Lehigh's Mike Caruso won title #2 of 3, as Oklahoma State's Yojiro Uetake won his third crown for the Cowboys. Greg Ruth of Oklahoma & Tom Peckham of Iowa State ended their careers as two time champions.
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| 1966 Champion 115 Rick Sanders of Portland State |
The man, the myth, the legend, Rick Sanders is probably the most eccentric and interesting individual we've ever had in wrestling. The purest form of "success cannot be denied" that ever donned a singlet. A three time state champion out of Lincoln High school, Sanders earned All American honors at the NAIA, NCAA DII and NCAA DI level. As a freshman in 1965 he won the NAIA title. As a sophomore in 1966, he took third in NCAA DII and then turned around and did the impossible by winning DI's. As a junior in 1967 he won both DII and DI. Then as a senior in 1968 he won DII and finished as the DI NCAA runner-up. A Pan-American gold medalist in 1967, he won World Bronze in 1966, World Silver in 1967, and Olympic Silver in 1968 and 1972. Of note, he defeated Dan Gable 6-0.
We lost Sanders shortly after the 1972 Olympics in a hitchhiking accident. Perhaps nothing more than an overdramatization, I truly believe that had Rick Sanders lived and kept involved in wrestling in one form or another, that he would have single-handedly changed the entire landscape of our sport. From out mentalities to our practices, our perspectives to our philosophies. He had that kind of effect.
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| 1966 Champion 137 Gene Davis of Oklahoma State |
A four time state champion out of Montana, Davis was a senior when he won the NCAA title for the Cowboys. He went on to win an Olympic Bronze medal in 1976.
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| 1966 Champion 145 Bill Blacksmith of Lock Haven |
A graduate of Cedar Cliff High School, Blacksmith won back to back NAIA titles in 1965 & 1966, capping off his 1966 senior season with an NCAA DI title. He later coached at Indiana of Pennsylvania, becoming a pastor of the Presbyterian Church. A position he held for 45 years.
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| 1966 Champion 152 Dick Cook of Michigan State |
A Graduate of Farmington High school, Cook was a senior when he won the NCAA title for the Spartans in 1966. He went back to coach at Farmington from 1969-1975. He'd return nearly thirty years later to coach again from 2002-2005.
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| 1966 champion 167 Dave Reinbolt of Ohio State |
Reinbolt was a junior when he won the NCAA title for the Buckeyes. As a senior in 1967, he made the NCAA quarterfinals but did not place.
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| 1966 Champion 191 Bill Harlow of Oklahoma State |
Some argue that Bill Harlow is the best wrestler to ever come out of the state of Tennessee. A state champion from Sewanee, who wrestled for St. Andrew's, I guess we'll have to ask George McIntyre since his opinion on the subject is the only one that matters. Competing for the Cowboys Harlow made the NCAA finals in his sophomore and junior campaigns of 1964 and 1965, winning the NCAA title in 1966. He went 54-5 during his career.
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| 1966 Champion UNL Dave Porter of Michigan |
A truly amazing athlete, Porter racked up 46 tackles on the Wolverine football squad. Winning NCAA titles in his sophomore and senior seasons of 1966 & 1968, he placed third as a junior in 1967. Of his 51 career victories, 32 came via fall.
Post college he had the tools to wrestle in the 1968 Olympics, but he thought a better future lay ahead of him in football, so he went that route instead. Slotted to play for the Cleveland Browns, an injury would end his professional football career before it got started. He went on to coach at Grand Ledge high school.
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Caruso, Uetake, Ruth and Peckham previously mentioned.
Sanders won another DI title in 1967, taking runner-up in 1968
Davis, Blacksmith, Cook and Harlow were all seniors
Reinbolt would not repeat
Porter would not repeat in 1967, but would repeat in 1968
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