Post Grads at the Midlands - Part 2

 

Continuing my effort to turn the Midlands back into the post-grad competition that it was for decades, I will continue to share stories of post-grads that competed back in the day.  Here are some more noteworthy post-grad moments that happened in Chicago's greatest wrestling tournament. 

Fred Bohna 

The Bruins' only NCAA champion before Bob Fischer and Terry Donahue devised an underhanded plan to permanently rid UCLA of wrestling forever, Fred Bohna only competed in one Midlands wrestling tournament. Yet it was there that he did something in round two, that is more than worth mention. He faced a young Heavyweight from Indiana State, defeating the Sycamore by a score of 8-3.  You may have heard of this wrestler, his name is Bruce Baumgartner.  Bohna would finish at the Midlands runner-up that tournament as Baumgartner finished runner-up at the NCAA tournament later that season. 

Matt Ghaffari 

During his collegiate days, Matt Ghaffari was far from a superstar. Competing for both Farleigh-Dickinson and Cleveland State he only managed to make the NCAA tournament once in his final season of 1984.  His only highlights collegiately speaking were a 6th and 5th place finish at the Midlands. Sometimes wrestlers take beyond the time given to them in college to find themselves. I believe that was the case for Ghaffari and the Midlands was the grounds upon which he made his discovery. 

A year post-graduation Ghaffari finished 5th again at the Midlands with two notable victories.  In the quarterfinals he defeated Nebraska's Gary Albright 8-5.  Although it was the only season where Albright did not All American at the NCAA tournament, Albright was a three time All American, an NCAA finalist and the one of the only wrestlers to ever win the Gorriaran Award twice during their career.  Ghaffari also defeated Kirk Trost of Michigan 9-3, who went on to earn runner-up status at the NCAA tournament. 

In 1988 Ghaffari would place 3rd defeating that seasons 8th, 4th and 3rd place NCAA All Americans. 

Ghaffari went on to have a decorated career competing in Greco-Roman for the United States.  World Silver twice, as well as World Bronze, Ghaffari took Olympic Silver in 1996. Not bad for a guy that only made the NCAA's once. 

Gary Bohay 

A native of Burnaby, British Columbia, Canada, Bohay was one of our international stars who did quite well in collegiate competition. Competing for Arizona State, Bohay made the NCAA finals his senior season of 1983. Obviously a very good wrestler, it was two years post graduation where Bohay demonstrated his true dominance at the Midlands. 

In route to a Midlands title in 1984, Bohay dominated Mean Gene Mills of Syracuse 11-1, who had won two NCAA titles for Syracuse himself. Granted it was up two weight classes, far from the 118 lbs weight class that Mills had wrestled in college, but STILL this is Mean Gene Mills we're talking about. The pinning machine!  That wasn't all that Bohay did that tournament either.  He also defeated Wisconsin's Jim Jordan by a score of 5-2.  Jordan went on to win the NCAA title over another wrestler you may have heard of, John Smith of Oklahoma State. 

Bohay would win another Midlands title in 1985, defeating Iowa's Greg Randall 8-2, who finished runner-up at the NCAA's that season. 

The ultimate highlight of Bohay's career, was representing Canada as he earned a silver medal at the 1989 World Championships.  The guy that defeated him in the finals? You guessed it, John Smith. 

Booker Benford 

Booker Benford was one  of those wrestlers than more than proved that sometimes small school competitors can hang with the big schools. Although SIU-Edwardsville is NCAA Division I today, during the time Benford wrestled, they were NCAA DII.  Nevertheless, Benford earned six All American honors for the Cougars between 1982 and 1985.  In NCAA Division II he was 5th-2nd-1st-1st. In his final two seasons, he earned back to back 3rd place finishes in NCAA DI.  Along with these accomplishments he was also 2nd in the Midlands his senior season.  

Benford continued wrestling far beyond his graduation.  Representing the Sunkist Kids, he wrestled in 7 more Midlands tournaments. This included two 3rd's, three 2nd's and two championships. While all were of note, it was his runner-up finish in 1991 that sticks out most.  During that tournament he defeated Ohio State's Kevin Randleman by a score of 5-1.  Randleman won the NCAA title that season. 

Tom Erickson 

If you look at everything that Tom Erickson has accomplished during his wrestling career and beyond, it is almost inconceivable that he never made the Illinois state tournament in high school.  He attended Triton College where he soon found himself to top heavyweight in the community college ranks, winning back to back NJCAA titles in 1984 and 1985.  Earning scholarship to Oklahoma State, he earned back to back All American honors in 1986 and 1987 with 4th and 3rd place finishes respectively. 

Post his collegiate career, Erickson got to the point in his career where about the only wrestler he couldn't figure out was Bruce Baumgartner.  Competing in various Midlands tournaments between 1987 and 1994, he won four titles & finished runner-up twice. 

Here are some of the notable victories Erickson had while competing as a post-graduate at the Midlands. 

In 1987, he had a 6-5 quarterfinal win over a wrestler you might known from Pittsburgh-Johnstown...Carlton Haselrig. 

In 1990, it only took him a minute and 27 seconds to stick Jon Llewellyn of Illinois, who defeated Kurt Angle for the NCAA title later that season. 

In 1991, this time he only took a minute and 34 seconds to defeat Llewellyn who had won the NCAA title in March and in the quarter-finals he defeated a wrestler from Nebraska you may know...Rulon Gardner by a score of 7-3.