This one has been tough to write about. Tough because over all Nebraska-Omaha was such a great team. Arguably the best team that we ever lost. Eight national team titles. One in NAIA and seven in NCAA Division II. As I began writing about some of their best wrestlers, I soon realized I was at seventeen names. I could easily go and add another seventeen. I know after this is posted I'll get a dozen, maybe even two dozen responses, "How could you forget ___?" "Why did you leave off______?" Honestly all jokes aside I could write a novel on the wrestlers of UNO.
This one in a way is a bit personal for me because the father of one of the kids I was in youth wrestling with wrestled for UNO. I found out about it shortly after my high school career had come to an end. I had finished in third place at sectionals, one match shy of qualifying for districts. Needless to say my high school career didn't turn out at all like I had wanted it to. I was very depressed and bitter about it. Tony Johnson, the father of my youth wrestling teammate A.J., talked to me one night about it. He told me that his high school career didn't turn out the way he had wanted it to either. He went on to community college where he placed seventh at the NJCAA's as a freshman & third as a sophomore. He then attended Nebraska-Omaha and took seventh as a senior at the 1996 NCAA Division II tournament. It was words of encouragement and moreso his way to telling me that it was still possible to be successful in college even if things hadn't gone my way in high school. I'm not here to get into that any further. You clicked on the link to read about the best in UNO wrestling but I share that to show why it hit me on a personal level a little more than it usually does when we lose a team. People like Trev Alberts have no idea the dreams and legacies that they destroy with their avarice. Whenever I think of Maverick wrestling, I always think of Tony Johnson.
 |
115 lbs
Curlee Alexander |
Not much is said about UNO's time in the NAIA. It is often overshadowed by their immense success in NCAA Division II. However, it ought to be talked about more often because they were still very good when they were in the NAIA. One of their best during this time was four time All American Curlee Alexander. He'd finish fourth, sixth and third before capping off his career as an NAIA champion in 1969.
Post college Alexander would stay in the Omaha area coaching at both Omaha Tech high school and Omaha North High school. All together he won seven Nebraska high school state team titles and he coached fifty individual high school state champions.
 |
126 lbs
Phil Gonzales |
Another great during the Mavericks time in the NAIA was local Phil Gonzales. He won a Nebraska state title for Boys Town in 1969 before winning NAIA titles for the Mavericks in 1972 & 1973.
|
118 & 126
Matt LaRock |
A great lightweight for the Mavericks was four time NCAA Division II All American Matt LaRock. He placed sixth in 1998 as a freshman, eighth in 2000 as a junior and took runner-up honors in both his sophomore year of 1999 and senior year of 2001.
 |
126, 134 & 141 lbs
Braumon Creighton |
Baumon Creighton didn't have to travel far to attend UNO, as he won a state championship for nearby Millard North high school. Wrestling for the Mavericks Creighton would place fifth and third in his first two seasons before capping his career off as a two time NCAA Division II champion.
Post high school Creighton coached at Palo Alto high in California. He also coached the junior world team and has his own wrestling school the Creighton School of Wrestling.
 |
125 & 133 lbs
Cody Garcia |
A native of Hutchinson High school, Garcia won three Kansas high school state titles before coming to UNO. While wrestling for the Mavericks he won a national title in 2006 finishing in third in 2009 and second in 2010. He had 84 career falls, 34 of them coming as a senior.
Post college he got into coaching. Bethany College and Baker University among them.
 |
142 lbs
Ryan Kaufman |
The late Ryan Kaufman won a national title for the Mavericks in 1981 and finished in third place in 1982. We lost Kaufman to a horrific car accident in 1991. For years UNO hosted a tournament named in his honor the Kaufman-Brand Open. Upon UNO's discontinuation of wrestling, Maryville has sense hosted.
 |
149 & 157 lbs
Todd Meneely |
Another local, Todd Meneely put together a phenomenal high school career of 155-3 winning four state titles for Omaha Skutt Catholic. The "Mythical Creature" also won both Freestyle and Greco-Roman junior titles in 2002 as well. Wrestling for the Mavericks, Meneely won three NCAA Division II titles.
 |
150 lbs
Mark Manning |
One of the most successful Division I wrestling coaches in wrestling today, Mark Manning began collegiate wrestling career at the University of Nebraska. He'd transfer to Nebraska-Omaha where he put together an impressive record of 123-23 winning two DII titles in 1983 and 1985. He finished fifth his junior year of 1984. Post college Manning wrestled internationally for a bit taking a silver medal at the 1989 Pan-American championships.
As of today Manning is the head coach at the University of Nebraska. He's coached the Cornhuskers to eight top ten NCAA finishes, two of them top four finishes. His team is currently ranked seventh in the country and seven of his wrestlers are ranked in the top twenty.
 |
145 & 150 lbs
Dhafir Muhammad |
Born Roy Washington in Georgia, he later changed his name to Dhafir Muhammad before sadly passing away in 2003 at the age of 56. Growing up poor Muhammad worked hard farming in both Georgia and South Carolina throughout most of his youth. He moved to New York in high school where he was first introduced to wrestling. He fell in love with the sport, soon excelled at it and was offered a scholarship to wrestle at UNO.
Competing for the Mavericks he had immediate success making the NAIA finals as a freshman in 1967 and barely losing 8-7. He settled for silver that time, but that'd be the only time. He won three NAIA titles the next three years.
|
167 lbs
Jeff Randall
|
A two time NCAA Division II All American, Randalll finished in third place in 1987 & as the runner-up in 1988.
|
177 lbs
Paul Jones
|
Jones was a two time NCAA Division II runner up in 1985 & 1986
 |
165 and 174 lbs
J.D. Naig |
A native of Emmetsburg, Iowa, Naig went 2nd-State Qualifier-fourth-Champion for the E-Hawks during a high school career of 165-27. Determined to have even more success in college, Naig would finish in third place at the 2004 NCAA Division II tournament as a freshman before going on to win three titles in a row.
Today Naig works as a chiropractor.
|
177 lbs
Mel Washington
|
The brother of Dafhair Muhammad, Mel Washington was a phenomenal talent himself. Not only did he excel in wrestling, but he was a great football player too. Playing defense for the Mavericks he set a number of records on the gridiron. In wrestling, he finished in third place at the NAIA tournament as a freshman in 1968 & as the 1970 NAIA runner up as a junior. His sophomore and senior seasons of 1969 & 1971 he won the NAIA title. In 1971, he was also named the outstanding wrestler of the tournament.
 |
190 & 177 lbs
RJ Nebe |
A five time All American for the Mavericks, Nebe finished third-third-runner up-national champion at the NCAA Division II tournament. Invited to participate in the 1988 NCAA Division I tournament after his DII title appearance, Nebe would finish in sixth place. Overall as a Maverick he put together a 153-31-4 career record.
Post college he would go on to coach the Omaha Skutt Catholic high school team to eight Nebraska high school state team titles. He then got into color commentary for wrestling before passing away in 2007 from Leukemia.
|
HWT
Mike Rigatuso
|
Having success at both the NCAA DII and DI levels, Rigatuso won two DII titles in 1982 & 1983. During these years NCAA DII champions were invited to compete in the DI tournament. He finished in sixth and fourth place respectively.
 |
HWT
Les Sigman |
There are only a handful of four time national champions at any level and its hard to believe that one of them, Les Sigman, wrestled for a school that no longer has a wrestling program. Sigman won NCAA Division II titles for the Mavericks in 2003, 2004, 2005 & 2006.
No comments:
Post a Comment