Gone, Lost & Forgotten: Their Best = Northern Arizona

Today wrestling in the state of Arizona is down to three varsity wrestling programs.  Two NAIA and one NCAA Division I. Yet at one time all four of Arizona's Division I programs fielded wrestling and the Lumberjacks of Northern Arizona were one of them.  Today we take a look a three of their best.

167 lbs
Mickey Carroll

No question about it, the Lumberjacks greatest wrestler was Mickey Carroll who in two years of varsity wrestling put together a record of 56-1.  He won the NAIA title in 1969 as a junior and would finish in third place as a senior in 1970.  Post college he became a member of the New York Athletic Club & he was an alternate for the 1972 Olympic team.

HWT
Steve Combs

Steve Combs was an NCAA qualifier for the Lumberjacks in 1973.  Post college he coached at Elroy Santa Cruz high school.

118 lbs
Ed Knecht

Ed Knecht was a two time NCAA qualifier and two time BIG SKY conference champion in 1974 & 1975.  Post his collegiate career Knecht won a silver medal at the 1977 PAN-American championships.  He would then switch to Sambo for a while to capture the gold at the 1979 PAN-American championships.  He made the Olympic team in wrestling in both 1980 & 1984.

Gone, Lost & Forgotten: Their Best = Cincinnati

While not the counterpart of the other Division I schools in Ohio, the Bearcats of Cincinnati did at one time field a wrestling program.

147 lbs
Jim Mahan

Also a member of the bearcat football and track teams, Jim Mahan participated in the 1963 NCAA championships.

Kevin Keller 

A graduate of nearby Mount Healthy high school, Kevin Keller came to Cincinnati an Ohio high school state qualifier with a 63-17 record.   While wrestling for the Bearcats Keller would put together a record of 65-26.

167, 177 lbs
Frank Shaut

Frank Shaut came to Cincinnati from New York where he was a two time State champion.  Wrestling for Cincinnati he participated in both the 1962 & 1963 NCAA tournament. He put together a record of 58-3, with all of his losses coming at the national tournament.   Post college Shaut coached at Oak Hills high school where he lead his team to six league, four District and four city championships.  They finished as high as third in the state.

177 lbs
Otto Liske 

Otto Liske qualified for the NCAA championships in 1976.

Gone, Lost & Forgotten: Their Best = Notre Dame

If you do a quick search on why Fighting Irish wrestling came to an end after the 1991-1992 season you'll be given the simplistic answer of "Title IX."  That is the "official" reason athletic director Dick Rosenthal gave anyway.  Yet there is another story with a different explanation.

There was a multi-millionaire in the oil business by the name of Bucky O'Connor who had a son named Pat.  Pat was a wrestler, who wrestled at Notre Dame.  In the summer of 1973, Pat took a trip to Europe and was murdered during a robbery.  In Pat's honor Bucky put up 1.5 million dollars plus other funds to permanently endow Fighting Irish wrestling.  Per records that I have found, Notre Dame fought Title IX proportionality quotas as far back as the mid 1980's.  Yet wrestling held on through early 1990's.  Why?

Bucky O'Connor died in 91.

Now that could be pure coincidence, but I'll come out and say that I don't think it was.  I'll interject my opinion here.  I think that Rosenthal wanted Fighting Irish wrestling gone long before 1992.  I think that he knew as long as Bucky O'Connor was alive, Notre Dame was going to have a wrestling program.  After his death, his widow & Pat's mother was coaxed into allowing the endowment money to be used for "other reasons."  Notre Dame did get a new women's program but scholarship money for the football program suddenly increased around that time as well.

One has to ask themselves how Bucky himself would feel about what happened nearly thirty years ago. A member of the Fighting Irish football team himself back in the 1940's, one would have to think that he's happy to see the gold continue the South Bend tradition.  Yet he also set that endowment up with the understanding that in his son's honor the wrestling program would go on forever.  I'm not him, I can't speak for him.  I don't know for sure how he would feel.  I only know how I would feel if it were my son.  I think that if Bucky O'Connor were alive today, so to would be Notre Dame Fighting Irish wrestling.

To this day the Pat O'Connor endowment money is still being used for Notre Dame athletics.  A Pat O'Connor award is given out annually to a Notre Dame athlete.

Pat Boyd

Pat Boyd came to Notre Dame from Michigan where after finishing third as a freshman won three state titles for Grand Rapids West Catholic high school.  While competing for the Irish, he placed fifth in 1989 at the NCAA wrestling championships.  He garnered 100 wins during his career.

134 lbs
Jerry Durso 

A three time NCAA qualifier for the Irish, Durso took eighth place honors at the 1989 NCAA tournament as a senior.

HWT
Dick Arrington

Born in Kiln, Mississippi, had it not been for a move to Pennsylvania shortly before high school the world of wrestling may have never known Dick Arrington.  Competing for Erie East High School, Arrington earned scholarships in both football and wrestling to Notre Dame.  As a wrestler he took third at the NCAA championships in 1965.  Also an All American in football, he had a career in professional football playing for the Boston Patriots.  We sadly lost Arrington to a heart attack in 1993.

HWT
Bob Golic 

Notre Dame's most famous wrestler was also their best.  Known for his superior talents on the gridiron, including helping the Irish to the 1977 NCAA championship, Golic was every bit as good on the mat.

Wrestling for St Joseph's High School he won a state title in 1975.  In the semi-finals he defeated future Ohio State Buckeye linebacker Tom Cousineau.  In the finals he defeated legendary Harold Smith who went on to have an All American career at Kentucky (another program we've lost) before having success in international wrestling.

As a wrestler for the Irish, Golic qualified for the NCAA championships on three occasions, placing fourth as a junior in 1977 and third as a senior in 1978.  Altogether he had a career record of 54-4.

Post college he played in the NFL for the Patriots, the Browns and the Raiders.

Beyond his career in the NFL he worked in various forms of entertainment including having a starring role on SAVED BY THE BELL: THE COLLEGE YEARS

Gone, Lost & Forgotten: Their Best = Northern Michigan

I've always found Northern Michigan to be one of the strangest cases in the sport of wrestling.  Even moreso now than I ever did.  Since 1999 it has been a home for our World/Olympic stars such as Andy Bisek to concentrate solely on Greco-Roman, while still getting a quality education from a top University.  Some of the United States' best international wrestlers have gone to Northern Michigan for the past 21 years and trained in the Wildcats Superior gym.  Yet the school doesn't field a varsity wrestling program.  It hasn't since the late 80's.

Even more bizarre is that Northern Michigan announced that women's varsity wrestling will be making its way to campus next season. Yet there has been no mention of reinstating the men's wrestling program.  Very happy and excited to see another women's program in the NCAA, but confused and disappointed that there is no mention of reinstating a program that was rather dominant throughout the late 70's into the mid 80's.

At the NCAA Division II level, the Wildcats finished sixth at the national tournament in 1978, 1979 and 1982.  They finished fifth in 1980 and 1984.

126, 118 lbs
Neal Seagren

A three time Conference champion with 118 career wins, Neal Seagren earned All American status for the wildcats on three occasions.  He made the NCAA Division II finals in 1977 as a sophomore taking fourth in 1978 and third in 1979.

118 lbs
The Ingold Brothers 

The Ingold brothers Willie and Pat were two of the Wildcats finest at 118 lbs.  Willie was a three time All American placing fifth-third-third between 1982 and 1984.  Younger brother Pat was a two time All American placing eighth in 1985 and sixth in 1986.

150, 142 lbs
Steve Spangenberg

A state champion out of Wisconsin wrestling for Peshtigo high school, Spangenberg had an outstanding career for the wildcats.  Making the NCAA Division II finals in 1978, he would go on to cap off his career in 1980 as the champion.

142, 150 lbs
Randy Meier 

Also placing fifth at the 1979 NCAA Division II tournament, Randy Meier had a standout senior season accumulating 43 victories in route to a fourth place finish.

Ed Egan 

A Great Lakes Conference champion as a true freshman in 1976, Egan would win a Mid-Continent Conference title as a senior in 1980.  Along with these accomplishments he was also a three time NCAA Division II All American placing third in 1978, fourth in 1979 and fifth in 1980.

167 lbs
Tim Jones 

A two time All American for the wildcats, Jones made the NCAA Division II finals in 1984 and placed sixth in 1985.   Post college, Jones went on to teach industrial arts & coach at both South Haven and Leroy Pine high schools.

167 lbs
Brad Bitterman 

As a freshman in 1979 Bitterman took seventh place at the NCAA Division II tournament.  As a sophomore he placed third.  Wanting to try his hand at Division I wrestling, Bitterman transferred to New Mexico for his final two seasons of wrestling.  Failing to place in 1981, he took fourth for the Lobos in 1982.

HWT
Ron Fandrick 

A 1967 Wisconsin state champion for Lincoln high school, Ron Fandrick was also a standout on the football team.  Wrestling for the wildcats he had standout junior and senior seasons, making the NCAA Division II finals in 1970 & placing third in 1971.  He also placed fourth at the prestigious Midlands Invitational beating many Division I wrestlers along the way.

For his credentials on the gridiron, Fandrick made the NFL draft and played for the Chicago Bears.

During his life Fandrick was seriously injured during a house fire when he tried to save the life of friend Bill Walden.

HWT
Gil Domiani 

Another standout on both the gridiron and the mat, Gil Domiani won an NCAA Division II title for the wildcats in 1973.

HWT
Mike Howe 

And yet another wildcat who excelled in both wrestling and football was Mike Howe.  After placing fourth at the NCAA Division II tournament as a sophomore and junior, Howe would cap off his career with a championship as as senior in 1981.  116 career victories, 52 of them were by fall.  38 wins as a senior, 22 of them were by fall.

Gone, Lost & Forgotten: Their Best = Albany

Today the Great Danes of Albany are a Division I school, yet during their time on the wrestling mat most of their success came at the Division III level.

123, 115 lbs
Warren Crow

There were only two men who ever defeated Portland State's Rick Sanders during his four years of collegiate wrestling and you're looking at one of them.  Warren Crow began his career at Cornell but quickly transferred to Albany where he had a stand out career for the Great Danes.  In 1966 as junior not only would he win the NCAA Division II title but he would also place fourth at the NCAA Division I tournament. He repeated at Division II champion in 1967.

Post college he taught and coached at the high school level in both Albany and in the state of Hawaii.  He also coached at Union College.

118 lbs
Dave Averill

Dave Averill would place seventh at the NCAA Division III tournament twice in 1982 and 1983 before capping off his career as a national champion in 1984.   Post college he worked Counter Terrorism for the government as well as being senior investigator of security for Verizon.

118 lbs
Shawn Sheldon

A graduate of Vorheesville high school, Shawn Sheldon took a career of only placing at state once (third in 1983) and turned it into the most successful of anyone who ever competed for Albany.  Placing sixth at the NCAA Division III tournament as a sophomore in 1984, he would win an NCAA DIII title as a junior in 1986, capping his college career with runner-up honors in 1987.

Post his collegiate career, Sheldon had an outstanding career at the international level.  He took  bronze medals at both the 1987 and 1991 PAN-American championships.  He won gold medals at the 1989 and 1996 World Cup.  A silver medal at the 1991 World Championships, making the Olympic team in both 1988 and 1992. 

An assistant at Albany he also coached at the New York Athletic Club.

134/142 lbs
Andy Seras

No one ever said you had to be a nice guy to be a great wrestler and that is certainly the case with Andy Seras. Every bit as nasty of an individual off the mat as he ever was on it, Seras had an outstanding career for the Great Danes.  A graduate of Niskgyuna High school, Seras made an immediate impact taking runner-up honors at the 1981 NCAA Division III tournament as a freshman.  He would then place fourth as a sophomore and third as a junior before capping off his career as an NCAA Division III champion in 1985. 

Post college he made the 1988 Olympic team, also coaching the Olympic team in 2004 as well as the World Team in 2001, 2002 and 2006.   He coached at both Binghamton and Sacred Heart.

150 lbs
Bill Mallin 

A graduate of Smithtown East, Bill Mallin won the NCAA Division III title in 1991.

HWT
Chris Tironi 

Another wrestler who never won a state title, was Chris Tironi whose best finish was third in 1983.  He began his career at the NJCAA level wrestling for SUNY-Cobleskill (another program we've lost) winning a conference title before coming to Albany.  Competing for the Great Danes Tironi would win NCAA Division III championships in both 1986 and 1987. 

Post college he was an Olympic Alternate in both 1988 and 1992.

Gone, Lost & Forgotten: Their Best = Chico State

Located in Butte county, at one time Chico State provided a pipeline for former CCCAA wrestlers to continue their education while wrestling at the Division II level.   The Wildcats won Northern California Athletic Conference titles in 1962, 1963 and 1976.  They finished in sixth place at the 1991 NCAA Division II tournament.

118 lbs
Brett McNamar

A graduate of Clayton Valley high school, McNamar spent his first two seasons in the CCCAA competing for Diablo Valley (another program we've lost). Competing for the Wildcats, he had an outstanding career placing fourth at the NCAA Division II tournament in both 1985 and 1986.

118 lbs
Tony Ramirez

Originally from Mexico, Tony Ramirez wrestled for Arvin High school where he also played football, baseball and saxophone in the school band.  While competing for the Wildcats, he was a two time NCAA Division II All American. He placed seventh in 1987 and fifth in 1988.  We sadly lost Ramirez to Leukemia last February.

126 lbs
David Rowen

If you're ever quizzed on the best wrestlers from Louisiana and you're stuck for an answer after Oklahoma State's Daniel Cormier, have no fear! Chico State's David Rowen is here.  A Louisiana state champion for Holy Cross high school, Rowen was a two time All American for the Wildcats.  As a junior in 1989 he placed fourth at the NCAA Division II tournament and he took third as a senior in 1990.

Jene Burris
118, 126 lbs 

Another two time Division II All American for the wildcats was Jene Burris who placed fourth in 1976 and took runner-up honors in 1978.

134 lbs
John Norris

A graduate of Mira Costa high school Norris took third in 1970 and fifth in 1971 at the NCAA Division II tournament.

134 lbs
Walter Ulrich

Walter Ulrich spend two years wrestling in the CCCAA for Butte Junior College before coming to Chico State.  He took third in the CCCAA as a freshman in 1983 and fourth as a sophomore in 1984.   While wrestling for the Wildcats he placed twice at the NCAA Division II tournament placing eighth as a junior and fourth as a senior.

Post wrestling, Ulrich got into coaching.  He Coached at U.C. Davis (a program we no longer have) for a while before coming back to coach at the CCCAA level.  He coached at Santa Rosa and led Sacramento City to CCCAA team titles.

142 lbs
Don Williams 

The two places Don Williams felt most at home were on the wrestling mat and on the diving board.  In wrestling he won two Far Western Conference titles placing sixth in both his junior and senior seasons of 1981 & 1982 at the NCAA Division II tournament respectively.  He also won conference titles as a diver as well as All American honors.

A graduate of Mesa Verde high school, Williams coached both wrestling as well as swimming and diving at Anderson high school for over twenty years before taking over as head coach at Simpson University.  During his time there he coached seven of his wrestlers to NAIA All American status.

150 lbs
Robert Kuintzle

A graduate of Clayton Valley high school, Robert Kuintzle was a two time Division II All American for the wildcats.  He took seventh in 1981 and sixth in 1982.

158 lbs
Bob Rinehart 

A graduate of Royal high school Bob Rinehart won two conference titles while making All American status twice for the wildcats.  He placed sixth in 1976 and third in 1977 at the NCAA Division II tournament.

Best of the Best to Not Qualify for 2020 NCAA Championships

For the most part I am in sync with the NCAA qualification process. I think it is as fair as they can make it & while I'm not 100% in agreement with the allocations, I agree with most of their decisions. There are a few guys staying home that I feel earned an at large bid, but for the most part I agree with who is going.

Before I give my list of wrestlers, I want to make something clear.  This list includes those who had a legitimate shot at qualifying.  Zahid Valencia of Arizona State will not be included on this list, nor will anyone else who jeopardized their eligibility with a poor decision.  Jeren Glosser of Iowa, Vince Turk of Iowa & any other backup that more than had the talent to qualify, will also not be on this list.  Wrestlers such as Brock Hudkins of Indiana, who are out with injury will not be on the list.

This is made up of wrestlers who competed in their conference championship tournament, but did not qualify or get an at large bid.

Dylan Ryder
Sophomore
Hofstra 
15-7
125 lbs 

I thought Ryder was one of the best wrestlers to not qualify for last year's NCAA championships as well. The kid has talent and he displayed it earlier in this season with a 13-0 major decision victory over Joe Manchio of Columbia and at the EIWA tournament in a 9-8 win over Michael Colaiocco of Pennsylvania.  I think what it'll take for Ryder to qualify the next two seasons is more consistency in his wins and an ability to wrestle better at tournaments.  The top seven qualified for the NCAA's out of the EIWA's and he took eighth.

Joey Silva
Freshman
Michigan
6-3
133 lbs 

All this amounts to is pulling a late redshirt & not having enough matches.  Two wins over a tough Garrett Pepple of Michigan State & Iowa backup Paul Glynn don't show as much of the potential as do a few of his losses.  He took Wisconsin national champion Seth Gross to an exciting 10-7 loss.  The future is bright for this young Wolverine.

Darren Miller
Freshman
Bucknell
133 lbs
20-15 

I think it is fair that Miller was not selected for this season's NCAA championships, but I do feel that he'll be an NCAA qualifier his remaining three years of eligibility.  A 3-1 victory over Iowa State's Todd Small gives indication of what he is capable of. 

Anthony Sparacio
Senior
Binghamton
141 lbs
21-14 

After qualifying the past two seasons for the NCAA championships, I was rather surprised that Sparacio didn't make it this season.  The EIWA took the top five at the weight and he placed sixth. I thought for sure he'd get a bid, but he didn't.  I think a lack of quality wins despite having 21 victories is what kept him out.

Corey Shie
sophomore
Army
141 lbs
15-10 

An NCAA qualifier last season, I think a lack of wins is what kept Shie out this year.  He defeated NCAA qualifiers D.J. Lloren of Fresno State 7-1 & Drew Marten of Central Michigan 8-5.  A bit more consistency & I think he'll qualify the next two seasons.

Wil Gil
Junior
Franklin & Marshall
141 lbs
31-10

Wil Gil has the deck stacked against him in many ways.  The Diplomats don't have the toughest of schedules & F&M will forever be a team that has to fight tooth and nail for every ounce of respect they earn.  Wins like his 7-5 victory of Matt Kazimir of Columbia & his 12-10 victory over Sal Profaci of American have to become the norm. He's got to turn losses like the 12-11 one he had to Cornell's Noah Baughman into wins.   Talent wise, I expect a top eight showing at next year's Midlands and a run for the EIWA title.  Guy has the tools, just has to use them.

Alex Madrigal
senior
George Mason
141 lbs
28-15 

This is one that I'm up in arms about.  There's absolutely no reason why Alex Madrigal shouldn't be one of the 33 wrestlers at the NCAA championships in Minneapolis.  28 victories.  Wins include a 7-5 victory over Grant Willits of Oregon State, a 6-2 victory over Evan Cheek of Cleveland State & a 5-2 victory over Cody Trybus of Navy.  He placed fifth at this year's Southern Scuffle.   For crying out loud he took sixth place at the MAC's, which looking at the bracket is about where he was going to finish.  He shouldn't be punished for simply being in a loaded bracket with a returning All American who took fifth. 

PARKER KROPMAN
Senior
Drexel
149 lbs
11-9 

You have to wrestle matches. That's what it really comes down to. You have to have mat time and Parker Kropman simply didn't have enough of it.  Nevertheless when Jared Prince of Navy finally secures the All American status he's always been capable of in Minneapolis, remember one of his losses.  A 8-6 loss to Kropman who also defeated Justin McCoy 11-9.

Corey Hazel
Senior
Lock Haven
184 lbs
11-10 

What can you say? Injuries suck.  That's about all there is to say. Injuries suck big time.  Had it not been for fighting them, I think Hazel might have been an All American at one point in his career.  Never could keep 100% healthy though.  Owns a 6-2 win over Billy Janzer of Rutgers on the season.

George Walton
Sophomore
Rider
184 lbs
24-10 

I scratched my head enough to make it bleed wondering why Alex Madrigal wasn't selected and I'm losing hair in the spot contemplating on why Walton wasn't.   Twenty-four victories and some notable wins among them.  Defeated MAC champ Britt Wilson of Northern Illinois 7-6, stuck Travis Stefanik of Princeton in 5:45, whipped Maryland's Philip Spadafora 12-5 and has two 4-3 wins over Old Dominion's Antonio Agee.  On a list of 33 qualifiers, I would think Walton has to be # 34.

Tanner Orndorff
Senior
Utah Valley
197 lbs
14-12 

It has to be a lack of matches.  That's all it comes down to.   A three time NCAA qualifier who had quite a few notable wins this season.  2-1 tiebreaker over Billy Janzer of Rutgers.  Defeated Tanner Sloan of South Dakota State 5-3.  Lucas Davison of Northwestern 10-5 & Cordell Eaton of North Dakota State 7-4.  I get why he wasn't selected but I don't think anyone would have felt it was wrong or unfair had he been selected.



I'm sure there are some that I'm leaving out that I should have included. These are the guys that I feel made the cut. 

BIG XII Preview 2020 = HWT

Looking over the HWT's, the forerunner here is Utah Valley's Tate Orndorff who is 6-0 within the BIG XII.  His finals opponent could be the likely #2 seed Gannon Gremmel of Iowa State. The behemoth Cyclone rarely seems to win pretty, but at the end of the day, as long as you get your hand raised.

Fresno State's Josh Hokit of course will look for an appearance in the finals & will challenge Gremmel for that spot in what should be a Godzilla Vs King Kong semi-final.    As much as Northern Iowa's Carter Isley has improved this season, I don't see him upsetting his way into the finals.

This weight class takes the top seven & while neither roll the dice as an eleven or a seven, both Kayne Hutchison of Air Force and Brandon Ngati of West Virginia have the ability to sneak into that seventh place slot.

How I would seed?

#1 Tate Orndorff sophomore Utah Valley
#2 Gannon Gremmel junior Iowa State
#3 Josh Hokit senior Fresno State
#4 Carter Isley junior Northern Iowa
#5 Brian Andrews junior Wyoming
#6 Dalton Robertson junior Northern Colorado
#7 Brandon Metz sophomore North Dakota State
#8 Kayne Hutchison sophomore Air Force

BIG 12 Preview 2020 = 197 lbs

A rather tough weight class that will take six individuals to the NCAA tournament and all six are capable of earning All American honors.  Not only that but you also have North Dakota State's Cordell Eaton who is capable of an upset and if he is seeded seventh like I predict so too is Northern Colorado's Jake Seely.

Noah Adams of West Virginia has been the sole highlight for the Mountaineers this season as he looks poised to win his first BIG XII title.

The hunt for second place looks to be a good one between five viable wrestlers.  Jake Woodley of Oklahoma, Tanner Sloan of South Dakota State, Stephen Buchanan of Wyoming, Tanner Orndorff of Utah Valley and Dakota Geer of Oklahoma State.  Some weight classes are a battle, this one will be a war.

How I would seed?

#1 Noah Adams sophomore West Virginia
#2 Jake Woodley sophomore Oklahoma
#3 Tanner Sloan freshman South Dakota State
#4 Stephen Buchanan freshman Wyoming
#5 Tanner Orndorff senior Utah Valley
#6 Dakota Geer junior Oklahoma State
#7 Jake Seely senior Northern Colorado
#8 Cordell Eaton senior North Dakota State

BIG XII Preview 2020 = 184 lbs

It's not often in the sport of wrestling things go as you think they will.  For one there's a ton of parity and other variables that factor in. You can deduce and decide on paper until you're blue in the face, but anything can happen out on the mat.  With that said, I think this weight class ought to go according to prediction.  The BIG XII has been allotted five spots to the NCAA tournament and I think the five I have slotted to go, will be the five that qualify.


I think Taylor Lujan of Northern Iowa will walk through this tournament unto his second BIG XII title.  As to his finals opponent, results indicate Anthony Mantalvo of Oklahoma State, although I wouldn't be surprised to see it as Zach Carlson of South Dakota State or Alan Clothier of Northern Colorado, depending on the seeding.

Iowa State's Marcus Coleman looks to take the final qualification.

How I would seed?

#1 Taylor Lujan senior Northern Iowa
#2 Anthony Mantalvo freshman Oklahoma State
#3 Zach Carlson senior South Dakota State
#4 Alan Clothier senior Northern Colorado
#5 Marcus Coleman sophomore Iowa State
#6 Darrien Roberts freshman Oklahoma
#7 Tate Samuelson sophomore Wyoming
#8 Hunter Cruz freshman Fresno State