Yesterday we lost one of the most prolific innovators collegiate wrestling has ever known. Ken Kraft, father of the prestigious Midlands wrestling championships. A tournament that has been known to have been nearly as tough, as tough & even at times tougher than the NCAA championships themselves.
With 57 championships wrestled since 1963, narrowing it down to a top 25 moments would be difficult let alone narrowing it down to ten. Keep in mind that these are of my opinion & my opinion only. There is no consensus here. No vote by committee. It's simply a wrestling fan, same as you, giving out his personal favorites. I have no doubt that there are moments that you would include that I haven't included. I'm 100% positive that on my list, I have moments you never would have thought of.
Here are my Top 10.
 |
| |
I could have used many examples here, but the point of this one is to illustrate how fixated we as a sport are on the NCAA tournament. I realize few if any will agree with me, but in so many ways the NCAA's is simply another tournament. Not every wrestler worth remembering & worth recognizing was a stand out for the last three days of the season. Some had their moments at different parts of a nearly six month grind.
Both Terry Brands & Zeke Jones are remembered as two collegiate stars. Brands a three time NCAA finalist & two time NCAA champion (as well as a two time World champion & Olympic bronze medalist). Jones, a three time NCAA All American, with a World Gold & an Olympic Silver.
Jones defeated Brands 15-8 in the semi-finals, before falling to Martin 6-3 in the finals.
Later that season Martin would place 7th at the NCAA's & Jones would take 4th.
The following season Martin failed to place at the NCAA tournament going 0-2 & as a result of that disappointing performance, gets lost in discussion of tough lightweights to wear the black & gold. Competing for the Hawkeye wrestling club, there was a sense of redemption as Martin would come back a year post graduation to place fourth.
9. A Legend Is Born
Gable was already a hot commodity, but I feel it was winning his first Midlands title as an ineligible freshman in 1966 that began the start of the most well known figure in our sport. From his controlled 9-5 semi-final win over Don Behm (who would go on to finish as that year's NCAA runner up & win an Olympic Silver in 1968) to his dominating 8-2 win over 1962 NCAA champion Masaaki Hatta (who was an NCAA runner-up in 1960 & 1961) Gable proved he was everything anyone had ever imagined him to be.
The next season as a sophomore Gable continued to prove himself with a 2-2, 6-2 sudden victory over NCAA champion Dale Anderson of Michigan State. Gable would move down to 130 lbs to win his first NCAA title, as Anderson won his second at 137.
 |
| 8. Matt Lackey Finally Avenges Losses to Joe Heskett |
First off, I'm a huge fan of Joe Heskett's. As a young kid in junior high and high school my Dad would often drive us up to Ames, Iowa for a Cyclone dual on a Sunday & Joe Heskett always made time to visit with myself and other fans. With my handful of experiences in the wrestling media, I've experienced the "Who are you? What are you doing here?" snobbery that some can have in this sport. I've also experienced those who have treated me like I belong & that have always been respectful & gracious. Joe Heskett has always been one of those people to me. Kind, friendly & courteous. He doesn't need to act like a tough guy off the mat, he's always let his performance do the talking for him. I give this anecdote as testimony that what I'm about to say in on way, shape or form is a knock on Heskett.
It's simply an illustration of how the Midlands provides an opportunity to extract revenge that we as wrestling fans wouldn't have gotten to see otherwise. Throughout their collegiate careers, Heskett always seemed to have one up on Lackey. No matter what Lackey did, Heskett always seemed to have his number.
I think Lackey needed this win. I think it was essential to him going on to win the NCAA title that season.
Of note, Lackey defeated Troy Letters in this tournament 6-3. Ironically enough, the same score he'd defeat Letters by at the NCAA tournament.
 |
| 7. This Kid is For Real |
Cary Kolat won four Pennsylvania high school state championships. 1990, 1991, 1992 & 1993. Do you know when he participated in his first Midlands tournament? 1989. That is a stat, that will never not amaze me. Every time I look at it, I have to triple check it because my mind refuses to believe that my eyes are telling it the truth.
He loses first round 8-7 to Sam Geraci & then comes back through the consolation bracket to finish in third place. Along the way he defeats Bobby Crawford 6-3, who goes on to place seventh at that year's NCAA tournament.
The next season as a sophomore he makes the Midlands semi-finals as three time All American & 1988 Olympian Ken Chertow barely squeezes by him in a 2-1 effort. He then holds future four time All American Shawn Charles to three escapes in a 7-3 victory as he eventually takes fourth.
Competing for Penn State & Lock Haven, Kolat went on to win three Midlands titles in 1993, 1994 & 1996, also becoming a two time NCAA champion.
In the never ending, daily....may I call it hourly debate among Ohioans and Pennsylvanians over who produces the best wrestlers, be their heavier artillery than Kolat?
 |
| 6. Upset Prevents Long Awaited Rematch |
I'm not the first person to point this out. Mike Finn of AWN pointed it out years ago as well. After Larry Owings pulled off the biggest upset in collegiate wrestling history with his 13-11 victory over Dan Gable, wrestling fans thought they would have the privilege of watching round two at Midlands.
Unknown Clyde Smith, a hometown hero made a name for himself that day as he upset Owings 6-3 in the Quarter-finals, preventing the rematch from ever taking place. Fans would have to wait until the 1972 Olympic trials, where Gable prevailed 7-1 over Owings. Gable defeated Smith in the finals 14-2.
What sticks out here is that this really is Smith's claim to fame. A three time NCAA participant, he came within a match of All American status as a senior in 1972, but he never did make the award stand. He was however a two time BIG 10 runner-up.
 |
| 5. There's Life After College Even if You Weren't an All Star |
"Do it Now, or never do it" An antiquated, yet often repeated & worse yet believed quote in the sport of amateur wrestling. We're not known for being patient with our wrestler's developments & we have a reputation for being unforgiving of those who aren't Gods right out of the gate.
That's why I love looking back at the success Brian Keck had at the Midlands championships POST his collegiate career. While at Bloomsburg, Keck was good, but nothing outstanding. An EWL place-winner & NCAA qualifier, he never won a conference title & he never made All American status.
He took a little longer to find himself as a wrestler. To get to a point to where he could perform at a top level. Long after graduation Keck was third, sixth, third, seventh at the Midlands championships, proving that success doesn't always come today. For some, it comes tomorrow.
 |
| 4. North Carolina Wins the 1986 Team Title |
Basketball, basketball, basketball....seems anytime you mention Tarheel sports, that's all anyone ever wants to talk about. Well, maybe UNC is a basketball school & maybe that's what the school will forever pride itself on. Yet on a cold December day in 1986, North Carolina at least for one day, was a wrestling school.
A tournament dominated primarily by the University of Iowa, this one belonged to the Heels.
Led by Champions Al Palasio & Rob Koll, Chip McArdie & Lenny Bernstein helped to bring home the team championship with strong fifth place finishes.
The Tar Heels would go on to place seventh at the NCAA tournament with Palacio finishing in seventh, Koll finishing in third & Bernstein securing three falls in a row to a fourth place finish at a Gorriaran award. McArdie finished one match shy of placing.
|
| 3. Collegiate Careers last 4 Years |
After finishing one match shy of All American in a tough loss to Iowa State's Billy Maldonado as a junior at 149 lbs, Anderson went to his head coach Russ Hellickson and said that he wasn't cutting weight in his final year as a Buckeye. He was going to wrestle his natural 157 lbs and see what happened.
He kicked ass, is what happened.
He defeated the returning NCAA champ Luke Becker of Minnesota twice during the season. Both times by significant scores.
Where he showed his prowess most was at the Midlands championships defeating would be three time All American Gray Maynard 9-6 in the finals.
Anderson would go on to severely injure his knee, yet still make All American status with a sixth place finish at the NCAA's. I truly believe had he been able to stay 100% healthy, that he would have won the NCAA's that year. A testimony that not everyone has to be a standout as a freshman in order to be a standout as a senior.
 |
| 2. NAIA Wrestling Earns Respect |
Getting wrestling fans to recognize & respect NAIA wrestling is pulling teeth. No matter how many examples you give them, it's always unfair & unsubstantiated remarks of subpar wrestling & easier academics.
Take the subjectivity out of it, success speaks for itself. When NAIA goes head to head with NCAA DI there is no opinion. Either it gets the job done or it doesn't.
In the particular case of Emmett Wilson of Montana State Northern, it spoke for itself. After finishes of sixth & fourth among the nation's best, Wilson upended an assortment of Division I talent in route to a title of his own in 2003.
The NAIA doesn't get much respect or recognition amongst fans, but in that moment it sure did.
 |
| 1. Donald Lockett Knocks off Travis Lee |
If I had to pick my all time favorite NCAA Division II wrestler, it'd have to be Donald Lockett of San Francisco State. We as a wrestling community are obsessed with NCAA Division I wrestling. Trust me, I realize I'm as much to blame here as is anyone. We have this idea that if it ain't DI, it ain't worth our time. We forget sometimes that there are a million reasons why guys don't go DI. It isn't always because they're not good enough either.
Guys like Donald Lockett help to remind us of that.
Travis Lee of Cornell was the returning NCAA champion. DII Donald Lockett shocked the wrestling world with a second round 6-5 upset. Eventually Lockett finished in sixth place that season & then came back even stronger the next season finishing in third place.
------
And there you have it! My top 10 favorite memories of the Midlands championships!
Do I have more? Oh, you bet!
Tom Noto winning a title his senior season with sudden victories over both Matt Valenti & Luke Eustice.
Any time a post grad entered and did well, especially if it was someone who's collegiate career didn't go as well as one hoped.
So many great memories.
What are your's?
No comments:
Post a Comment