Defending The Title: 1936: Who Did and Who Didn't Defend Their Titles

 While future Hollywood stuntman Wayne Martin of Oklahoma won his third NCAA title, all of the other champions crowned in 1936 tasted gold for the first time. 

1936 Champion 123
Ted Anderson of Central Oklahoma 

World War II veteran Ted Anderson was a junior the night he won the NCAA title.  He'd reach the finals again in 1937, but this time settle for runner-up honors. 

1936 Champion 145 
Harley "Doc" Strong of Oklahoma State 

Strong was a senior when he won an NCAA title for the Cowboys. 

1936 Champion 158 
Walter Jacob of Michigan State 

The Spartans first NCAA champion as a junior, he did not attend the NCAA championships in 1937. 

1936 Champion 174 
Harry Broadbent of Oklahoma 

The Sooner was a senior when he won the NCAA title here.  Broadbent would go on to coach for a short amount of time at Washington & Lee before being called to serve our country in World War II.  Also a coach of football and track, Broadbent would then take his coaching duties to San Diego State where he lead the Aztecs to 97 dual meet victories. 

1936 Champion 191
Ray "Duke" Clemons of Central Oklahoma 

Also a 1936 Olympian, Clemons was a senior when he won the NCAA title. 

1936 Champion UNL 
Howell Scobey of Lehigh 

Also a member of the Lehigh football team, it is said that between his strength, speed and gracefulness Scobey wrestled more like a middle-weight than he did a Heavyweight.  His forte was putting his opponents shoulders to the mat as in 34 matches, 28 of them were by fall.  Making the NCAA finals as a junior in 1935, he finished second.  Here in 1936, he finished first. 

----

Wayne Martin of Oklahoma the soul repeat champion 

Anderson coming up just a hair short as Walter Jacob did not attend the NCAA's as a senior in 1937. 

Strong, Broadbent, Clemons and Scobey all seniors  

Defending The Title: 1935: Who Did and Who Didn't Defend Their Titles

 Both Rex Peery and Ross Flood of Oklahoma State won their third titles as Wayne Martin of Oklahoma won his second of what would eventually be three.  

1935 Champion 135
Vernon Sisney of Oklahoma 

Sisney was a senior the night he captured his NCAA title. Post college he spent a short time as a member of the highway patrol before getting a job as the head psychologist at the V.A. hospital in Oklahoma City.  He later opened up his own practice and taught psychology courses at Oklahoma. 

1935 Champion 155
Frank Lewis of Oklahoma State 

Originally from Texas, the wrestling world may have never known Lewis had it not been for a move to Cushing, Oklahoma during his youth.  A talented wrestler who placed at the state tournament every season, including winning a state title, he certainly had the credentials legendary coach Ed Gallagher looked for in a wrestler.  Only Lewis didn't plan on wrestling in college. He was more interested in focusing on his school work and getting a job to help pay for college expenses. 

For fun, he decided to enter an intramural wrestling tournament.  He got beat in the finals. It bothered him so much that he decided he was going to join the wrestling team after all.  Making the finals in 1934 as a junior, he won the NCAA title here in 1935 as a senior.  He'd continue his career post college, winning a gold medal at the 1936 Olympic Games. 

1935 Champion 165
Howard Johnston of Penn State 

Johnston was a senior in 1935, who would later help to organize the first high school state championships in Pennsylvania as well as officiate at them. 

1935 Champion 175
Ralph "Ruffy" Silverstein of Illinois  

Silverstein was junior when he won the NCAA title.  A three time BIG 10 champion, he didn't attend the 1936 NCAA's as he instead tried out for and made the Olympic team. Unfortunately for Silverstein, the Jewish community boycotted the Olympic games and he was unable to attend.  Getting into professional wrestling, he soon found himself as a fan favorite in the American Wrestling Association.  

1935 Champion UNL 
Charley McDaniel of Indiana 

Also a member of the Hoosier football team, Charley McDaniel poses a bit of a mystery when you look at his history.  A sophomore here in 1935 winning his first NCAA title, he finished as the NCAA runner-up in 1936. No where to be found in the 1937 NCAA tournament, one would come to the conclusion that he didn't enter the tournament.  Yet a year later in 1938, there he is and he wins a second NCAA title.  He wasn't a freshman in 1935 because freshmen weren't eligible to compete at the NCAA's in 1935.  All I can figure is that he somehow got an extra year of eligibility in order to compete in 1938.  Either having took 1937 off or having gotten hurt and granted another year. To my knowledge medical hardships and extra years didn't exist in the 1930's.   

McDaniel would go on to coach the Hoosiers from 1945-1972.  This included fourteen top 25 finishes at the NCAA tournament. 

--- 

As mentioned previously Peery and Flood won their third titles as Wayne Martin won his second of what would eventually be three. 

Vernon Sisney of Oklahoma, Frank Lewis of Oklahoma State and Howard Johnston of Penn State were all seniors. 

Silverstein did not defend his title as instead he concentrated on making an Olympic team that he unfortunately didn't get to compete for. 

McDaniel settled for second place in 1936 but came back in 1938 to claim title #2. 

Defending The Title: 1934: Those Who Did and Those Who Didn't Defend The Title

 A series of repeat champions happened in 1934 as Rex Peery & Ross Flood of Oklahoma State won their second of what would eventually be three titles along with teammate Alan Kelley who won his second title and Ralph Teague of Southwest Oklahoma State who also won his second title. 

Of the new champions crowned that night. 

1934 Champion 135 
Wayne Martin of Oklahoma 

Success followed Sooner Wayne Martin around like a dog.  Winning his first title here as a sophomore, Martin would add two more titles in 1935 and 1936.  Post college, he found himself as a Hollywood stuntman for years before becoming a personal trainer for celebrities.  Some of his clientele included John Wayne, Jack Benny and Bob Hope. 

1934 Champion 155
Ben Bishop of Lehigh 

Whenever Bishop stepped on the mat, it rarely went the distance as he usually ended it early by fall.  Also a member of the Lehigh football and soccer squads, Bishop was a senior when he won the NCAA title. 

1934 Champion 
Marion Foreman of Oklahoma 

Foreman won the title for the Sooners as a senior. 

1934 Champion 
Dick Voliva of Indiana 

Making the NCAA finals in 1933, Voliva bettered himself here in 1934, ending his career as an NCAA champion.  Also a member of the Hoosier football team, Voliva took a silver medal at the 1936 Olympic games.  A World War II veteran, Voliva was instrumental in starting the program at Montclair State, which enjoyed tremendous success at the NCAA Division III level before being discontinued.  He also coached at Rutgers for 25 seasons. 


----

1934 was a great year for upperclassmen as five of the champions crowned that night were seniors.  Kelley and Teague won their second titles as Bishop, Foreman and Voliva all won their first. 

Peery and Flood as mentioned won 2/3 

Martin won his first of what would eventually be three. 







 

Defending the Title: 1933: Those who Did and Those Who Didn't Defend Their Title

 Iowa State's Robert Hess was the only repeat champion in Lehigh in 1933.  All of the other champions that night one their first title. 

1933 Champion 118 
Rex Peery of Oklahoma State 

Legend as a wrestler and later legend as a coach at Pittsburgh, Peery was a sophomore the night he won his first of what would eventually be three NCAA titles for the Cowboys.  He'd repeat in 1934 and 1935. 

1933 Champion 126
Ross Flood of Oklahoma State 

Like teammate Peery, Flood was a sophomore who would go on to win two more titles in 1934 and 1935.  Post his phenomenal collegiate career, Flood would capture a silver medal at the 1936 Olympics. 

1933 Champion 135
Patrick Devine of Indiana 

These days Indiana is most certainly thought of as a basketball school, but back during the days of Patrick Devine, the Hoosiers more than held their own on the mat.  The two time BIG 10 champion, was a junior the night he won the NCAA title. He'd come back as a senior to capture a third place finish.  

1933 Champion 145
Alan Kelley of Oklahoma State 

One of the many repeat champions of Oklahoma State, Kelley would go on to win a second title in 1934. 

1933 Champion 155
Merrill "Doc" Frevert of Iowa State 

There was no wrestling where Frevert attended high school and he had to be convinced to give wrestling a try once he arrived at Iowa State.  Reluctant and weary as he was, a few short years after stepping onto a mat for the first time, Frevert graduated as an NCAA champion.   Post college, he ran a veterinarian clinic in West Union, Iowa. 

1933 Champion 165 
George Martin of Iowa State 

World War II veteran, who was awarded the bronze star for an act of heroism, add Martin to your list of NCAA champions who never won a state title.  Wrestling for Eagle Grove, Martin took finishes of second and third while in high school.  During his time as a Cyclone, Martin finished third at the NCAA championships as a junior before winning the NCAA title here in 1933. 

1933 Champion UNL
Ralph Teague of Southwest Oklahoma State 

Of the many great wrestlers who competed for colleges that no longer have wrestling programs that SHOULD, Ralph Teague was among the best.  Winning a title here as a junior, he'd go on to capture another title in 1934 as a senior. 

--

Very successful year for individuals who would go on to win more titles.  Hess as already mentioned, as Peery, Flood, Kelley and Teague would all see gold again during their collegiate careers. 

Cyclone teammates Frevert and Martin marked the only two seniors crowned NCAA champions that night 

Devine the one who was unable to repeat as champion, yet came back for a strong third place finish. 









 

Defending The Title: 1932: Who Did and Who Didn't Defend Their Title

 At the 1932 NCAA championships, Hardie Lewis of Oklahoma would reclaim his throne from 1930 NCAA's becoming a two time champion.  Heavyweight Jack Riley of Northwestern would also claim his second title. 

As to the other five champions crowned? 

1932 Champion 118 
Joe Puerta of Illinois 

Puerta who was a junior at the time he won the NCAA title, would once again make the finals in 1933 but this time have to settle for second place. 

1932 Champion 134 
Edwin Belshaw of Indiana 

Belshaw was a senior the year he captured the NCAA title for the Hoosiers.  Post graduation Belshaw looked to have a solid career in professional wrestling when it was all cut short by a tragedy.  During a match, he suffered a severe burn when his knee scraped the canvas.  This turned into a serious infection that would take his life a short time later. 

1932 Champion 158 
Carl Dougovito of Michigan 

Dougovito had made the NCAA finals twice before during his illustrious career as a wolverine, but both times saw himself on the losing end.  It was here, as a senior he would finally find himself on the winning end.  

1932 Champion 174 
Robert Hess of Iowa State 

Of the great many Cyclone wrestlers over the years, Robert Hess of Cresco, Iowa was one of them. After finishing in second place as a sophomore in 1931, Hess would stand atop the award stand in both 1932 and 1933. 

1932 Champion 191
Kerm Blosser of Ohio 

It's already an interesting fact that Kerm Blosser won the first NCAA wrestling title for the Bobcats here as a senior.  What's even more interesting is that not only was it Ohio's first title in wrestling, it was their first NCAA title in any sport.  Even more fascinating is that Blosser played basketball in high school!  

To prove that he was a natural, he was hired years later as Ohio's head men's golf coach.  He had never played a game of golf in his life, yet he was till able to lead the Bobcats to 9 MAC titles! 


So there you have the 1932 champions 

As already discussed Lewis and Riley won their second titles. 

Joe Puerta had to settle for 2nd place in 1933

Belshaw, Dougovito and Blosser were all seniors 

Hess would be crowned champion again in 1933 

Defending the Title: 1931: Who Did and Who Didn't Defend Their Title

 Of the 1931 Champions, Oklahoma State's Jack Van Bebber won his third title as did fellow Cowboy Conrad Caldwell.  All of the other champions won their first title. 

1931 Champion 118
John Engel of Lehigh 

Engel had an interesting career, as he began wrestling for the first time as a freshman at Lehigh. After wrestling on the junior varsity as a sophomore, he improved well enough to take third at the 1930 EIWA championships.  By the time he was a senior in 1931, he won an NCAA title. 

1931 Champion 126
Bobby Pearce of Oklahoma State 

Pearce was a junior the time he was crowned champion for the Cowboys.  He would have to finish for runner-up honors the next season in 1932, but even though he lost out on a second NCAA title, what he did do in 1932 was win an Olympic Gold Medal. 

1931 Champion 135
Richard Cole of Iowa State 

A native of Ames, Iowa, Cole had won a state title for Ames High School before coming to Iowa State.  Although he had participated in both the 1929 & 1930 championships, he wouldn't make the award stand until his final appearance in 1931.  What better place to stand than on the #1 spot?  Post his career at Iowa State he coached at both Brown and Rhode Island University, as well as serving our country during World War II as a member of the U.S. Navy. 

1931 Champion 145 
Bill Doyle of Kansas State 

Have a bit of mystery here when it comes to Bill Doyle of Kansas State.  What I do know is that he was a senior in 1931.  What is fuzzy is what exactly he was doing in 1929 and 1930.  Doyle attended Douglas High school, which is two hours and 15 minutes from Kansas State.  According to Douglas's records, their coach in 1929 and 1930 was Bill Doyle.  Maybe Bill's Dad was also named Bill?  That could be the answer.  I can't see him spending nearly five hours on the road a day, while going to school to come back to coach.   What I do know is that the Bill Doyle who won the 1931 NCAA title, did coach at Douglas from 1952-1957.  His last three seasons included leading the team to three straight fourth place finishes at the state tournament, going 25-0 in duals. 

1931 Champion 155
LeRoy McGuirk of Oklahoma State 

Future pro wrestling legend LeRoy McGuirk who made a name for himself as promoter, was a junior at the time he won the NCAA title.  He'd make the finals again in 1932, this time having to settle for runner-up honors.  McGuirk's daughter Michelle, better known to pro wrestling fans as Mike, was an announcer in the WWE for 9 years. 

1931 Champion UNL 
Jack Riley of Northwestern 

NFL football star Jack Riley was as much of a force to be reckoned with on the mat as he was on the gridiron.  Winning his first title here in 1931 as a junior, he would repeat in 1932 as a senior. 



Out of the eight champions crowned in 1931, as mentioned Oklahoma State's Van Bebber and Caldwell both won their third titles.  

Jack Riley of Northwestern would go on to win a title in 1932. 

Engel, Cole and Doyle were seniors

Pearce and McGuirk were unable to defend in 1932. 

Defending The TItle: 1930: Who Did and Who Didn't Defend Their Title

 1930 was a year of repeats for NCAA wrestling as five of the champions crowned had also won titles in 1929.  Joe Sapora of Illinois & Laurence Mantooth of Oklahoma both won their second and final titles.  Earl McCready of Oklahoma State won his third.  Jack Van Bebber and Conrad Caldwell of Oklahoma State won their second of what would be eventual three titles.  

Let's take a look at the other three champions crowned in 1930. 

1930 Champion 135
Hugh Linn of Iowa State 

Linn was a senior the year he won his NCAA title for the Cyclones. 

1930 Champion 145
Hardie Lewis of Oklahoma 

Unfortunately I was unable to obtain a photo of Lewis who was a sophomore at the time of his first NCAA title.  Now what I don't know is if he didn't wrestle at the 1931 championships or if he wrestled in them but failed to place.  What I can tell you is that he came back in 1932 and won a second title.  

1930 Champion 155
Otto Kelly of Michigan 

Seventy years later another Wolverine grappler with the nickname of Otto would make a name for himself as a multiple time BIG 10 champion and three time All American.  Yet before Otto Olson, there was Otto Kelly.  Kelly had made the NCAA finals in 1929 as a junior and in 1930 as a senior he traded in his silver for gold, being crowned champion. 


Five of the champions accounted for in previous post, with two of the champions being seniors.

That leaves Hardie Lewis who did not repeat as champion in 1931 but who did come back in 1932 to win a second title. 

Defending the Title: 1929: Who Did and Didn't Defend their titles

 As discussed in the article concerning the 1928 champions, only one of the seven crowned in Ames, Iowa that day would go on to win another title.  Canadian Earl McCready of Oklahoma State was only a sophomore at the time. He'd go on to win two more titles in 1929 & 1930 before becoming a superstar in professional wrestling. 

1929 Champion 115
Joe Sapora of Illinois 

Sapora who was a junior at the time would repeat as champion again in 1930. 

1929 Champion 125
Laurence Mantooth of Oklahoma 

Like Sapora, Mantooth was a junior and would repeat as champion in 1930. 

1929 Champion 135
George Minot of Illinois 

Minot who was a senior at the time of his NCAA title first began wrestling at the University of Illinois as his high school did not have a wrestling program. 

1929 Champion 145
George Bancroft of Oklahoma State 

Not 100% positive but believe that Bancroft was a senior when he won the NCAA title. 

1929 Champion 155
Jack Van Bebber of Oklahoma State 

One of the first products of the legendary Perry, Oklahoma team Van Bebber was destined for greatness from the start. 1929 marked his first NCAA title as a sophomore.  He'd go on to win two more in 1930 and 1931. 

1929 Champion 165
Conrad Caldwell of Oklahoma State 

Ed Gallagher was such a good wrestling coach that he could take a kid that had only wrestled two matches in his entire life, enter him in the NCAA tournament and see him walk out as champion. 1929 would be the first of Caldwell's titles, as he went on to win two more in 1930 and 1931. 

1929 Champion 175
Glen Stafford of Cornell 

Seeing East coast schools win NCAA titles is a year in an year out event in the modern era. With schools like Penn State, they often win more than one weight class.  It wasn't always like that. In fact, it wasn't until Glen Stafford of Cornell won the NCAA title that a east coast school crowned it's first champion.  A two time EIWA champion, who had also placed at the EIWA championships in 1927 before the first NCAA tournament in 1928, Stafford was a senior at the time of his NCAA title. 


Previously mentioned in the article regarding 1928, Earl McCready was our champion at the UNL weight class. 


1929's stats? 

Of the 8 champions...

5 went on to recapture more NCAA titles 
3 Were Seniors 



 

Defending the Title: 1928 Champions: Who Did and Who Didn't Defend Their Title

 One of the toughest things to do in collegiate sports is win an NCAA Division I wrestling title. It's something many attain to and few ever reach. For even fewer, they get to know the feeling of being the very best at their weight class more than once.  

Of course if you win your first NCAA DI title as a senior, you don't get a chance to repeat as champion. For all others, freshmen, sophomores and juniors you get a chance to be crowned champion for a second, third or even fourth time.   

We start this exploration in the late 1920's through the 1930's.  Looking at all of the NCAA Division Champions from 1928 through 1939.  When studying the history of collegiate wrestling it is important to keep two things in mind.  First and foremost, what is probably already known is that freshmen were ineligible at this time.  What might not be as apparent, is that over 90 years ago the NCAA tournament was not seen as the end all prestigious event that it is now. Today it not only resides as the most important tournament of the season, to some it is the ONLY tournament of the season.  In the late 1920's and 30's, while still important, it didn't hold the same stakes. It was essentially treated as another competition.  To NCAA DI wrestling fans now, it seems asinine but during these times for one reason or another someone might decide not to participate in the NCAA tournament. Even if they had won it previously.  

1928 Champion 115 
Harold DeMarsh of Oklahoma State 

We're still going to count this as a one time NCAA champion as 1928 was the first official NCAA tournament, but DeMarsh could count as a honorary defender of a title.  Before 1928, collegiate wrestlers competed primarily for the AAU titles.  He won a AAU title in 1925, placing second in 1926 and third in 1927 before winning the first NCAA title in 1928.  Again, treating this as a one time champion, winning as a senior.  

1928 Champion 125
Ralph Lupton of Northwestern 

Lupton was a junior in 1928 the year he became the Wildcats first NCAA DI Champion. That year he also won the BIG 10 title.  He would repeat as the BIG 10 champion in 1929.  It is unknown whether he failed to place at the NCAA tournament in 1929 or if he simply chose not to compete. Either way, he didn't win a second NCAA title.  

1928 Champion 135
Arthur Holding of Iowa State 

Like Lupton, Holding was a junior at the time of winning his NCAA title.  Also like Lupton, Holding won conference titles (his were Missouri Valley Conference) in both 1928 and in 1929. He also won a MVC title in 1927.  What might explain why Holding did not defend his title in 1929, was that the NCAA tournament was held in Ames in 1928.  In 1929 it was held in Columbus, Ohio.  It's strange to think of now, as transportation is a luxury we take for granted, but during this time getting from Ames to Columbus may have posed an issue. It could explain why he wasn't there to defend in 1929. 

1928 Champion 145
Melvin Clodfelter of Oklahoma State 

Clodfelter was a senior when he won his title in 1928. 

1928 Champion 158
Leslie Beers of Iowa 

Like Clodfelter, Beers was a senior when he captured the NCAA crown. 

1928 Champion 175
George Rule of Oklahoma State

Not 100% positive, but I believe that Rule was a senior when he captured the NCAA title. 

1928 champion UNL
Earl McCready of Oklahoma State 

Leave it up to a Canadian to be the first wrestler in NCAA DI wrestling history to defend his title.  Not only did McCready defend his title in 1929, he turned around and defended it again in 1930, becoming our sport's first time three time champion.  Post his collegiate career McCready made a name for himself in professional wrestling, primarily helping the success of Stu Hart's Stampede Wrestling in Calgary, Alberta, Canada. 

So that's it for 1928.   Out of our seven champions here's what we have. 

SENIORS: 4 
DID NOT DEFEND: 2
DID DEFEND: 1