Gone, Lost & Forgotten: Their Best = Clemson

Wrestling came to Clemson during the 1975-1976 season & lasted up through the 1994-1995 season.  During this time the Tigers put together a dual record of 219-21, including a record of 14-6 during the 1993-1994 season in which they finished as the ACC Runner-up & in Seventh place at the NCAA Division I national tournament.  They were were one the most successful programs on campus during their final years.  While Men's Soccer & Baseball both won ACC titles & finished higher at the NCAA tournament, wrestling ranked higher at both a conference & national level than all of the other Tiger sports programs.  

Even more noting may be the fact that in Clemson's final year over half of their roster was made up of wrestlers from southern states.  A reflection of the fact that talent exist is the south & that if the option presents itself, wants to remain in the south to wrestle in college.  Seven members of the team were from South Carolina, six from Florida & one from Georgia.  

Noel Loban
177, 190 lbs 

When we think of great foreign wrestlers that have made names for themselves at American colleges, we usually think of Russia, Japan & occasionally Canada.  The United Kingdom doesn't come up often but in the case of Noel Loban, it does.  He originally began his collegiate career at Farmingdale State (Another program we've lost) where he won the NJCAA title in 1977.   Competing for the Tigers, Loban won ACC titles in both 1979 & 1980.  When he won the NCAA title in 1980, he became the first national champion that Clemson ever crowned in any sport.  He was also sixth at the Midlands that season. 

Post College, Loban had an exceptional international career representing his home country.  He earned an Olympic bronze medal in 1984 & then took Gold at the 1986 Commonwealth Games.  He came back in 1994 to earn a Silver medal at the Commonwealth Games.   After his career was over he coached at various entities including North Carolina State. 

Joey McKenna

A Florida native, Joey McKenna damn near won four ACC titles, missing out on one during his sophomore season of 1984.  In 1986 as a senior not only did he win his third ACC title, but he was also named the Outstanding wrestler of the tournament.  He would go on to place fourth at the NCAA championships, ending his season with 36 victories. 

Mark Litts
167 lbs 

Mark Litts was a three time NCAA qualifier for the Tigers winning an ACC title in 1985 as a junior. 

Donnie Heckel
118 lbs 

Putting together an overall record of 101-23, Donnie Heckel had an assortment of credentials during his time as a Tiger.  He qualified for the NCAA championships all four seasons, winning ACC titles his freshman year of 1988 & his senior year of 1991 (where he was also named the outstanding wrestler).  Along with these accomplishments he earned All American honors twice, placing eighth in 1989 & sixth in 1991. 

Kurt Howell
150 lbs 

A three time NCAA qualifier Howell won an ACC title as a junior in 1990 & would capture eighth place All American honors with a eighth place finish at the NCAA championships in 1991. 

Mike Mammon 
150 lbs 

Earning 78 victories during his time as a Tiger, Mammon earned three NCAA qualifications, winning an ACC title in 1994. 

Tim Morrissey
177, 190 lbs 

A native of Glenwood Springs, Colorado, Morrissey won two ACC titles for the Tigers, earning All American status with a third place finish at the 1994 NCAA championships. 

Sammie Henson
118 lbs 

Originally a Missouri Tiger, Henson traded in the black & gold for the Purple & orange.   During his time at Clemson Henson never knew defeat going 71-0, winning two ACC & two NCAA Division I titles. These were all during the final years of Clemson wrestling.   Post college, Henson has an outstanding international career taking Gold at the 1998 World Championships & then a Bronze in 2006.  In 2000 Henson earned a Silver medal at the Olympics. 

Gone, Lost & Forgotten: Their Best = Maine

Maine wrestling started in the 1969-1970 season and lasted through the 1987-1988 season. During that time the Black Bears put together a dual record of 121-104.  What's most notable about the University of Maine is that most of its lineup, consisted of wrestlers who went to high school in Maine. A state that today has one varsity wrestling program, Southern Maine in NCAA Division III.  

Maynard Pelletier
177 lbs 

A state champion out of Fort Kent High School, Pelletier earned NCAA qualification & won a New England Intercollegiate Wrestling Association (NEIWA) title in 1984. 

Ralph McArthur
150 lbs 

A State runner-up for Mt. Blue High school in 1982, McArthur would win the NEIWA title & earn NCAA qualification for the Black Bears in 1985. 

Jim Durfee
190 lbs  

Durfee won the NEIWA title & earned NCAA qualification in 1985  

Terry Patstone
126 lbs 

A Maine high school state place-winner with a fourth place finisher in 1983 for Noble High School, Patstone won an NEIWA title & earned NCAA qualification in 1986. 

Carl Cullenberg
177 lbs 

Another state runner-up of Mt. Blue, Carl Cullenberg won the NEIWA title & earned NCAA qualification in 1986. 

Pat Kelly
142 lbs 

Former Marine Pat Kelly won an NEIWA title for the Black Bears earning NCAA qualification in 1986.  He later at 52 years of age won an MMA title.  He taught science & coached wrestling at Camden Hills Regional High school, leading his team to 15 various championships. 

Gone, Lost & Forgotten: Their Best = James Madison

The Dukes of James Madison were often a team that had success at both the conference & dual meet levels.  Winners of the Virginia Collegiate Athletic Conference in 1975, they would also win team titles at the Eastern Regional in 1985 & 1986, as well as Colonial Athletic Association titles in 1999 & 2000. 

Tony Gentile
150, 158 lbs 

A three time NCAA qualifier, Gentile won Eastern Regional championships for the Dukes in 1985 & 1986. 

Jeff "Peanut" Bowyer

Affectionately known as "Peanut" Jeff Bowyer earned three NCAA qualifications for the Dukes in 1985, 1986 & 1987.  He placed fifth at the Midlands championships.  

Brian Kurlander

A two time NCAA qualifier for the Dukes, the highlight of Kurlander's career came as a junior in 1987 when he won an Eastern Regional title & placed eighth at the NCAA championships.  He ended his career with 112 victories. 

Jude Arena
142 lbs  

A four time NCAA qualifier from Succasunna, New Jersey, Arena won three CAA titles for the Dukes in 94', 95' & 96'. 

Elliott Williams
190, 197, 184 lbs 

Williams narrowly missed out on becoming the Dukes first four time CAA champion, winning titles as a freshman and sophomore.  He'd miss out on a title his junior season, but come back strong to win a third as a senior in 2000. 

Dave Vollmer
126, 133, 141 lbs 

At three different weight classes, Vollmer won CAA titles in 1998, 1999 & 2000. 

Mike Coyle
141, 133 lbs 

A two time CAA champion with 76 career victories, Coyle would cap off his impressive career with a eighth place finish at the 2000 NCAA championships. 

Dave Colabella
184 lbs 

A CAA champion in 2001, Colabella would qualify twice more for the NCAA championships in 2002 & 2003. 

Seth Cameron
165, 174 lbs 

A three time NCAA qualifier, Cameron won a CAA title his junior season in 2002. 

Gone, Lost & Forgotten: Their Best = Morgan State

Morgan State Bears wrestling existed before the late James Phillips took over the program as head coach during the 1975-1976 season.  Matter of fact they won Central Intercollegiate Athletic Association (CIAA) titles in 1963, 1964 & 1965.  Yet it was under Phillips leadership, that the Bears really took a stronghold at the NCAA Division II level.  Phillips who grew up in Texas, never wrestled.  In fact not only did his high school not have wrestling, none of the high schools in his area had wrestling.  Phillips was a football player.  A good one.  As a player he lead Morgan State to a 14-6 victory over West Chester in the Tangerine Bowl. It was the first time a historically black college had won a bowl game. He later played for the Chicago Bears & in the Canadian Football League. It was only natural that he'd later coach football.  What didn't seem a fit, was when Phillips decided to take the unpaid position of head wrestling coach.  

During the next twenty seasons, Phillips was able to so what many would deem impossible.  He won thirteen Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference titles (MEAC) being named Coach of the Year twelve times. He lead the Bears to five NCAA Division II top ten performances, including a high finish of fourth in 1984.  His overall dual record was 197-95.   It was also important to Phillips to try and grow the popularity of wrestling within the Baltimore, Maryland area.  He did so by growing the fan base for dual meets & having Morgan State host the 1985 NCAA Division II championships.  He saw wrestling as a fantastic sport for young black men, as well as all young men to be a part of.  Upon his death many friends and family members said that while he was always proud of his accomplishments as a football player & as a football coach, what made him most proud was the time he spent as the wrestling coach.  After he resigned from the position after the 1994-1995 season, Bears wrestling held on for two more seasons being discontinued at the completion of the 1996-1997 season.  

William "Bucky" Smith
158 lbs 

Breaking the barrier at about every level, William "Bucky" Smith was the first at many levels.  He was the first wrestler from a historically black college to win four MEAC titles.  He also earned six All American honors during his prestigious career as well.  During his freshman & sophomore seasons of 1977 & 1978 he finished as the NCAA Division II runner-up.  In his sophomore campaign he also placed sixth at the NCAA Division I tournament.   In 1979 he placed fifth in Division II.  He'd save his best season for last, when he became the first wrestler from a historically black college to win the NCAA Division II title.  This was not only in wrestling, but in any sport.  He'd follow it up by taking runner-up honors in NCAA Division I. 

Emanuel "Tiny" Yarbrough
HWT 

Affectionately referred to as "Tiny" by his teammates, Yarbrough was a two time All American for the Bears during his career at Morgan State.   During the Bears time in NCAA Division II he captured an eighth place finish at the 1983 championships.  When the Bears transitioned into NCAA Division I status, he would place eighth in the 1986 championships. Post college Yarbrough had success in many endeavors.  He tried his hand at both MMA & Sumo, winning a world championship in the later in 1995.  He later got into acting, landing an occurring role on HBO's Oz and getting a small part in Darren Aronofsky's The Wrestler.  We sadly lost Yarbrough in 2015. 

Chauncy Wynn
158 lbs 

Wynn was a four time NCAA qualifier for the Bears earning All American status his senior year with a sixth place finish at the NCAA championships in 1996. 

Dontae Smith
118 lbs 

Without a doubt Dontae Smith would have been a four time NCAA qualifier for the Bears during his career, but unfortunately after qualifying for the championships in 1991 as a freshman he would miss the entirety of the 1991-1992 season do to a hernia.  He'd come back strong the next two seasons earning NCAA qualification in 1993 & 1994.  A highlight of his career placing fourth at the Midlands as a senior. 

Charlie Morgan
126 lbs  

With a last name like Morgan, where else would you wrestle?  Charlie qualified for the NCAA championships in 1993, 1994 & 1995. 

David Morgan
118 lbs 

Morgan qualified for the 1994 NCAA championships as a freshman for the Bears before deciding to transfer to Michigan State for the remainder of his career.  Competing for the Spartans, Morgan earned All American status on three occasions.  He placed third in 1996, fifth in 1997 & took runner-up honors in 1998. 

John Davis

Davis had an outstanding career for the Bears.  He placed sixth in the nation at the 1981 NCAA Division II championships as a freshman.  As a sophomore in 1982 he placed third.  He'd finish out his career as a two time NCAA Division II champion, being named the outstanding wrestler of the tournament in 1984. 

Greg Veal

Another all time great in Bear history was Greg Veal who took two bronze medals at the 1981 & 1982 NCAA Division II championships before coming home with the gold in 1983. 

Jeff Green
HWT 

Two time Pennsylvania high school state finalist for Pottstown High School, Green was also a standout football player.  When it came time to choose the mat or the gridiron, Green originally made the choice to play football. He entered the University of Kentucky with the intention of playing football for the Wildcats.  Yet after a year he decided he missed wrestling as well as the east coast & he headed to Baltimore to join the Morgan State wrestling team.   There he would take third place All American honors at the 1984 NCAA Division II championships.   

Post college Green served our nation as a captain in the United States Army during the Gulf War. He later made the 1996 Olympic team.  We sadly lost Green in 2003. 

Albert Woody
134, 142 lbs 

Woody was a two time NCAA qualifier for the Bears in 1987 & 1988.  He took over for Phillips as head coach in the 1995-1996 season.  His son, also named Albert later wrestled for Lehigh. 

Marlon Houston
HWT

Houston who also played football for the Bears was a two time NCAA qualifier in 1993 & 1996.  After Morgan State axed the wrestling program, Houston finished up his career at Oklahoma State.  His son, also named Marlon would be a starter on the Central Oklahoma football team years later. 

Eldoardo Vance
137, 147 lbs 

Vance as a two time All American for the Bears during his career.  He placed sixth at the NAIA championships in 1963 & fourth at the NCAA Division II championships in 1964. 

Curtis Ellis
118 lbs 

Curtis Ellis had a standout career for the Bears during his time at Morgan State.  A four time NCAA qualifier, Ellis won four MEAC titles & two Eastern Regional titles earning All American honors at the NCAA Division II level three times.   He was sixth in both 1978 & 1979, taking eighth place in 1980.  He finished his senior season with an overall record of 102-17. 

Later in life as the owner of Real Image Media, Ellis became exceptionally involved in the community of Baltimore.  He coached youth wrestling, ran a Big Brothers/Big Sisters organization & a Dog rescue. 

Willard Crews
190 lbs 

Crews was a three time All American for Morgan State placing seventh in both 1980 & 1983, as well as eighth in 1982 at the NCAA Division II championships. 

Chuck Kennedy
118 lbs 

A graduate of Kingston High School in Section I of New York, Kennedy was a three time state qualifier before coming to Morgan State. Competing for the Bears he made the NCAA Division II finals in 1984. 

Gone, Lost & Forgotten: Their Best = Minnesota Duluth

Minnesota Duluth Bulldog wrestling ended after the 1993-1994 season.  That year they won the Northern Sun Intercollegiate Conference title & they finished in 12th place at the NCAA Division II championships with three All Americans.   The story of how & why Bulldog wrestling came to an end is a complicated, convoluted & depressing one.  Journalist Brian Jerzak writes about it in explicit detail & I highly recommend looking up his article on the subject.  It's long but without a doubt the most thorough account I've ever came across as to why a wrestling program was dropped. 

Along with winning their final NSIC tournament, they also won team titles in 1985, 1990, 1991 & 1992.   They finished in eighth place at the 1988 NAIA championships. 

Blaine Dravis
126 lbs 

A graduate of Staples High School, Dravis took NAIA All American honors with a third place finish at the 1986 championships. 

Jeff Dravis 
 

Following his brother Blaine to Minnesota Duluth, Jeff Dravis had an outstanding career for the Bulldogs earning NAIA All American status on three occasions.  He placed fifth in 1986, second in 1987 & fourth in 1988. 

Jerry Hoy
118 lbs 

Putting together a career record of 103-18, Jerry Hoy finished as the NCAA Division II runner-up in 1982. 

Ron McClure
142 lbs 

A graduate of Golden Valley High School, McClure had an outstanding career for the Bulldogs putting together a career record of 108-17, which included forty falls.  In 1993 he would capture fourth place All American honors at the NCAA Division II tournament.  He'd take runner-up honors in 1994 at Minnesota-Duluth's final NCAA Division II championships.  

Michael Hirschey
158 lbs 
 

A graduate of Glenwood High school where he took runner-up honors at the 1984 State championships, Hirschey would add his name to the list of wrestlers to win a national title that never won a state title in 1987 when he won the NAIA crown.  An avid skier after college, Hirschey was unfortunately murdered after a dispute in May of 2008. 

Trevor Lundgren
142 lbs 
 

Another graduate of Staples High School, Lundgren originally started off his career at Gustavus Adolphus (Another program that we have lost) before coming to Minnesota Duluth.  While wrestling for the Bulldogs he put together a record of 95-12, earning back to back third place All American honors at the NAIA championships in 1988 & 1989.  In the 1989 championships he also won the Gorriaran award for the most amount of falls in the least amount of time.  


 

Dave Viaene
HWT 

Former New England Patriot Dave Viaene became Kaukana High School's (Wisconsin)  first state champion when he captured a title in 1983.  Also a member of the Bulldog football program, Viaene would go on to earn runner-up honors at the 1986 NAIA championships.  

Gone, Lost & Forgotten: Their Best = Virginia Commonwealth

Extensive research hasn't been able to come up with much about Virginia Commonwealth wrestling other than to say the Rams did have a team at one time.  I've ran across the name of two coaches & the only wrestler who's name I've been able to find is Matt Gattling a 190 lbs'er.   Here's to hopefully one day finding more information on VCU wrestling. 

Gone, Lost & Forgotten: Their Best = Jacksonville State

The friendliest campus in the south at one time fielded a wrestling program that at one time was ranked as high as 15th in the NCAA Division II level.   While the school has been successful in a variety of athletics, crowning an assortment of NCAA champions, their first was in wrestling. 

Gary Erwin
150 lbs 

An Alabama native of Gardendale High school where he won the state title in 1978, Erwin was the most successful of Gamecock wrestlers.  He won three Mid-South Conference titles as well as two Regional titles during his career.  In 1980 as a sophomore he took fifth place All American honors at the NAIA championships.  He would make the NCAA Division II finals in 1981, becoming the Gamecocks first NCAA champion in any sport finishing his career with a Division II title in 1982. 

Gone, Lost & Forgotten: Their Best = Allegheny

A small NCAA Division III college in Meadville, Pennsylvania, Allegheny had success at the conference & national level on a individual scale.  They won the President's Athletic Conference (PAC) title in 1960. 

Tom Elcott
150 lbs 

One of the best in Gator history, Tom Elcott was a three time PAC champion & three time NCAA Division III All American.  He finished with a fourth place finish in 1979, winning the title in 1980 & finishing as the runner-up in 1981. 

Harry Black
177, 191, HWT 

Also a football standout for the Gators, Black won two PAC titles putting together a record of 40-3. 

John Bernhard
157, 147 lbs 

Only the second four time PAC champion in history, Bernhard won titles in 1960, 61', 62' & 63'. 

Bob Muth
HWT 

A graduate of Maplewood High School, Muth had an outstanding career for the Gators winning four PAC titles & earning NCAA Division III All American status in his final two seasons.  He took seventh in 1982 & capped off his career with the national title in 1983.  He was 106-14 during his time as a Gator. 

Eric Temple
HWT  

Temple earned NCAA Division III All American honors in 1979 with a fourth place finish. 

Randy Graves
190 lbs  

A graduate of Warren High where he took third in the state championships, Graves finished in fifth place at the 1982 NCAA Division III championships. 

Jeff Payne
150 lbs 

Payne took seventh place honors at the 1986 NCAA Division III championships. 

Tony Pendolino
134, 142 lbs 

Despite battling a series of injuries throughout his career, Tony Pendolino still managed to come out as one of the Gators top stars.  He earned two NCAA Division III All American honors during his career.  He placed fifth as a sophomore in 1988 & came back as a senior in 1990 to take seventh place honors with a 36-6 record.