled from granite.
However, there would be no upset, no Larry Owings 2.0.
We watched history-in-the-making as Sanderson DISMANTLED Trenge in the finals 12-4, to complete his undefeated CAREER!
Not undefeated for a given tourney or even a whole season, but undefeated for a 4 YEAR CAREER.
What Gable had done previously, was a feat unlike anything the wrestling world had ever seen; history that stood for twenty-two (22) years.
Then Cael Sanderson comes along and literally does Gable one better.
4 National titles, each capping 4 undefeated seasons as an Iowa State Cyclone, (where he was coached by the great Bobby Douglas), and an unblemished record of 159-0.
So does that single match elevate Sanderson's career ahead of Gable's? Or should each career be viewed by dividing the NCAA career from the Olympic career?
They both wrestled for the Cyclones, and had similar AMAZING careers.
But, they haven't always seen eye-to-eye....
Before becoming Penn State's current head coach and driving the Nittany Lions to four (4) straight national titles (2011-2014), Sanderson coached at Iowa State, facing-off against Gable and the Iowa Hawkeyes quite a few times.
Maybe coaching is a separate measurement, like their college and Olympic careers.
Arriving at Penn State in 2009, then capturing that many titles almost immediately is
incredibly impressive... and it still pales in comparison to Gable's coaching record.
Gable coached the Hawkeyes from 1978 to 1997. In that time, his teams earned a dual-meet record of 355 wins, only 21 losses and 5 ties. He coached 152 all-Americans, 45 national champions, 106 Big Ten Champions and 12 Olympians, including four gold, one silver and three bronze medalists. The Hawkeyes won 25 consecutive Big Ten championships, 21 under Gable as head coach and four while he was an assistant coach and administrator. He led them to an unprecedented 15 National titles, including nine in-a-row from 1978 to 1986.
As impressive as Sanderson has started his tenure at PSU, he still has a long way to go, in terms of coaching career, to even be mentioned in the same breath as Coach Gable.
But I digress....As I said before, it's almost impossible to separate myself from the experience of attending the 2002 wrestling NCAA Championship, as I judge what the best one has been.
It was an incredible feeling of school pride, and pride in the sport of wrestling.
Plus, as an added bonus, (and a bit of schadenfreude on my part) I took great delight in watching the Hawkeyes lose that year.
ESPN had all but anointed them at the begining of the season, following their team with camera crews and an expectation that they would end the year as national champs.
When they didn't (they finished 4th overall, with 89pts, 37.5pts behind Minnesota), it made the Gopher victory even more satisfying.
It reminded me of the satisfaction I get as a Minnesota Vikings fan, when they beat the Packers.
I remember heavyweight, Steve Mocco, ESPN cameras in his face, as he cried underneath the stands of the Pepsi Center after losing to Tommy Rowlands of Ohio State in the finals.
No shame in crying over a loss, but Mocco was never big on sportsmanship.
Just like top-seeded 149-pounder and Hawkeye, Mike Zadick, who couldn't have been a worse ambassador for sportsmanship in wrestling.
Despite being the top seed, Zadick finished 7th; still All-American but far below his and his schools' expectations.
His lack of sportsmanship on the medal stand was something I'll never forget.
It was also gratifying to have a Golden Gopher, 2nd-seeded Jared Lawrence win the weight class that Zadick was "supposed" to win.
I know I'm petty for these feelings, but I'm also honest enough to admit to them, and admit that it's a flaw of human character to take pleasure in the failures of others.
So what did we learn in exploring the symmetry and contrast of wrestling legends Dan Gable and Cael Sanderson?
*Cael Sanderson had a better college career than Dan Gable, but only by the slimmest margin.
*Dan Gable has the better coaching career, and while it's something Coach Cael could approach, it will take awhile to surpass Gable.
*Both wrestlers won Olympic gold, but Gable did it in such dominating fashion that he gets the nod here, too.
As far as the best NCAA Wrestling Championship ever?
Personally and historically, I vote for the 2002 tournament, HANDS DOWN.
I'll leave you with this picture.
It's a collection of some of the very best wrestlers ever assembled; Eight American Gold Medalists.
From left-to-right, it's Kenny Monday, John Smith, Kendall Cross, Jake Varner, Cael Sanderson, Dan Gable, Jordan Burroughs.
Even though our squad had a tough weekend at the Cliff Keen National Duals (The Gophers finished 8th from the 16-team field) we're still #GopherTough and we bleed maroon blood for #SkiUMah.
These are #ThingsIThink
I would love to drive down to St. Louis and attend the 2015 NCAA Wrestling Championships, taking place from March 19th through the 21st.
The only wrestling championship I've ever attended was 2002 up in Albany, New York, where my beloved Minnesota Golden Gophers won the championship.
It was such an amazing experience.
In fact, the Gophers' 2002 title was their second of back-to-back National Championships, and they did so with very different results than what earned them the 2001 title.
In 2001, the team placed a record ten (10) wrestlers in the top-8 finishers, which ensures a wrestler of All-American status.
No first-place finishers, but the total team points earned was tops among all schools, with 138.5 pts. This topped host Iowa, who finished second-place with 125.5 pts.
The feat was literally historic, as no team in the history of the national tournament had won the team title without a finalist.
The Gophers' victory also ended Iowa's streak of six (6) consecutive National Championships, and for the Gophers to do it in front of the Iowa fans, according to Gopher Coach J.Robinson, gave the title extra significance.
It was also the wrestling program's 1st-ever title and the school's 1st title from ANY sport since 1979 when Men's Hockey captured the NCAA crown.
In my mind, the 2002 tourney was even better.
Why?
Defending a title has to be among the most difficult tasks a team can undertake in any sport.
You go the whole season with a target on your back, so the pressure to try and repeat is elevated. Expectations are a heavy weight to carry.
While I'll admit being present at the tourney and hoisting the trophy at the end of the night, (even though I was just the team's admin assistant), gives me a bias that skews objectivity.
When I close my eyes, I can still feel the electricity of Gopher fans chanting the Minnesota rouser, as it echoed throughout the Times Union Center, (which was known as the Pepsi Center at the time).
Still, there are other factors besides my personal experience, that inform my opinion.
Another reason 2002 was the best championship was watching the great Cael Sanderson of Iowa State surpass the legendary Dan Gable in the NCAA wrestling record books.
Watching that ultimate manifestation of greatness and achievement was something I'll never forget.
In fact, as we probe deeper, there's interesting symmetry and contrast to Gable and Sanderson's careers.
Of course, Gable is a singular figure that's synonymous with his sport like almost no other figure in any sport.
Gable was undefeated throughout high school, and only lost one, single match in his entire college career; the championship match of his senior season in 1970.
Gable was upset by sophomore Larry Owings from the University of Washington.
After that loss, Gable attacked his Olympic career earning the Gold medal at the '72 Munich games; a tournament he wrestled without yielding a single point to any opponent he faced.
In Gable’s final 21 Olympic qualification and Olympic matches, he scored 12 falls and outscored his nine other opponents, 130-1.
Much like Owings was to Gable, Sanderson's final opponent of the 2002 season was Sophomore Jon Trenge of Lehigh, who sported a gaudy 35-3 season record. Trenge still holds many records at Lehigh. He looked like he was chiseled from granite.
However, there would be no upset, no Larry Owings 2.0.
We watched history-in-the-making as Sanderson DISMANTLED Trenge in the finals 12-4, to complete his undefeated CAREER!
Not undefeated for a given tourney or even a whole season, but undefeated for a 4 YEAR CAREER.
What Gable had done previously, was a feat unlike anything the wrestling world had ever seen; history that stood for twenty-two (22) years.
Then Cael Sanderson comes along and literally does Gable one better.
4 National titles, each capping 4 undefeated seasons as an Iowa State Cyclone, (where he was coached by the great Bobby Douglas), and an unblemished record of 159-0.
So does that single match elevate Sanderson's career ahead of Gable's? Or should each career be viewed by dividing the NCAA career from the Olympic career?
They both wrestled for the Cyclones, and had similar AMAZING careers.
But, they haven't always seen eye-to-eye....
Before becoming Penn State's current head coach and driving the Nittany Lions to four (4) straight national titles (2011-2014), Sanderson coached at Iowa State, facing-off against Gable and the Iowa Hawkeyes quite a few times.
Maybe coaching is a separate measurement, like their college and Olympic careers.
Arriving at Penn State in 2009, then capturing that many titles almost immediately is
incredibly impressive... and it still pales in comparison to Gable's coaching record.
Gable coached the Hawkeyes from 1978 to 1997. In that time, his teams earned a dual-meet record of 355 wins, only 21 losses and 5 ties. He coached 152 all-Americans, 45 national champions, 106 Big Ten Champions and 12 Olympians, including four gold, one silver and three bronze medalists. The Hawkeyes won 25 consecutive Big Ten championships, 21 under Gable as head coach and four while he was an assistant coach and administrator. He led them to an unprecedented 15 National titles, including nine in-a-row from 1978 to 1986.
As impressive as Sanderson has started his tenure at PSU, he still has a long way to go, in terms of coaching career, to even be mentioned in the same breath as Coach Gable.
But I digress....As I said before, it's almost impossible to separate myself from the experience of attending the 2002 wrestling NCAA Championship, as I judge what the best one has been.
It was an incredible feeling of school pride, and pride in the sport of wrestling.
Plus, as an added bonus, (and a bit of schadenfreude on my part) I took great delight in watching the Hawkeyes lose that year.
ESPN had all but anointed them at the begining of the season, following their team with camera crews and an expectation that they would end the year as national champs.
When they didn't (they finished 4th overall, with 89pts, 37.5pts behind Minnesota), it made the Gopher victory even more satisfying.
It reminded me of the satisfaction I get as a Minnesota Vikings fan, when they beat the Packers.
I remember heavyweight, Steve Mocco, ESPN cameras in his face, as he cried underneath the stands of the Pepsi Center after losing to Tommy Rowlands of Ohio State in the finals.
No shame in crying over a loss, but Mocco was never big on sportsmanship.
Just like top-seeded 149-pounder and Hawkeye, Mike Zadick, who couldn't have been a worse ambassador for sportsmanship in wrestling.
Despite being the top seed, Zadick finished 7th; still All-American but far below his and his schools' expectations.
His lack of sportsmanship on the medal stand was something I'll never forget.
It was also gratifying to have a Golden Gopher, 2nd-seeded Jared Lawrence win the weight class that Zadick was "supposed" to win.
I know I'm petty for these feelings, but I'm also honest enough to admit to them, and admit that it's a flaw of human character to take pleasure in the failures of others.
So what did we learn in exploring the symmetry and contrast of wrestling legends Dan Gable and Cael Sanderson?
*Cael Sanderson had a better college career than Dan Gable, but only by the slimmest margin.
*Dan Gable has the better coaching career, and while it's something Coach Cael could approach, it will take awhile to surpass Gable.
*Both wrestlers won Olympic gold, but Gable did it in such dominating fashion that he gets the nod here, too.
As far as the best NCAA Wrestling Championship ever?
Personally and historically, I vote for the 2002 tournament, HANDS DOWN.
I'll leave you with this picture.
It's a collection of some of the very best wrestlers ever assembled; Eight American Gold Medalists.
From left-to-right, it's Kenny Monday, John Smith, Kendall Cross, Jake Varner, Cael Sanderson, Dan Gable, Jordan Burroughs.
Even though our squad had a tough weekend at the Cliff Keen National Duals (The Gophers finished 8th from the 16-team field) we're still #GopherTough and we bleed maroon blood for #SkiUMah.
These are #ThingsIThink
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