Gone, Lost & Forgotten: Hudson Valley Community College

 Located in Troy, New York the Vikings of Hudson Valley had a wrestling team  I believe at two different times.  Not 100% sure of these times. 

Ronald Tatar 

Tatar won a Region III title for Vikings in 1969. He then went on to finish up his collegiate wrestling career at Central Connecticut State. 

Frank Popolizio 

Brother of North Carolina State Wolfpack head coach Pat Popolizio, Frank was instrumental in reinstating wrestling the first time at Hudson Valley during the 1990-1991 season.  When it was discontinued again, I do not know. 

Gone, Lost & Forgotten: SUNY-Morrisville

 While I don't know for sure, I believe that the Mustang Wrestling program was started by Jim DenVencenzo in the 1962-1963 season. As to when it ended, I'm not sure.  

Jim Hall 

Hall was a coach of the Mustangs from the 1987-88 season through the 1988-1989 season. 

Dennis Nostrand 

Nostrand coached the Mustangs from the 1983-1984 season through the 1986-1987 season.  He is currently working at the University of Tampa, which may I add would be an excellent place to restore wrestling. 

Michael Spohn 

Spohn captured a Region III title for the Mustangs in 1969. 

Gone, Lost & Forgotten: Fulton-Montgomery Community College

 Located in Johnstown, New York the only information I could find regarding the former Raider wrestling team was an article from a 1966 Newsletter. 

Donald Staffo 

Staffo to my knowledge has the fastest pin record for the Raiders, sticking an opponent from Mohawk Valley in just 26 seconds during a dual in 1966. 

Gone, Lost & Forgotten: Rutgers-Newark

 Known as the Scarlet Raiders, Rutgers-Newark competed in NCAA Division III as well as the NAIA

Jim Andrich 

Andrich was a standout for the Scarlet Raiders earning 102 victories, 57 of them by fall. A four time NCAA Division III qualifier, Andrich made the Metropolitan Finals three years running, including a championship in 1983, with runner up finishes in 1982 & 1985.  He was later head coach at Rutgers-Newark. 

William Finkle 

Another standout for the Scarlet Raiders was William Finkle who took back to back 3rd place finishes at the Metropolitan Tournament in 1987 & 1988 before winning a title his senior season of 1989. He later coached wrestling at both the high school and collegiate level. 

Ronald Jones 

A member of the football team at Manchester Regional High School, Jones didn't think he was strong enough & wanted something that was going to make him a better football player. Someone suggested wrestling. Struggling with the sport at first, it wasn't long before Jones was winning both county and district titles.  Competing for the Scarlet Raiders, Jones won back to back Metropolitan titles as well as back to back Northeast Regional titles. Post his wrestling career, Jones worked in cable television. 

Jeff Karlin 

Overall, Karlin won 55 matches for the Scarlet Raiders during his four year wrestling career. As a freshman in 1966 he finished 2nd at the Metropolitan tournament. As a sophomore in 1967 he was 3rd in the District, winning a District title his senior season of 1969. He later became a podiatrist. 

Ed Kasbarian 

Kasbarian was an NAIA All American his junior season of 1963 taking 6th place honors. He took 1964 off, coming back in 1965 to what looked like would be another All American season. He was 10-0, when he suffered a career ending injury that kept him out of the post-season. Kasbarian later became an accountant. 

Michell Kross 

Kross put together a 67-17 career record for the Scarlet Raiders, winning three Metropolitan titles. Also one to get it done in the classroom, he made the Dean's list every semester. He later coached baseball, basketball and soccer. 

Joseph Macula 

Macula went 87-10 during his career winning three District titles for the Scarlet Raiders. 

Larry McClure 

Wrestling for the Scarlet Raiders from 1964-1967, McClure put together 32 victories, 25 of them by fall. He went 2nd-2nd-3rd-3rd at the Metropolitan tournament. Later in life McClure became a prosecutor. 

Mike Oropollo 

We've had a few naturals in the sport of wrestling, but the story of Mike Oropollo might outdo them all. Oropolla came to Rutgers-Newark to play baseball. All conference as a catcher, he had a batting average of .360.  It was during gym class when he was approached about joining the wrestling team. A few practices later he was wrestling in his first match, and I'll be if he didn't win it.  It was an upset over the #1 seed at the Metropolitian tournament that led the Scarlet Raiders to their first ever Metropolitan team title. 

Ed Reilly 

Going 67-29 during his career, Reilly won a Metropolitan title in 1985 as a junior, taking 3rd place honors his senior season of 1986. He later became treasurer of Providence Bank. 

Gone, Lost & Forgotten: Ocean County Community College

 Again information is slim pickings, but I was able to find out a little about the Viking wrestling program. 

Hyman Mittleberg 

A head coach of Men's Cross Country as well as Men's Swimming, Mittleberg was an assistant on the wrestling team. In Men's Cross Country he led the team to Garden State Athletic Conference as well as Regional titles, also winning Regional titles in swimming. 

Craig Bessinger 

Not many people wrestle to help stay in shape for Cross Country, but this did seem to be the case for Craig Bessinger who was also a standout runner.  In 1975 he went 12-4 on the wrestling team, winning a Westchester Tournament title, helping the Vikings to win their first ever team tournament. 

Gone, Lost & Forgotten: North Dakota State College of Science

 Known as the Wildcats, North Dakota State College of Science at one time fielded a wrestling program that participated in the NJCAA. The school is located in Wahpeton. 

Terry Stuehrenberg

Stuehrenberg won a NJCAA title for the Wildcats in 1969. He transferred to Arizona, where he was a 1971 NCAA DI qualifier. 

Chris Weeres 

A native of Cold Spring High School in Minnesota, Weeres was a NJCAA runner-up for the Wildcats in 1976. He transferred to Cal State Bakersfield, where he took 7th at the NCAA Division II championships in 1979. 

Jim LeDoux 

LeDoux took 4th place All American honors for the Wildcats at the 1978 NJCAA tournament. 

Mike Prosby 

Prosby was 4th at the 1979 NJCAA tournament. 

Kurt Lesser

A native of Minot, North Dakota, Lesser was 4th at the 1980 NJCAA tournament, transferring to Dickinson State where he earned NAIA All American honors in both 1981 & 1983. 

Gary Enger 

Enger came to North Dakota State College of Science from Dilworth, Minnesota where he had a high school record of 109-21.  He took 6th place NJCAA All American honors in 1979. 

Mark Kumpula

Kumpula was from New York Mills, Minnesota. He was 6th at the 1986 NJCAA's. 

Steve Carr

A standout on both the gridiron and the mat while in high school, Carr could have as easily chose to play football in college as he did to wrestle.  Competing in Minnesota, he was both an outside linebacker, as well as a running back who rushed for over 1,000 yards on the football field. As a wrestler he won four state titles, going 175-5 during his career.  His freshman season of 1981, he wrestled for Iowa State, earning 4th place honors at the BIG 12 championships. Transferring to North Dakota State College of Science, he won the 1982 NJCAA championship.  He then transferred to North Dakota State, where he won a NCAA Division II title in 1983, finishing in 4th place as a senior in 1984. Overall he was 132-38 in college.  He later coached at Minnesota-Morris. 

Gone, Lost & Forgotten: Riverland

 Located in Austin, Minnesota, ironically enough I believe that Gerry Bakke (who wrestled for both Bethany Lutheran & Gustavus Adolphus) is the brother of Ed Bakke, who I believe is the Blue Devils best wrestler.  I don't know for sure, but from what I have been able to find Riverland had wrestling for a short period of time in the 60's. Started by Kay Hompe in the 1961-1962 season, lasting through the 1968-1969 season. 

Ed Bakke 

Competing at 123 lbs, Bakke was 2nd in the NJCAA's in 1965, following it up with a 3rd place finish in 1966. 

Gone, Lost & Forgotten: Minnesota Crookston

 Known as the Golden Eagles today, during the time Minnesota-Crookston fielded varsity wrestling, they were known as the Trojans.  

Randy Coauette 

Coauette was 3rd at the conference championships for the Golden Eagles in 1974, placing 4th in 1975. Although he didn't fair as well as conference, he did have an outstanding tournament at the NJCAA's, taking home All American honors with a 7th place finish. 

Mike Hanlon 

Hanlon was a two-time conference champion for the Golden Eagles in 1973 & 1974, earning a 4th place finish at the 1974 NJCAA championships. He went 40-3 during his two seasons. 

Rod Mosher 

Mosher coached Minnesota-Crookston from the 1967-1968 season through the 1979-1980 season leading the Golden Eagles to over 100 dual meet victories as well as many team conference titles including a high 18th place finish at the 1974 NJCAA tournament when there were 110 junior colleges with wrestling programs. 

Gone, Lost & Forgotten: Hamline

 Located in St. Paul, Minnesota, the Pipers of Hamline fielded a wrestling program at one time. 

Jeff Fordice

Although Fordine wrestled for the Pipers, it was as a hurdler in track where he really excelled. Never able to make the varsity of his his school team, Fordice transferred to Hamline from Inver Hills community college. He took a work ethic & a belief that through the right coaching he could become a champion & did just that. Along with winning two conference titles, he earned All American finishes of 4th & 5th at the track national tournament. 

Willie Johnson 

Hamline originally discontinued wrestling at the 1969-1970 season, not having a program in 1970-1971. It was Willie Johnson who also played football and participated in track who helped to reinstate the program a year later for the 71'-72' season. Quite the renaissance man, also being a member of the theatre, choir and yearbook.  Post college he did work as an announcer for both Hamline football & basketball before becoming a professor of speech at Normandale Community College. 

David Lechner 

A kicker on the football team & the soccer team's lead scorer, Lechner also wrestled for the Pipers. 

Chuck Slocum 

Also a member of the football team, Slocum earned varsity letters in wrestling for the Pipers in the late 60's. 

 

Gone, Lost & Forgotten: Bethany Lutheran

 Located in Mankato, Minnesota, I wasn't able to find out much about the Viking wrestling program but I do believe I can name their best wrestler. 

Gerry Bakke

A graduate of Albert Lea High School, the best Gerry Bakke ever did at the Minnesota state championships was 6th in 1968. He went on to win the 1970 NJCAA title, following it up with a 3rd place finish at the 1971 NJCAA's.  He then transferred to Gustavus Adolphus where he won a conference title in 1973, finishing up his career with a record of 69-20.  He went on to coach high school wrestling in both Iowa & Minnesota. 

Gone, Lost and Forgotten: Bowdoin

 Located in Brunswick, Maine, I was able to find out very, very little about the Polar Bear wrestling team. All I could find was members of a former wrestling team that had attended a hockey game years ago. Here is a picture of the team. 

Gone, Lost & Forgotten: Rose Hulman

 Located in Terre Haute, Indiana the Fightin' Engineers of Rose-Hulman had a pretty respectable wrestling team at one point. 

Wes Davis 

Davis put together an over all 72-17 record during his time with the Fightin' Engineers, including a 15-2 record his senior season of 1987. 

Tyler Goble 

Goble was a standout for the Fightin' Engineers, winning three conference titles in a career that saw 111 victories. He qualified for the NCAA DIII championships in 2009 going 37-10 on the season. 

Matt Morin 

Morin qualified for the NCAA DIII championships in 1990, 1991 & 1992, winning two Indiana Collegiate Athletic Conference titles along the way. He was also a two time Academic All-American. 

Tony Moshak

Also a member of the football team where he was three time all conference as a lineman, Moshak had 51 career victories as a wrestler. 

Gone, Lost & Forgotten: College of Lake County

 Located in Grayslake, Illinois, The Lancers of College of Lake County competed in the NJCAA. 

John Welter 

A 1967 graduate of Grant High school where he took 2nd in the state championships, Welter decided not to go to college right out of high school. He began working and coaching wrestling instead. Getting an itch to compete again, he enrolled at College of Lake County where in 1973 as a sophomore he won an NJCAA title. He then went on to wrestle at UW-Parkside before getting back into coaching. Some of the names of wrestlers he coached you may recognize such as Jimmy Kennedy of Illinois & Dan Dennis of Iowa.  Brother Jim also wrestled for the Lancers. 

Tom Murrey 

Another graduate of Grant High School, Tom Murrey was able to do something that few people were ever able to do. He was able to defeat the legendary Chris Taylor. In the 1970 NJCAA championships at the HWT Division, Murrey was able to upend the future two time NCAA champion & Olympic Bronze medalist, defeating the giant by points. Who knows what kind of wrestling career Murrey would have gone onto had he decided to continue competing? Instead he chose to follow his dream of becoming a police officer which he did along with being a Fire Commissioner and Chief of Security for the rest of his life. 

Wilbur Borrero 

A graduate of Waukegan Township High School, Borrero took 5th place honors at the NJCAA's for the Lancers before going on to compete at Minnesota-Morris where he took 4th at the NCAA Division II championships. 

Gone, Lost & Forgotten = Waubonsee Community College

 I'm not exactly sure when Chief's wrestling began or when it ended, but I do believe I can name their best wrestlers. 

Omi Acosta 

A native of South Dade High School in Florida, Acosta enjoyed a great career while at Waubonsee. Finishing 5th in the NJCAA as a freshman, he went on to win the NJCAA title as a sophomore in 2010. He then won an NAIA title for Grand View University. 

Ray Stephens 

Another South Dade native, Ray Stephens wasn't able to win a regional title for the Chiefs his freshman year, but no bother, as he did himself one better at the NJCAA championships by winning a title. He followed it up with a NJCAA runner-up finish in 2007 before transferring to Lindenwood where he won back to back NAIA titles in 2008 and 2009. He finished his collegiate career 127-23. 

Gone, Lost & Forgotten: Black Hawk College

 Located in Moline, Illinois, from what I have been able to gather Braves wrestling lasted from 1966-67 through 1974-1975, coached by Denton Smith.  

Dan Breedlove 

Love was an Illinois High School State Runner-up in 1973 for Kewannee before starting his wrestling career at Black Hawk College. He won the NJCAA title for the Braves in 1975.  He then finished up his wrestling career at the University of Iowa. 

Les Armes 

A graduate of University High in Normal where he took 3rd & 4th place finishes at the Illinois State tournament, Les Armes not only became the first two time NJCAA champion for Black Hawk, he became the first two time champion in NJCAA history. Winning his titles in 1969 & 1970, he went on to wrestle for Oklahoma State. 

Ron Gray 

The first Iowa High School State Place-winner for West Des Moines Dowling Catholic, Ron Gray was a NJCAA All American for the Braves in 1975.  He went on to become an NCAA DI qualifier for Illinois State in 1977.  He was then an assistant coach at Drake. 

Jim Walker 

A state qualifier for Illinois Bluffs High, Jim Walker won a NJCAA title for the Braves in 1963. 

Gone, Lost & Forgotten: Long Beach City

 

It ain't much, but a historical record on the college claims that the Vikings won a conference title in wrestling in 1929. 

Gone, Lost & Forgotten: Pima

 Located in Tucson, Arizona, I could only find one link to Aztec Wrestling. 

Eddie Urbano 

Before moving on to win two PAC-12 titles for the Sun Devils of Arizona State, Urbano first won two NJCAA titles for Pima in 1981 & 1982.