Gone, Lost & Forgotten: Their Best = Minnesota Duluth

Minnesota Duluth Bulldog wrestling ended after the 1993-1994 season.  That year they won the Northern Sun Intercollegiate Conference title & they finished in 12th place at the NCAA Division II championships with three All Americans.   The story of how & why Bulldog wrestling came to an end is a complicated, convoluted & depressing one.  Journalist Brian Jerzak writes about it in explicit detail & I highly recommend looking up his article on the subject.  It's long but without a doubt the most thorough account I've ever came across as to why a wrestling program was dropped. 

Along with winning their final NSIC tournament, they also won team titles in 1985, 1990, 1991 & 1992.   They finished in eighth place at the 1988 NAIA championships. 

Blaine Dravis
126 lbs 

A graduate of Staples High School, Dravis took NAIA All American honors with a third place finish at the 1986 championships. 

Jeff Dravis 
 

Following his brother Blaine to Minnesota Duluth, Jeff Dravis had an outstanding career for the Bulldogs earning NAIA All American status on three occasions.  He placed fifth in 1986, second in 1987 & fourth in 1988. 

Jerry Hoy
118 lbs 

Putting together a career record of 103-18, Jerry Hoy finished as the NCAA Division II runner-up in 1982. 

Ron McClure
142 lbs 

A graduate of Golden Valley High School, McClure had an outstanding career for the Bulldogs putting together a career record of 108-17, which included forty falls.  In 1993 he would capture fourth place All American honors at the NCAA Division II tournament.  He'd take runner-up honors in 1994 at Minnesota-Duluth's final NCAA Division II championships.  

Michael Hirschey
158 lbs 
 

A graduate of Glenwood High school where he took runner-up honors at the 1984 State championships, Hirschey would add his name to the list of wrestlers to win a national title that never won a state title in 1987 when he won the NAIA crown.  An avid skier after college, Hirschey was unfortunately murdered after a dispute in May of 2008. 

Trevor Lundgren
142 lbs 
 

Another graduate of Staples High School, Lundgren originally started off his career at Gustavus Adolphus (Another program that we have lost) before coming to Minnesota Duluth.  While wrestling for the Bulldogs he put together a record of 95-12, earning back to back third place All American honors at the NAIA championships in 1988 & 1989.  In the 1989 championships he also won the Gorriaran award for the most amount of falls in the least amount of time.  


 

Dave Viaene
HWT 

Former New England Patriot Dave Viaene became Kaukana High School's (Wisconsin)  first state champion when he captured a title in 1983.  Also a member of the Bulldog football program, Viaene would go on to earn runner-up honors at the 1986 NAIA championships.