Wrestling411

Harvard is one of the nation’s most elite and respected academic institutions. Jay Weiss is also one of the most respected wrestling coaches in the country. The F&M graduate starts his 16th year at the helm and talks with Wrestling 411’s Kyle Klingman and Jason Bryant about the past, present and future of Harvard wrestling.

What can Weiss look forward to this season with J.P. O’Connor and Louis Caputo leading the way? What true freshmen will make an impact in this year’s line-up?

 

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Kerry McCoy inherited a strong team at the University of Maryland and the first-year coach produced three All-Americans last season, leading the Terps to a 10th place finish at the 2009 NCAA Division I championships.

With Steve Bell, Alex Krom and Hudson Taylor return and the lineup will be bolstered by the return of Mike Letts off a redshirt, what does McCoy expect from his squad in his second year in College Park?

Kyle Klingman and Jason Bryant catch up with McCoy and talk about his upcoming season and the new additions to the Maryland coaching staff as well as getting his thoughts on diversity amongst the college coaching ranks.

Joe Pantaleo was a two-time Big Ten and NCAA finalist while competing for the University of Michigan back in the 1980s. After several stints as an assistant and a jump into the “private sector,” Pantaleo joined the coaching staff at Liberty University in Lynchburg, Va.

Pantaleo joins Jesse Castro’s staff and he talked with Jason Bryant and Kyle Klingman of Wrestling 411 about the move back into coaching and what called him to Liberty. He discusses what else can call people to a school like Liberty and also talks abwpout what it will be like to coach his nephew Joey on Liberty’s team.

 

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Gordy Morgan knows wrestling at all levels. As the club coach at the University of Minnesota he teaches college and post-college wrestlers. But Morgan also coaches youth level, working with kids at the state and national level at tournaments across the country.

Morgan,  Greco-Roman Olympian in 1996, says American folkstyle wrestling is the king of all styles…but he is aware that focusing on Greco-Roman or freestyle exclusively can be an advantage internationally. And as the first head coach at the United States Olympic Education Center at Northern Michigan, Morgan knows firsthand what that program has done for the sport.

How important are dual meets? Southern Oregon head coach Mike Ritchey may be the only coach in the nation that will tell you that they are the most important aspect of college wrestling. Ritchey wants to lead the Raiders to an NAIA championship in March, but his ultimate goal is to win the NWCA National Duals in January.

Ritchey talked with Wrestling 411 about building a balanced team, winning the 2009 National Duals title, and the budding rivalry with NAIA powerhouse Lindenwood.

 

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The Citadel wrestling pair of Michael Arias and Travis Piccard have steadily made their mark on the Grand Rapids, Mich., music scene. With their latest release, Sinergy, a collaborative effort with another hip-hop outfit, Fireproof, TP & Esco eye an August 14 show where they’ll be on the bill with Sean Kingston and Flo-Rida.

Piccard, who was ranked as high as sixth in the nation during his career at The Citadel, talks with Wrestling 411 on the latest news with himself and Arias and how wrestling still continues to play a role in both of their lives.

 

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Indiana native Mike Dixon was a two-sport athlete during his days wrestling for Duane Goldman and the Indiana Hoosiers. Dixon joined Wrestling 411 to talk about his tenure at Old Dominion, where he’ll enter his fifth season as Steve Martin’s assistant coach.

Dixon talks about recruiting in a non-power wrestling conference, the goals of the program and his love for the Chicago Cubs. Find out what’s brewing in Norfolk.

 

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The United States entered the World Championships for the first time in 1961, but it wasn’t until 1969 before an American won a World title. Enter Oregonians Rick Sanders and Fred Fozzard. Both won World Championships that year (Sanders at 114.5 and Fozzard at 180.5) and both are credited with being the United States’ first World Champions.

Wrestling 411 talked with Fozzard about the late Rick Sanders and winning that first World title for the United States. Fozzard, who suffered from polio as a youth and has a withered right arm as a result, also addressed overcoming physical adversities in wrestling and wrestling for Myron Roderick at Oklahoma State.

He is the definition of a legend. As the former head wrestling coach of West Waterloo High School in Waterloo, Iowa, Bob Siddens made his mark on the sport: 11 state team titles, 327-26 dual meet record, a streak of 88 straight dual meet wins, and he was the coach of Dan Gable. He was also a long-time official, officiating 26 NCAA tournaments.

Bob Siddens gave Wrestling 411 one of its most candid and in depth interviews to date. Siddens discussed coaching philosophy, Darrion Caldwell, Brent Metcalf, Dan Gable, racial tension in Waterloo, the match between Dale Anderson and Dan Gable — two of his athletes who became two-time NCAA champions, and getting hit with a steel chair during a dual meet.

Michigan head wrestling coach Joe McFarland is known for getting some of the best out-of-state talent to come to Ann Arbor to wrestle for the Wolverines. But with the new coaching landscape in the Big Ten — Tom Ryan at Ohio State, Cael Sanderson at Penn State, Jim Heffernan at Illinois — recruiting just got a little tougher.

Wrestling 411 spoke with McFarland about his success as a recruiter and how he plans to compete in a tough Big Ten wrestling conference. The former Wolverine also talked about his rivalry with Barry Davis, winning a World silver medal in 1986, and John Smith winning six World and Olympic titles in a row.

Sammie Henson has returned home. And the reason Norman, Okla, is home is because that is the place Henson was training for World and Olympic Championships. Now “The Bull” is Jack Spates’s head assistant at the University of Oklahoma and he is working to get the Sooners back on track.

Henson, a World Champion in 1998 and an Olympic silver medalist in 2000, was at Junior Nationals recruiting for his new school. Wrestling 411 talked with Henson about his past rivalries, Danny Felix’s chances at the World Championships, and building Oklahoma Wrestling into a national power again.

 

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Shawn Sheldon, two-time Olympian and 1991 World silver medalist, was among the nation’s finest Greco-Roman wrestlers when he was competing in the late 1980s and 1990s. Now he’s developing the next generation of Greco-Roman wrestlers — coaching this year’s Florida team at Junior Nationals.

Wrestling 411 spoke with Sheldon at Fargo about his move to Florida, diversity in wrestling, and wrestling 1998 freestyle World champion Sammie Henson when they both competed in Greco.

 

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