Down Goes the #1! - Part 5

 Part 5 of Down Goes the #1! will feature times at the NCAA Division I tournament when the #1 seed went down before the finals during the early 1970's. 

1970 118 - #4 Greg Johnson Michigan State Upsets #1 John Miller of Oregon 7-4 in Semi Finals 

A high school graduate of nearby East Lansing High School the first of what would eventually be three NCAA titles for Greg Johnson at first seemed as if it were not meant to be. A leg injury caused him to miss 6 weeks of what was his sophomore season. Yet nevertheless he wrestled well enough to earn the #4 seed, upsetting his way into the NCAA finals to win his first title. Miller who had won the NCAA title in 1969, finishing 5th in 1968, came back to take 4th here. A three time All American who finished his career with a 78-12 record, Miller's life came to a tragic end when he was killed in a robbery a few years later. 

1970 134 - #4 Darrell Keller Oklahoma State Upsets #1 Tom Milkovich Michigan State 5-4 in SF

Michigan State thought they might be sitting on a freshman NCAA champion in 1970, but a two time NJCAA champion from Columbia-Basin by the name of Darrell Keller had other plans. Keller upset Milkovich 5-4 in route to his first of what would become two NCAA titles. Milkovich came back to take 4th place. Not placing as a sophomore in 1971, Milkovich won the NCAA title for the Spartans in 1972 as a junior. Suffering an injury at the NCAA's as a senior in 1973, Milkovich was still able to earn a 6th place finish. Post his collegiate career Milkovich went on to coach at Maple Heights where he led his team to 10 Ohio State Team titles & 9 Runner-up finishes. 

1970 190 - U.S. Bob Rust Syracuse Upsets #1 Ben Peterson Iowa State 6-2 in Round Two 

Rust a graduate of Kenmore East High School pulled off a huge upset in round two defeating #1 Ben Peterson 6-2 in Round two. As Rust finished as the NCAA Runner-up, Peterson came back to finish in 4th place. The next two seasons of 1971 & 1972, Peterson would dominate at the NCAA level winning back to back national titles. He then went on to have a stellar International career earning Silver & Gold Medals at the Olympics & a bronze medal at the World Championships.  A head coach at Maranatha Baptist, he was the creator & head of NCCAA (National Christian College Athletic Association) wrestling. 

1971 158 - #8 Mike R Jones Oregon State Upsets #1 Bruce Trammell Ohio in Semi Finals 

Not to be confused with teammate Mike A Jones, Mike R Jones made record for himself by making the NCAA finals as a #8 seed with an upset over the #1 seed Bruce Trammell of Ohio in the semi-finals. Trammell who had finished as the NCAA runner-up himself in 1970, ended his career here with a 3rd place finish.  Jones a sophomore at the time failed to place at the 1972 NCAA tournament, but came back strong in 1973 to once again take NCAA runner-up honors. 

1971 167 - #4 Andy Matter Penn State Upsets #1 Eric Bates Illinois State 6-0 in Semi-Finals 

When a school moves from NCAA Division II status to NCAA Division I Status the move can sometimes prove to be quite challenging. History shows that sometimes the adjustment can take quite a bit of time to get used to. It didn't seem to phase Eric Bates of Illinois State much though. After finishing 6th in 1969 & winning the College Division title in 1970, he wrestled well enough to earn himself a #1 seed at the NCAA DI tournament.  He'd make it to the semi-finals where he was upset by Penn State's Andy Matter 6-0, a state champion out of Upper Darby who would go on to win the NCAA title as Bates took 5th. Matter would win a second NCAA title, along with a third EIWA title in 1972. Ironically enough, the NCAA didn't have the faith in Bates that they had put into him in 1971. No bother, he still earned a second Division I (fourth overall) All American honor with a 6th place finish. He ended his career at 94-14. 

1972 126 - Yoshiro Fujita Oklahoma State has to default out of Tournament 

Overshadowed by other legendary Japanese wrestlers who excelled in American Collegiate wrestling, Yoshiro Fujita would probably be better remembered & certainly more celebrated today if it weren't for an injury he suffered his senior year.  An NCAA champion in 1971, the default he took because of the injury marked his only collegiate loss. 48-1 he later took Silver at the 1974 Asian Games. 

1972 134 - U.S. Garry Barton Clarion Upsets #1 Mike Riley Oklahoma State 5-3 in SF

 
If I ever make an all time favorite wrestling stories list, somewhere on it will be the story of Garry Barton of Clarion. Barton's career stood at 36-24 when he entered his final NCAA Division II tournament. He ended up taking 3rd getting an Invite to compete at the NCAA DI's as an unseeded wrestler. He did the impossible by upsetting his way to a national title, including a 5-3 victory over #1 Seed Mike Riley of Oklahoma State.  Riley who had finished 5th in 1969 came back to take 3rd.  Barton later coached at Rhode Island University. 

1972 150 - #4 Wade Schalles Clarion Upsets #1 Jay Arneson Oklahoma State F 6:34 in SF

Looking back on Wade Schalles' legendary career, it is hard to believe that he was ever the underdog during his days at Clarion. Yet this was the case as he entered the 1972 NCAA DI's after winning a DII title. In the semi-finals he faced two time All American (6th in 1970 & 2nd in 1971) Jay Arneson of Oklahoma State, pinning him in 6:34. Schalles would repeat as both the DII & DI champion in 1973 as a junior, unable to participate in the post season as a senior due to a rules violation. He ended his career with 153 victories, 106 of which came via fall. 

1972 177 - U.S. Sam Hieronymus Washington State Upsets #1 Russ Johnson Ohio 7-6 in R1 

Two time NCAA qualifier Sam Hieronymus' claim to fame was when he pulled off an exciting first round upset over Ohio's Russ Johnson in the opening round of the NCAA's. Ironically enough Hieronymus was beat out in the round to place by Eric Bates of Illinois State. Johnson, who holds the distinction as the MAC's first four time champion did not place. He was 3rd in 1971 as a sophomore & came back to earn his second All American award when he placed 6th in 1973. 

1973 118 - #4 Dan Sherman Iowa Upsets #1 Gary Breece Oklahoma 8-7 in Semi-Finals 

After taking 3rd place honors at the BIG 10's three years in a row, Hawkeye Dan Sherman finally capped off his final BIG 10 tournament with a 1st place finish. A 6th place All American as a junior in 1972, he decided that since he had a BIG 10 title, he might as well have an NCAA title too.  The Deerfield, Illinois native upset #1 Gary Breece of Oklahoma 8-7 in the semi-finals.  Breece who has placed 3rd as a freshman in 1971 & 6th as a sophomore in 1972, once again settled for 6th place as he medical forfeited the rest of his matches. He would win a national title himself in 1974. 

1973 126 - #4 Mark Massery Northwestern Upsets #1 Billy Martin  Jr Oklahoma State 8-8, 6-0 in
 SF

Son of the legendary Billy Martin, who some would say is the most well known & famous High School wrestling coach of all time out of Granby High School in Virginia, Billy Martin Jr of Oklahoma State marks another time when we thought we'd see a freshman NCAA champion. He made it to the semi-finals where he was stopped 8-8, 6-0 by Northwestern senior Mark Massery. Massery who had placed 5th in the nation in 1971, would win the NCAA title as Martin took 5th himself. Ironically enough, Martin's 5th place match was won over John Smith....the OTHER John Smith of Ball State! Martin went on to make the NCAA finals in 1974 as a sophomore, not placing as a junior in 1975, earning a third All American honor with a 6th place finish in 1977 after taking 1976 off.  Massery continued his wrestling career beyond college earning PAN-AMERICAN Gold in 1975. He later coached at Illinois State. 

1973 134 - #8 Don Rohn Clarion Upsets #1 Larry Morgan Cal Poly 9-4 in Quarter-finals

Of all the times in the early 70's when a freshman NCAA champion was predicted, it was a time when one was not, where we got one. Don Rohn who had finished 3rd at the NCAA DII's took the NCAA title in 1973 in fashion that included knocking off #1 Larry Morgan 9-4 in the Quarters.  Rohn would finish 3rd in 1974 as a sophomore, hampered by bad luck & injuries throughout the remainder of his career. Nevertheless he did comeback as a senior to finish 6th in 1976. He ended his career with a record of 124-9.  Morgan, who had made the NCAA Division II finals twice in a row in 1971 & 1972, winning a title in 1973, did not place, although he did earn DI All American honors in 1972 with a 5th place finish. The East Bakersfield High School graduate would later coach at both Iowa & Cal State Bakersfield. 

1973 142 - U.S. Reed Fehlberg Brigham Young Upsets #1 Tom Milkovich Michigan State in S.F. 

Tom Milkovich of Michigan State was yet again a victim of the upset, this time by a relatively unknown senior who had never won a Western Athletic Conference title & on top of it was making his first and only appearance at the NCAA tournament. Fehlberg shocked the nation sticking Milkovich at 5:20 into the semis.  Fehlberg would finish 2nd as Milkovich took 6th. 

1973 167 - #4 Bill Simpson of Clarion upsets #1 Keith Abens Iowa State 12-5 in Semi-Finals 

"Elbows" as he was known, came into the NCAA DI championships having just won the NCAA DII title. As the #4 seed he upset #1 Keith Abens of Iowa State 12-5 in the semi-finals. Also placing 6th in DII's in 1972 as a sophomore, Simpson earned his final All American honor in 1974 with a DI 5th place finish. Abens a three time State champion out of Humboldt High School, who had been the 1972 NCAA runner-up as a junior after missing out in 1971 with an ankle injury capped off his career with a 4th place finish. 

1973 177 - U.S. Gene Barber College New Jersey Upsets #1 Jeff Crumley Oregon Sate 11-8 in SF

Of the small college success stories, Gene Barber makes yet another wrestler who fared better at the NCAA DI tournament than what he did at the NCAA Division II tournament. Finishing 3rd for the second year in a row in DII's, Barber upset his way to a DI runner-up finish, that included an 11-8 victory over #1 seed Jeff Crumley of Oregon State. Crumley, a three time PAC-12 champion, who had finished as the NCAA runner-up in 1970 & 5th in 1971, took another 5th place finish. Both Barber and Crumley would coach after their prestigious careers.  Barber at the High school level where he led Absegami to 507 dual victories & a series of team titles that made them not only the best team in the state but one of the best teams in the entire nation. Crumley was an assistant at Oregon State. 

==== 

Part 6 will cover the mid 1970's.