Down Goes The #1 - Part II

 We continue where we left off in part I of Down Goes The #1 where we take a look at NCAA Division I tournaments from the 1950's where #1 seeds got knocked off before the finals. 

1950 128 - #4 Walter Romanowski Cornell (IA) upsets #1 Charles Hetrick Oklahoma State in SF 

A junior from the small college of Cornell in the small town of Mount Vernon, Iowa, Walter Romanowski never won a state title during his years of high school wrestling in the state of Illinois.  Making the NCAA semi-finals in his junior season, his opponent would be 1949 NCAA champion Charles Hetrick of Oklahoma State. Romanowski upset the Cowboy 6-4. He went on to take runner-up honors while Hetrick would finish one match shy of All American. It wouldn't be the only time Romanowski knocked off the #1 seed. 

1951 130 - #4 Walter Romanowski Cornell (IA) upsets #1 George Lewis Waynesburg in SF

Two years in a row the seeding committee bet against Romanowski making the finals & two years in a row he proved the wrong. Back in the days of every school being in the same tournament before being divided up into DI, DII & DIII, it was an unusual sight to see two small school wrestlers seeded so high, but it was the case in 1951 between Romanowski and Lewis. This time in the NCAA semi-finals Romanowski would win on a referee's decision. He'd go on to win the NCAA title, finishing off his career a two time finalist. Having gotten injured in the match with Romanowski, Lewis had to medical forfeit out of the tournament.  A national champion himself in 1948, with a final year of eligibility remaining, he finished 4th in 1952. 

1951 157 - U.S. Phil Smith Oklahoma upsets #1 Don Ryan Wisconsin in R2 

Smith a graduate of Tulsa Central High School came into the NCAA's and knocked off Ryan 10-8 in round 2, as he eventually worked his way to an NCAA title. Ryan finished one match shy of All American status.  The next season after winning his third BIG 10 title, Ryan would again be upset as the #1 seed, this time 3-2 by Northern Iowa's Bill Weick. This time though, Ryan would come back to finish 3rd. 

1952 191 - #4 George Myers Iowa upsets #1 Brad Glass Princeton in SF 

Before the days of overtime/sudden victory when a match ended in a tie in a tournament setting, the winner was determined by a referee's decision.  That was the case when Iowa's George Myers moved into the finals against Brad Glass of Princeton when he wrestled him to a 4-4 tie.  Myers would end the tournament as the runner-up.  Glass, who had won the NCAA title in 1951, had played in the Lambert Cup earlier that year as a member of Tiger football team. He finished 3rd. 

1953 157 - #4 Dan Sniff Colorado State Upsets #1 Joe Solomon Pittsburgh in SF 

Dan Sniff of Colorado State was a junior in 1953 when he upended #1 seed Joe Solomon of Pittsburgh 6-1 in the NCAA semi-finals. Unfortunately Sniff would miss out on his senior season due to an injury.  Ironically enough, Solomon entered the 1954 NCAA's unseeded & won a national title as a junior.  He again received the #1 seed his senior year & wound up finishing 4th. Go figure. 

1954 137 - #4 Eddie Eichelberger Lehigh upsets #1 Andrew Kaul Michigan in Semi-Finals

There's more than one cool fact to be learnt in this NCAA semi-final match from 68 years ago. Lehigh's Eddie Eichelberger upset Andy Kaul 8-2 in the semi-finals. Eichelberger was from the long illustrious line of phenomenal talent out of Granby High School, having used the same techniques that would lead Carl Perry of Illinois to a national title 46 years later. Eichelberger would finish 2nd that year, coming back to win back to back titles in 1955 & 1956.  Kaul, who was a junior at the time, finished 4th. The next season he made the NCAA finals, taking home runner-up honors. Post graduation Kaul moved back home to his native Pennsylvania where he often attended Penn State wrestling matches. He loved it when they'd dual Michigan at home, where he was known to come decked out in Wolverine gear & cheer loud for the visiting team. 

1955 123 - U.S. Sam Carlo SUNY-Cortland upsets #1 Dick Govig Iowa in Quarter-Finals 

 A two time state champion out of Britt High School, Iowa's Dick Govig won an NCAA title his sophomore year of 1954. He was poised to win a second title in 1955 as a junior, but was stopped dead in his tracks on a referee's decision when Sam Carlo of small SUNY-Cortland upended him. Neither wrestler would earn All American honors, as Carlo lost in the match to place.  Govig would unfortunately miss out on his senior year of competition due to injuries. 

1955 137 - #4 Larry Fornicola Penn State upsets #1 Don Hart Oklahoma in Semi-Finals 

Both Larry Fornicola of Penn State & Don Hart of Oklahoma were seniors entering their final NCAA championships having yet to have earned All American honors. They met in the semi-finals where Fornicola pulled off a huge upset pinning his Sooner foe in 8:30. He would go on to win the NCAA title as Hart would finish one match shy of a top four All American finish.  Despite not earning All American honors during his career, Hart was a two time BIG 12 champion who went on to a successful career as as both a hydrologist and a geologist. He also competed in and won many duathlons and triathlons during his life.  Fornicola turned his attention towards coaching, where he became a three time NJCAA coach of the year heading the Keystone College program. 

1956 - #1 Seed Mike Rodriguez Michigan has to default/Medical Forfeit out of Tournament 

I debated on whether to count this one or not. Mike Rodriguez of Michigan, a three time BIG 10 champion, had made the NCAA finals the year before in 1955.  Entering the NCAA's in 1956 as the #1 seed, he ended up having to default his semi-final match & then medical forfeit in the All American match. Obviously not upset either time, he was still a #1 seed that did not win a national title.  He came back strong as a senior in 1957, ending his career as an NCAA champion.  Years later in 1967 he took over the Detroit Central Catholic program where he would remain for the next 40 years.  He coached his team to 10 high school state championships. 

1956 UNL - U.S. Gordon Roesler Oklahoma upsets #1 Bill Oberly Penn State 8-6 in Round Two 

The word "natural" doesn't come up very often in our sport. We like to romanticize the idea of years and years of hard work and practice to master the strategies and techniques of our sport. Yet every now and again, someone will come along that seems to have it mastered before even trying it. Gordon Roesler's first exposure to wrestling was in 1954 as a senior in high school. He began learning the sport that winter and a few months later he was standing a top an award stand as the state champion.  Entering his first NCAA tournament as a sophomore, he found himself up against the #1 seed Bill Oberly of Penn State who had won the NCAA title in 1955 after finishing 3rd in 1954.  Roesler pulled off the upset 8-6. He'd go on to win the NCAA title, while Oberly would take home 3rd place.  His remaining two years of eligibilty Roesler finished 3rd in 1957 as a junior and 2nd in 1958 as a senior. 

1957 130 - #1 Seed Bobby Lyons of Oklahoma has to Default/Medical Forfeit Out of Tournament 

After finishing as the NCAA runner-up in both 1955 & 1956, it looked as if Oklahoma's Bobby Lyons might finally win his NCAA title. Unfortunately injury would get the best of him as he had to medical forfeit out of the tournament. 

1957 147 - U.S. Ron Gray Iowa State Upsets #1 Dave Adams of Penn State in Semi-Finals 

A three time state champion for Eagle Grove high school, Gray entered his first NCAA championships as a sophomore in 1957 unseeded.  There he would meet the 1956 NCAA Runner-up & #1 seed Dave Adams of Penn State in the semi-finals, whom he would upset 3-0.  Gray would take runner-up honors himself, after losing a 2-2, 2-0 match to Iowa's Simon Roberts, who became our sport's first black NCAA champion. Adams would finish one match shy of earning his second All American honor.  Gray would go on to win two NCAA titles for the Cyclones in his remaining years of eligibility 1958 & 1959. Both would go on to coach at the Division I level, with Adams coaching at Pittsburgh & Gray taking the reigns at Kent State, where he lead the Golden Flashes to 9 MAC titles. 

1957 167 - U.S. Ralph "Duke" Schneider Waynesburg upsets #1 Roy Minter MSU-Mankato in SF

Sometimes when doing comprehensive historical studies on wrestling you come across mysteries that the late Robert Stack would call "unsolved." Waynesburg's Ralph "Duke" Schneider was 3rd in the nation in 1952 & then he showed up again in 1957 to upset #1 seed Roy Minter of Minnesota State Mankato 5-3 in the semi-finals. Where he was or what he was doing between 1952 & 1957, I have yet to discover. Hypothesis has me guessing it might have had something to do with the Korean War, but I have yet to confirm or nullify.  Minter on the other hand was a junior at the time, who had finished as the NCAA runner-up in 1956 as a sophomore. This season he would take 4th & he would take 4th again in 1958 as a senior. Along with taking 4th in 1958, he also won a title at the first ever NAIA championships. 

1957 UNL - #4 Henry Jordan Virginia upsets #1 Gordon Roesler Oklahoma 5-4 in Semi-finals 

More known for his accolades on the gridiron, Virginia's Henry Jordan was also outstanding on the mat. Entering the NCAA's the #4 seed he would upset 1956 NCAA champion & #1 seed Gordon Roesler (who we talked of earlier) 5-4 in the semi-finals.  He would finish 2nd in the nation as Roesler came back to take 3rd.  Post his NCAA runner-up performance, Jordan turned his attention back towards football where he had a successful career in the NFL competing for both the Cleveland Browns & the Green Bay Packers. 

1958 147 - U.S. Earl Dearing Oregon upsets #1 Simon Roberts Iowa 2-2, 4-0 in Round 2

In 1957 Simon Roberts made history by becoming the first black wrestler to win an NCAA title. He was poised to win a second NCAA title in 1958, but he was stopped in round two by Earl Dearing of Oregon who upended the Hawkeye 2-2, 4-0.  Roberts would not get an opportunity to wrestle-back as Dearing finished one match shy of All American honors. 

1958 177 - #4 Gary Kurdelmeier Iowa Upsets #1 Frank Powell Iowa State 6-4 in Semi-Finals

The Hawkeye-Cyclone rivalry continued when Iowa's Gary Kurdelmeier upset #1 Frank Powell of Iowa State 6-4 in the NCAA Semi-finals. Kurdelmeier would go on to win the NCAA title as Powell came back to finish a strong third. For note, Kurdelmeier defeated Tim Woodin of Michigan State, who went on to fame in professional wrestling as Mr. Wrestling in the finals. He would then go on to become Coach at the University of Iowa, often credited with the growth of collegiate wrestling's popularity & being the man who brought Dan Gable to Iowa. Later he would try and help collegiate wrestling to grow in the state of Georgia, when he started a program at Georgia State. 

1958 191 - U.S. Adnan Kaisy Oklahoma State upsets #1 Dave Dunlop Cornell (NY) 8-4 in R2 

Few have the interesting background of Adnan Kaisy. Born and raised in Iraq, he grew up a schoolmate of Saddam Hussein & he also played baseball with him. Having started wrestling at a young age, he fell in love with the sport. However, it was his talents on the gridiron that first brought him to college, as he began his collegiate days a member of the University of Houston's football team. Missing wrestling, he transferred to Oklahoma State, where despite being away from the sport for quite sometime, he found himself upsetting the #1 seeded Dave Dunlop of Cornell in R2 8-4.  It was a rather big upset, as Dunlop was coming off a high, having just won an individual EIWA title, that in turn led the Big Red to an EIWA team title. Adnan would take 4th at the NCAA championships, capturing another 4th place finish in 1959 as a senior.  He then went on to fame in professional wrestling competing as both Billy Whitewolf and as General Adnan. 


1959 115 - #4 Andy Fitch Yale Upsets #1 Bob Taylor Oklahoma State 5-2 in Semi-Finals 

The Bulldog's Andy Fitch entered his final NCAA championships having never won an EIWA conference title. He made it to the semi-finals where he had to face #1 seed Bob Taylor of Oklahoma State who had finished as the NCAA runner-up in 1958.  Fitch would pull off the upset 5-2, as he went on to win the NCAA title, being in an elite group of wrestlers to win nationals that never won conference. Taylor finished 3rd. Post college Fitch would earn a gold medal at the 1963 PAN-AMERICAN championships as he spent years trying to get a professional league of folkstyle wrestling going. 

1959 123 - U.S. Doug Bingham Utah Upsets #1 DuWayne Miller Oklahoma 9-8 in the QF 

Doug Bingham of Utah was married with three children when he pulled off a huge 9-8 upset over #1 seed DuWayne Miller of Oklahoma in the NCAA quarterfinals. He would end up finishing one match shy of placing.  The next season of 59'-60', Bingham would tragically lose his life in a dual against Wyoming when his heart stopped beating during the match. Miller would later return to win the NCAA title in 1961. 

1959 137 - #5 Larry Hayes Iowa State Upsets #1 Paul Aubrey Oklahoma 4-2 in Semi-Finals

Larry Hayes has the distinction of being the Cyclones first three time NCAA champion & he did so by starting off with his first title in 1959.  In order to win that title, he had to overcome 1958 NCAA champion Paul Aubrey 4-2 in the semi-finals.  Aubrey who finished 4th in 1957, came back from his semi-final loss to take 3rd. 

1959 167 - #4 Ed Hamer Upsets #1 Duane Murty of Oklahoma State in Semi-Finals

While finding wrestlers whose true passion is football is a dime a dozen, we don't come across too many whose passion is the sport of golf.  This was the case for Lehigh's Ed Hamer, who upset returning NCAA champion & #1 seed Duane Murty of Oklahoma State in route to the national title in 1959. Hamer would go on to coach varsity Golf as well as Cross Country at Lehigh post graduation.  Murty, finished 3rd that season. 

1959 177 - U.S. Al Blanshan MSU-Mankato Upsets #1 Bill Wright Minnesota in Semi-Finals

For those among us who threw a fit about Stevan Micic of Michigan & Mike Kemerer of Iowa still wrestling well into their upper twenties this season, they would have had an absolute conniption following the career of Al Blanshan of Minnesota State Mankato. As a sophomore in 1958, he won an NAIA title.  Then as a junior in 1959, he upset Bill Wright of Minnesota 4-3 in the NCAA semi-finals in route to a runner-up finish. (Wright came back to finish 3rd).  Blanshan then left college and entered the working force, only to return to college in 1969, 10 years post his junior year to finish his final year of eligibility.  Amazingly enough, he made the NCAA DII finals! This allowed him to compete in the NCAA DI tournament, where he went 0-1. 

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Hope you enjoyed Part II of "Down Goes the #1!"   Make sure to check out Part III!