Another great program in the state of Colorado made up of mostly local recruits was Colorado State. The Rams had an excellent wrestling team that won multiple conference titles, nine in all between three conferences. They won the Rocky Mountain Athletic Association team title six times, the Skyline Conference title twice and the Western Athletic Conference once. At the NCAA level, the Rams finished in the top ten on three occasions.
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115 lbs
Gil Sanchez |
A three time Skyline Conference Champion, Gil Sanchez made the NCAA finals his senior year of 1963. His son, who was also named Gil, made the NCAA finals for the University of Nebraska. During John Smith's junior and senior seasons at Oklahoma State when he won two NCAA titles, he only lost once. His solo loss was to Gil jr, 13-6.
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123 lbs
Claude Gonzales |
A two time state champion from Grand Junction, Claude Gonzales was a three time NCAA qualifier for the Rams.
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130,137 lbs
Ron Day |
One of the best in Ram wrestling history, Ron Day finished in fourth place at the NCAA championships as a junior and would cap off his senior season of 1956 as the Skyline Conference champion and an NCAA runner-up.
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142 lbs
Tim Williams |
A two time NCAA qualifier for the Rams, Williams placed fifth at the 1973 NCAA's as a junior.
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155 lbs
Don "Tuffy" Mullison |
Don Mullison first came to Colorado State in 1942 to play football but both his career on the gridiron and his education were interrupted by World War II. He would serve his country as a paratrooper, returning to Colorado State a few years later. This time he decided to add wrestling and baseball to his resume of athletics. In Football, he was a member of the Rams Raisin Bowl appearance. He played shortstop on the baseball team and he placed third at the 1948 NCAA tournament as a junior.
Post college he coached both football and wrestling at CSU. He sadly lost Mullison in 2014.
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157 lbs
Dan Sniff |
Dan Sniff had an outstanding junior campaign for the Rams in 1953 winning a Skyline conference title and taking runner-up honors at the NCAA tournament. Unfortunately as a senior in 1954, while wrestling in the Skyline conference finals, he broke his ankle ending his career as a wrestler.
Post college, Sniff got into coaching. He lead the Lamar Community College Runnin' Lopes (another team we've lost) to the 1959 NJCAA team title. During his life Sniff has worked hard through fundraising and other ways to try and reinstate wrestling at both Colorado State and Lamar CC.
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177 lbs
Ken Hines |
A three time NCAA tournament participant, Ken Hines placed fifth at the 1963 NCAA tournament. In the year that Jack Brisco of Oklahoma State won the NCAA title, it is said that he did so undefeated. That is true, he never did lose a match that season. However, he did get tied once and that tie was to Hines.
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191 lbs
Nick Kohls |
Also a member of the Rams football team, Kohls took runner up honors his junior season of 1961 at the NCAA tournament.
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HWT
Willis "Tuffy" Holland |
Ironically enough I list another individual with the nickname of "Tuffy" on the list of all time greats in Colorado State wrestling history. A member of the 1956 Skyline Conference football team, Willis Holland won two Skyline conference titles placing fourth at both the 1955 & 1956 NCAA wrestling championships. Would you ever guess as to who his football and wrestling coach was? Don "Tuffy" Mullison.
Post college, Holland went into the Army and later headed a successful chemical company. We sadly lost Holland in 2016.
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