The Midlands wrestling championships first started in 1963. Over the past 60 years & 58 tournaments (missed out on two because of COVID-19) the prestigious championships has mainly been known as a NCAA Division I tournament. However, there have been others who have succeeded over the last six decades as well. In a previous writing, I discussed all of the post graduates who have had success at the Midlands. With Jaritt Shinhoster of UW-Whitewater recently taking runner-up honors at 184, I figure it's time to take a look at all of the non-DI talent including NCAA DII, NCAA DIII, NAIA & NJCAA who have earned medals from the Midlands.
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| Joliet College and the 4ths of 63' |
Here's a story I would LOVE to know more about. Here's what I can tell you. The Joliet Junior College Wolves were an interesting team for a variety of different reasons. One of those reasons I wrote about in my Gone, Lost & Forgotten series when I covered the history of Texas-El Paso wrestling. Joliet provided a pipeline for the short-lived program, providing the Miners with some of their best wrestlers, many of which were NCAA DI tournament participants. Another interesting fact about Joliet, is that in 1963, they put four of their wrestlers on the award stand at the Midlands. All four finished in 4th place. It gets even more interesting than that.
Sam Epps at 137 & Bob Furlan at 147, were two freshman from right there in Joliet. The winter before, both had qualified for the Illinois High School State championships, but neither one placed! Now here they were less than a year later & both owned 4th place finishes at what many considered to be the toughest in-season tournament in collegiate wrestling! Furlan would go on to win the NJCAA title.
Ray Matesevac, who went on to later wrestle for Augustana (SD) & John Manner, also placed 4th wrestling 167 & HWT respectively.
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| Joliet's Wayne Watson becomes first NJCAA wrestler to make Midlands Finals |
The Wolves had other success at the Midlands beyond that magnificent 1963 run. In 1964, Wayne Watson, a freshman out of Mt. Carmel made history by coming the first NJCAA wrestler to make a Midlands final. Watson would go on to win back to back NJCAA titles. From what I understand, when he transferred to Northwestern, he decided not to continue his wrestling career. He went on to a variety of successes during his life, including teaching at Shaw University and later being honored by the legendary Chicago Mayor, Richard Daley.
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| Joliet Places Yet Another Wrestler on the Midlands Award Stand |
As thrilled and ecstatic as I am about the return Joliet Junior College wrestling, I can't help but hold on to a bit of my bitterness that the program was ever discontinued in the first place. So many great stories out of the small wrestling program, it makes one wonder what all we missed out on during the many years when wrestling wasn't a part of the school. Here's another great one. Mike Bay who had finished 3rd & champion for Waukegan High School at the Illinois State championships, had himself a great Midlands tournament as a sophomore. He opened up the tournament with a hard fought 6-5 decision over Iowa's Veryl Strellneck, then upending Pittsburgh's Dave Young 10-3. In the quarterfinals he defeated Jim Metzlek 5-0. While he'd drop a tough loss in the semi-finals, he came back to finish 3rd. He would go on to win the NJCAA title that season.
He wasn't the only Waukegan wrestler to fare well at the Midlands either..
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| Minnesota State Moorhead's Bob Billberg Takes Back to Back Runner-up Honors in 63' & 64' |
Right from the get go, Bob Billberg of then NAIA Minnesota State Moorhead was more than happy to show DI talent that he could more than hang with them. The sophomore Waukegan, Illinois came into the Midlands the *11 seed & soon found himself opposite future five time World Medalist Larry Kristoff of SIU-Carbondale. He'd drop a 3-3, 1-1 referee's decision to the Saluki. Later that same season, after capturing an NAIA title, he pulled off one of the biggest upsets in collegiate wrestling history, when he knocked off Syracuse's Jim Nance in route to an NCAA DI runner-up finish. This was back in the days when NAIA champions could participate in the NCAA DI tournament. The next season as a junior, Billberg did it again. This time given the *12 seed, he had to over come Michigan two time All American Bob Spaly in order to make his second Midlands final. He once again had to face Kristoff, who defeated him this time, 4-3. Billberg went on to take 3rd at the NAIA championships, missing out on a second NCAA DI invitation. Spaly earned his third All American honor, placing 3rd at the NCAA DI tournament. As a senior during the 65'-66' season, for whatever reason Billberg did not enter the Midlands championships. He did however win another NAIA title & make his second NCAA DI finals appearance.
When discussing the legendary Chris Taylor, we often stick to his time at Iowa State, where he was able to win back to back NCAA DI titles & earn a bronze medal at the 1972 Olympic Games. Little is said about who he was & what he accomplished before the late Dr. Harold Nichols brought him to Ames. Before he became a Cyclone, the gentle giant was first a Jayhawk for Muskegon Community College. There he put the NJCAA on the Midlands map, by taking back to back 4th place finishes.
As a freshman, he pinned his way to the semi-finals, when he ran into Jeff Smith of Michigan State, a senior who had taken 3rd at he NCAA DI championships the previous season. Somehow or another, Smith was able to score 4 points while keeping Taylor to 0. Taylor came back to finish 4th. Smith for the record went on to earn a second All American honor that season, this time as the runner-up.
As a sophomore at the 1969 Midlands, history would once again repeat itself. "Supersplash" as he'd later be known, once again pinned his way through the quarterfinals. It was there he'd meet Toledo's Greg Wojcieshowski, who would later be known to the world as "The Great Wojo." It was a battle between two sophomores, who would later become professional wrestlers. Wojcieshowski ended up winning the battle 4-2, as Taylor once again came back to finish 4th. Wojcieshowski went on to earn NCAA DI runner-up honors that season, winning the 1971 NCAA championships as a junior. He'd once again finish as the runner-up in 1972, ironically enough to champion Taylor.
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*Bob Murfin of Wheaton also took 4th place at the 1968 championships at 145 lbs. I wasn't able to find out much about Murfin or what else he did during his collegiate wrestling career.*
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| Chris Taylor BEFORE he was Chris Taylor |
When discussing the legendary Chris Taylor, we often stick to his time at Iowa State, where he was able to win back to back NCAA DI titles & earn a bronze medal at the 1972 Olympic Games. Little is said about who he was & what he accomplished before the late Dr. Harold Nichols brought him to Ames. Before he became a Cyclone, the gentle giant was first a Jayhawk for Muskegon Community College. There he put the NJCAA on the Midlands map, by taking back to back 4th place finishes.
As a freshman, he pinned his way to the semi-finals, when he ran into Jeff Smith of Michigan State, a senior who had taken 3rd at he NCAA DI championships the previous season. Somehow or another, Smith was able to score 4 points while keeping Taylor to 0. Taylor came back to finish 4th. Smith for the record went on to earn a second All American honor that season, this time as the runner-up.
As a sophomore at the 1969 Midlands, history would once again repeat itself. "Supersplash" as he'd later be known, once again pinned his way through the quarterfinals. It was there he'd meet Toledo's Greg Wojcieshowski, who would later be known to the world as "The Great Wojo." It was a battle between two sophomores, who would later become professional wrestlers. Wojcieshowski ended up winning the battle 4-2, as Taylor once again came back to finish 4th. Wojcieshowski went on to earn NCAA DI runner-up honors that season, winning the 1971 NCAA championships as a junior. He'd once again finish as the runner-up in 1972, ironically enough to champion Taylor.
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*Bob Murfin of Wheaton also took 4th place at the 1968 championships at 145 lbs. I wasn't able to find out much about Murfin or what else he did during his collegiate wrestling career.*
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