Down Goes the #1 - Part 6

 Today we take a look at all of the times in the NCAA DI tournament in the mid 70's when a #1 wrestler went down before the NCAA finals. 

1974 118 - U.S. Eric Mast Elizabethtown Upsets #1 Tom Phillips Oregon State 16-14 in R1

It's not often a NCAA DIII wrestler upends a NCAA DI wrestler & it is even more of a rarity when that DIII wrestler is a freshman. Yet that's exactly what happened during the first round of the 1974 NCAA tournament. Eric Mast has recently won a DIII title as he won a wild 16-14 match against the #1 seed Tom Phillips of Oregon State, a senior who had placed 5th & 2nd respectively the past two seasons. Neither Mast or Phillips would medal in 1974. Ironically enough, it seemed as if Mast's magic from his freshman season had all but disappeared as he would not even place at the NCAA DIII tournament his sophomore or junior seasons. He found it again as a senior, winning his second NCAA DIII title in 1977. 

1974 134 - #5 Jim Miller Northern Iowa Upsets #1 Don Rohn Clarion in SF

Another example of when a small school wrestler showed up to tango at the big dance. This time it was Northern Iowa's Jim Miller an NCAA DII champion that had never won a state title during his time at Charles City High School. He came in on fire, pulling off a huge 5-4 upset over the returning NCAA champion Don Rohn of Clarion. While Miller would finish 2nd, Rohn would finish 3rd. The next season of 1975, Miller would win a second NCAA DII title while this time finishing in 4th place in DI. Post college Miller would go on to become one of the greatest NCAA Division III coaches of all time at Wartburg. 390 dual victories against only 42 losses, he led the Knights to 7 NCAA Division III championships. 

1974 142- #8 Paul Gillespie West Chester Upsets #1 Dan Muthler Navy 3-3, 4-2 in QF

Paul Gillespie tasted the glory of being an All American his freshman season of 1971 when he finished in 6th place, but he had yet to make it back on the award stand. If he wanted to earn a second NCAA medal, it was now or never. He did so in fashion as he knocked off the returning NCAA champion Dan Muthler of Navy in the Quarter-finals. Gillespie would end up in 4th place as Muthler finished a match away from placing. Muthler would finish a match shy of NCAA qualification in 1975. Gillespie post graduation would turn his attention to coaching. Taking over the Long Beach program, he lead his team to 17 conference titles & two New York state championships. His son P.J. was an All American at Hofstra. 

1974 167 - #4 Jeff Callard Oklahoma Upsets #1 Bill Simpson Clarion 1-1, 5-1 in SF

In 1973 Bill Simpson was the #4 seed upsetting the #1 seed. In 1974 he'd be the #1 seed, upset by the #4 seed. Jeff Callard of Oklahoma has finished 3rd as a sophomore in 1973 & now after upsetting Simpson, he would finish in 2nd place as a junior in 1974.  Simpson finished 5th. Callard would earn his third All American honor in 1975 by also placing 5th. 

1974 UNL - #8 Jim Woods Western Illinois Upsets #1 Charlie Getty Penn State F 2:38 in QF

When it comes to Heavyweights, it is bound to happen that two who were also stars on the gridiron would meet on the mat. Charles Getty who was also a standout on the Penn State football team, had placed 5th at the NCAA as a junior in 1973. He was looking forward to winning an NCAA title in 1974, but would be stopped dead in his tracks by Jim Woods, an NCAA Division II wrestler from Western Illinois. Woods had finished as the DII runner-up in 1972 as a sophomore, placing 6th in DII in 1973 as a junior. In 1974 as a senior he decided that he was going to win both DII & DI.  Getty would finish in 3rd place. Post college Getty went on to a career in the NFL playing for both the Kansas City Chiefs and the Green Bay Packers. He later coached football at Evangel University. 

1975 118 - #8 Mike Land Iowa State Upsets #1 Jack Spates Slippery Rock 5-4 in QF

Slippery Rock's Jack Spates had won a NCAA DII title in 1973 as a sophomore, finishing as the NCAA DI runner-up in 1974 as a junior.  Entering the 1975 NCAA's as a senior with a 37-0 record, there was only one thing left to do. Unfortunately for Spates, he would run into sensational true freshman Mike Land of Iowa State, a state champion out of West Des Moines Valley who would squeak past him in an epic 5-4 upset. Spates would finish a match shy of NCAA placement as Land wound up in 6th place.  Taking 1976 to redshirt, Land would have an outstanding career the remainder of his time as a Cyclone.  Finishing 3rd in 1977 as a sophomore, he'd win a national title in 1978 as a junior, capping off his illustrious career with a 2nd place finish in 1979. Spates went on to coach at various colleges post graduation with his most successful time being at Oklahoma.  He led the Sooners to six top four NCAA team finishes. Today Spates' son Jeremy is the head coach of Southern Illinois-Edwardsville. 

1975 134 - #4 Mike Frick Lehigh Upsets #1 Mark Belknap William & Mary 11-7 in Semi-Finals

Lehigh's Travis Frick who would eventually win three EIWA titles along with two NCAA titles did so by winning his first in 1975. Along the way he upset Mark Belknap of William & Mary who came back to place 3rd. In 1974 Frick took 4th, while Belknap took 5th respectively. Frick's son Travis would earn All American status for Lehigh years later. 

1975 142 - U.S. Jim Bennett Yale Upsets #1 Steve Randall of Oklahoma State in QF

Keeping tabs on NCAA Champions that never won a conference title? Add Jim Bennett of Yale to your list who never won an EIWA crown. As an unseeded wrestler he upset #1 Steve Randall of Oklahoma State, the returning NCAA runner-up in route to winning the national title.  Randall would come back to place 4th. As a senior in 1976, Bennett would finish as an NCAA runner-up himself.  Post college Randall returned to Perry High School where he had been a two time state champion to coach. Bennett has been actively trying to reinstate Bulldog wrestling ever since Yale dropped in 1991. 

1975 158 - #4 John Janiak Syracuse Upsets #1 Larry Zilverberg Minnesota in SF

The 1975 semi-finals at 158 lbs saw the meeting of an eventual three time EIWA champion & an eventual three time BIG 10 champion. John Janiak a sophomore who had finished 3rd at the NCAA's as a freshman upended Larry Zilverberg a junior who had finished as the NCAA runner-up as a sophomore. This time it'd be Janiak who took the runner-up finish & Zilverberg would would finish in 3rd place. Ironically enough in 1976, both Janiak & Zilverberg would be on the receiving end of seeing their seasons end with injury.  Janiak had to medical forfeit out of the NCAA tournament while Zilverberg ended up medial forfeiting to 6th place.  Taking a redshirt in 1977, Janiak came back strong for his final year as an Orangeman to once again place 3rd in 1978. 

1976 118 - #1 Shawn Garel of Oklahoma Fails to Make Weight 

Shawn Garel, an NCAA champion in 1975 fails to make weight for the NCAA quarter-finals. He is later dismissed from the team. 

1976 126 - #5 Jack Reinwand Wisconsin Upsets #1 Scott Pucino Rhode Island in Semi-Finals

The best Jack Reinwand ever did at the State tournament in high school was 3rd. A 1975 All American with a 4th place finish, he'd win the NCAA title in 1976 knocking off #1 Scott Pucino of Rhode Island in the semi-finals 17-6 major decision. Pucino who had won four Yankee Conference titles along with four NEIWA (New England Intercollegiate Wrestling Association) came back to finish 5th. 

1976 142 - #8 Gene Costello Slippery Rock Upsets #1 Steve Barrett Oklahoma State 14-4 in QF

A two time NCAA qualifier in 1974 & 1975, Gene Costello earned his first & only All American honor in 1976 in style. Not only did he make the NCAA finals, he took down the #1 seed 14-4 major decision in the process. Steve Barrett who had finished 3rd in 1975 came back to take another 3rd place finish. A state champion out of California, he would win the NCAA title in 1977 as a senior. He was also a four time BIG 12 champion. 

1976 167 - #5 Dan Wageman Iowa Upsets #1 Larry Zilverberg Minnesota in Semi-Finals

It'd be the second time in Zilverberg's career where he was upset as the #1 seed. This time by Iowa's Dan Wageman 7-3 in the semi-finals.  While Wageman finished as the NCAA Runner-up, an injury caused Zilverberg to have to forfeit to 6th place. 

1976 177 - #4 Mark Johnson Michigan upsets #1 Mark Lieberman Lehigh 8-4 in Semi-Finals 

1976 marked yet another time when the wrestling world predicted that we would see a freshman NCAA champion. This time it was 177 lbs'er Mark Lieberman of Lehigh. All looked promising until he ran into Michigan's Mark Johnson in the semi-finals who would upset him 8-4.  As Johnson finished the NCAA runner-up, Lieberman came back to finish 3rd.  Both would finish as NCAA runner-ups in 1977.  Johnson turned his attention to coaching post graduation having stints at both Oregon State & Illinois. Lieberman would win go on to win the NCAA title in both 1978 & 1979.  Also a four time EIWA champion, Lieberman went on to a stellar international career. A PAN-AMERICAN Gold medalist in 1977 he'd win a Gold medal at the 1978 World Cup & a silver medal at the 1979 World Cup. 

1976 UNL - #5 Jimmy Jackson Oklahoma State Upsets #1 Larry Bielenberg Oregon State in SF 

Some people believe that orange & black and black & orange are the same thing. I guarantee those people aren't Oklahoma State Cowboy fans or Oregon State Beaver fans. In 1976 we'd see two legendary HWT's go at it as Jimmy Jackson upset Larry Bielenberg 9-2 in the semi-finals. As Jackson won what would be his first of three titles, Bielenberg came back to take 3rd.  Winning the NCAA title as a sophomore in 1975, Bielenberg also placed 5th as a freshman in 1974 & 2nd in 1977 as a senior. He graduated with 168 career victories, 95 of them via fall.  Jackson would win PAN-AMERICAN gold in 1979 & then dabble in professional wrestling for a short amount of time, mainly working in Mid-South. 

1977 134 - U.S. Bob Sloand Lehigh Upsets #1 Steve Hunte Iowa 9-9, 3-2 in Round 1 

It wasn't the first time Bob Sloand came into the NCAA tournament and pulled off a huge upset. As a junior in 1976 he knocked off the #2 seed in route to a 4th place finish. This time in 1977, he'd knock off #1 seed Steve Hunte of Iowa, this time finishing one match shy of placing. Despite never earning All American honors during his career, Hunte was a two time BIG 10 champion. For the record both Sloand and Hunte were New York state champions in high school. 

1977 150 - #4 Mark Churella Michigan Upsets #1 Paul Martin Oklahoma State 9-7 in Semi-Finals

Mark Churella of Michigan is one of most celebrated and recognized three time NCAA champions of all time. Paul Martin of Oklahoma State is one of the most overlooked and often forgotten about in the category of "best to never win an NCAA title."  The two met in a classic battle that saw Churella come out on top 9-7 in the 1977 NCAA semi-finals. Churella who finished 3rd as a freshman in 1976, would go on to win two more titles in 1978 & 1979.  Winning 132 matches, he only lost 13.  Martin, who is one of the only Iowa preps to ever compete for Oklahoma State (a three time state champion out of Algona) came back to finish 3rd.  Also 3rd in 1975 as a freshman, he redshirted in 1977, coming back to take runner-up honors his final season of 1978. He was also a three time BIG 12 champion. 

1977 177 - #5 Mark Lieberman Lehigh Upsets #1 Mike DeAnna Iowa 10-3 in Semi-Finals 

The victim of an upset in 1976, this time it would be Lehigh's Mark Lieberman who did the upsetting. A 10-3 decision over Iowa's Mike DeAnna. As Lieberman finished 2nd, DeAnna would come back to finish 3rd. As noted previously Lieberman would go on to win the NCAA title in both 1978 & 1979. DeAnna who also placed 6th as a freshman in 1975 would earn two NCAA runner-up finishes in 1979 & 1981 (redshirted in 1980) respectively. A three time Ohio high school state champion, DeAnna was also a four time BIG 10 champion. 

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Down Goes the #1 Part 7 featuring times when the #1 seed went down before the NCAA DI Finals during the late 1970's coming soon!