Varsity wrestling in the state of Texas isn't something you come across very often, but indeed the Yellow Jackets of LeTourneau located in Longview (two hours east of Dallas & an hour west of Shreveport, Louisana) at one time had a varsity program.
Wrestling was listed as a varsity sport within various yearbooks & often given a section to include dual meet results, as well as NCCAA (National Christian College Athletic Association) tournament results. The Yellowjackets competed against both varsity & non-varsity teams. One of which was Stephen F Austin, who until coming across it in LeTourneau yearbooks, I never knew had a team. I believe it was club status, but still rather surprising. I have their last season as 1988-1989.
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| Roger Kieffer |
Kieffer is who brought varsity wrestling to LeTourneau. He coached both wrestling & baseball.
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| Mark Blessing |
Blessing came to LeTourneau from Nebraska where he was a state champion. Competing for the Yellowjackets, Blessing won NCCAA titles as a freshman in 1982 & as a junior in 1984, finishing in third place as a sophomore in 1983 & as the runner-up in 1985 as a senior.
He later went on to own then Great Clips haircut businesses in the Dallas/Fort Worth area.
Fascinating story about wrestling in Texas during this period. I didn't know.
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