The Powerhouse 5: The BIG 12's Wrestling Dominance For a 30 Period Despite Only having 5 Teams

 

Former University of Oregon head coach & the current head coach of the Kansas Collegiate Athletic Association (KCAC) powerhouse St. Mary Spires, Chuck Kearney proposed an interesting question to me the other day.  Just how good was BIG 12 wrestling during a period when it had so few teams.  Now this is a rather convoluted question, that I suppose could be answered in a variety of different ways.  This history of the BIG 12 is rather complicated & not easy to follow.  I'll do my best though. 

As far as I know, the BIG 12, which started off at the BIG 6 began in 1928.  Then became the BIG 7 in 1948.  Then the BIG 8 in 1957 and finally the BIG 12 in 1996. 

I've read many records that the first conference tournament was held in 1934. Yet I can find nothing on this tournament.  Matter of fact, I can't find anything BIG 12 wrestling related until 1950. 

So from a wrestling perspective....

Iowa State, Kansas, Kansas State, Nebraska & Oklahoma Started things off. 

Colorado joins the BIG 12, with wrestling in 1947

Oklahoma State joins the BIG 12, with wrestling in 1958

Missouri which was a part of the BIG 12, forms a wrestling program in 1965

Kansas had wrestling at one point and dropped it.  Then they get wrestling back in 1964 & drop it again in 1967.  

Colorado drops wrestling in 1980

Kansas State drops wrestling in 1975

Nebraska leaves the Conference in 2011


It begs the question, was the BIG 12 conference ever represented in full concerning wrestling. 

Yes...

1964
1965
1966

During those three years, the BIG 8 was made up of 8 teams & all 8 had wrestling programs.  To my knowledge this is the only time where this was the case. 

So, for all intents & purposes my focus of BIG 12 wrestling will be between 1981 & 2011, when the teams were Iowa State, Missouri, Nebraska, Oklahoma & Oklahoma State.

Let's see how dominant this itty bitty conference was for a 30 year period....


1981
2nd Oklahoma
3rd Iowa State
4th Oklahoma State
5 National Champions 

1982
2nd Iowa State
3rd Oklahoam
4th Oklahoma State
6th Nebraska
4 National Champions

1983
2nd Oklahoma State
3rd Iowa State
4th Oklahoma
6th Nebraska
4 National Champions

1984
2nd Oklahoma State
4th Nebraska
5th Oklahoma
7th Iowa State
10th Missouri
5 National Champions

1985
2nd Oklahoma
3rd Iowa State
4th Oklahoma State
3 National Champions

1986
2nd Oklahoma
3rd Oklahoma State
4th Iowa State
1 National Champion 

1987
1st Iowa State
4th Oklahoma State
5 National Champions

1988
3rd Iowa State
4th Oklahoma State
8th Oklahoma
2 National Champions

1989
1st Oklahoma State
3rd Iowa State
4th Oklahoma 
4 National Champions

1990
1st Oklahoma State
5th Nebraska
9th Iowa State
3 National Champions

1991
2nd Oklahoma State
5th Iowa State
10th Nebraska
2 National Champions 

1992
2nd Oklahoma 
4th Iowa State
1 National Champion 

1993
3rd Nebraska
6th Iowa State
1 National Champion 

1994
1st Oklahoma State
8th Oklahoma
10th Iowa State
3 National Champions 

1995
6th Nebraska
7th Oklahoma State
10th Oklahoma
2 National Champions

1996
2nd Iowa State
5th Nebraska
6th Oklahoma State
2 National Champions

1997
2nd Oklahoma State
4th Iowa State
7th Oklahoma
3 National Champions

1998
3rd Oklahoma State
6th Iowa State
2 National Champions

1999
3rd Oklahoma State
4th Iowa State
6th Oklahoma
2 National Champions

2000
2nd Iowa State
4th Oklahoma
5th Oklahoma State
8th Nebraska
3 National Champions

2001
3rd Oklahoma State
4th Oklahoma 
6th Iowa State
8th Nebraska
3 National Champions

2002
2nd Iowa State
3rd Oklahoma
5th Oklahoma State
8th Nebraska

2003
1st Oklahoma State
3rd Oklahoma
4 National Champions

2004
1st Oklahoma State
5th Nebraska
6th Iowa State
9th Oklahoma
3 National Champions

2005
1st Oklahoma State
3rd Oklahoma
10th Iowa State
6 National Champions

2006
1st Oklahoma State
3rd Oklahoma
4 National Champions

2007
2nd Iowa State
3rd Missouri
5th Oklahoma State
2 National Champions

2008
4th Nebraska
5th Oklahoma State
6th Iowa State
1 National Champion

2009
3rd Iowa State
4th Nebraska
7th Missouri
3 National Champions

2010
3rd Iowa State
5th Oklahoma
6th Oklahoma State
10th  Missouri
3 National Champions

2011
4th Oklahoma State
3 National Champions 

30 years & out of those 30 years a BIG 12 team won the NCAA DI title 8 times.  That's over 25% of the time.  Meaning that in a 30 year span, a conference with only 5 teams brought home the National Title 1/4 of the time. 

In 30 years that is 90 team trophies between 2nd, 3rd & 4th place teams.  

The BIG 12 took home 48 of those 90 trophies.  That's 53% of them.  Meaning that a conference with only 5 teams brought home over half of the team trophies given out during a 30 year period.