ADVERTISEMENT

3 time Undefeated National Champs

Y

y2jriden

Well-Known Member
Aug 22, 2002
415
534
1
I was talking to some people recently about how many wrestlers have had undefeated NC seasons. Then we were talking about how many have had multiple undefeated NC seasons. That is significantly less but still many. How many guys have had 3? And then clearly only 1 has 4 undefeated National Championship seasons. Here is my list that I thought of, I didn't do much research so I was wondering if anyone can think of anyone else that be added to the list.

4 undefeated national championship seasons
  • Cael Sanderson

3 undefeated national championship seasons
  • Zain Retherford
  • Possibly Carlton Haselrig although I couldn't confirm more than he's a 3 timer with a long winning streak at the end

Others that I considered that definitely did not have 3 undefeated NC seasons
Ed Ruth - 2
Bo - 2
Nolf - 2 (injury default away)
Logan Stieber - 2
Kyle Dake - maybe 2, did he lose his JR year? definitely did lose his FR and SO
Pat Smith - pretty sure he had losses in several years
Dieringer - 2
J'den Cox - 1 or 2, did he lose a FR? finished 5th as SO, DQ loss JR year, undefeated SR
Gable - 2
David Taylor - 2

I would think that maybe an Iowa guy or OSU guy may have accomplished this? McIlravey? Joe Williams?
 
  • Like
Reactions: danoftw and Dogwelder
y2jriden said:
I was talking to some people recently about how many wrestlers have had undefeated NC seasons. Then we were talking about how many have had multiple undefeated NC seasons. That is significantly less but still many. How many guys have had 3? And then clearly only 1 has 4 undefeated National Championship seasons. Here is my list that I thought of, I didn't do much research so I was wondering if anyone can think of anyone else that be added to the list.

4 undefeated national championship seasons
  • Cael Sanderson

3 undefeated national championship seasons
  • Zain Retherford
  • Possibly Carlton Haselrig although I couldn't confirm more than he's a 3 timer with a long winning streak at the end

Others that I considered that definitely did not have 3 undefeated NC seasons
Ed Ruth - 2
Bo - 2
Nolf - 2 (injury default away)
Logan Stieber - 2
Kyle Dake - maybe 2, did he lose his JR year? definitely did lose his FR and SO
Pat Smith - pretty sure he had losses in several years
Dieringer - 2
J'den Cox - 1 or 2, did he lose a FR? finished 5th as SO, DQ loss JR year, undefeated SR
Gable - 2
David Taylor - 2

I would think that maybe an Iowa guy or OSU guy may have accomplished this? McIlravey? Joe Williams?
Click to expand...

The three that come to mind are 3xNC Yojiro Uetake (OkSt) and Dan Hodge (Ok), both who were undefeated in their careers (neither could wrestle as frosh) and 3xNC Lee Kemp who had three undefeated seasons, but did have a tie.
 
Last edited:
  • Like
Reactions: danoftw, y2jriden and Dogwelder
I think all of Pat Smith's losses were his freshman year, but he did tie someone as an upperclassman
 
  • Like
Reactions: y2jriden
y2jriden said:
I was talking to some people recently about how many wrestlers have had undefeated NC seasons. Then we were talking about how many have had multiple undefeated NC seasons. That is significantly less but still many. How many guys have had 3? And then clearly only 1 has 4 undefeated National Championship seasons. Here is my list that I thought of, I didn't do much research so I was wondering if anyone can think of anyone else that be added to the list.

4 undefeated national championship seasons
  • Cael Sanderson

3 undefeated national championship seasons
  • Zain Retherford
  • Possibly Carlton Haselrig although I couldn't confirm more than he's a 3 timer with a long winning streak at the end

Others that I considered that definitely did not have 3 undefeated NC seasons
Ed Ruth - 2
Bo - 2
Nolf - 2 (injury default away)
Logan Stieber - 2
Kyle Dake - maybe 2, did he lose his JR year? definitely did lose his FR and SO
Pat Smith - pretty sure he had losses in several years
Dieringer - 2
J'den Cox - 1 or 2, did he lose a FR? finished 5th as SO, DQ loss JR year, undefeated SR
Gable - 2
David Taylor - 2

I would think that maybe an Iowa guy or OSU guy may have accomplished this? McIlravey? Joe Williams?
Click to expand...

You are missing a bunch of those prior to frosh being eligible. Bill Koll, PSU coach in the 60s and 70s comes to mind as he was a 3X undefeated NCAA champ.
 
  • Like
Reactions: funnyfletcher, danoftw, matter7172 and 2 others
matter7172 said:
Why does Bill Koll get so little respect?
Click to expand...

It probably has something to do with the fact that it was 70+ years ago.

I don't think it's a lack of respect, it's just a lack of familiarity. Not exactly easy to learn about any sports - outside of professional baseball - from the 1940s.
 
Why are NCAA titles more highly regarded than wins/losses. Kyle Dake COULD have had 30 losses, but because he went undefeated for 4 great weekends he is considered the #2 goat. DT, on the other hand HAD 3 losses, and is one of the most dominant our sport has ever seen yet is lucky to make top 20 all-time.
 
Last edited:
  • Like
Reactions: matter7172
Bill Koll Northern Iowa 3 1943-1948
Keith Young Northern Iowa 3 1949-1951
Dan Hodge Oklahoma 3 1955-1957
Earl McCready Oklahoma State 3 1928-1930
Jack VanBebber Oklahoma State 3 1929-1931
Conrad Caldwell Oklahoma State 3 1930-1932
Rex Peery Oklahoma State 3 1933-1935
David Arndt Oklahoma State 3 1941-1946
Yojiro Uetake Oklahoma State 3 1964-1966

Plus Zain, of course, and Cael if you want t say "at least 3x champ".
 
  • Like
Reactions: goStanford18, Dogwelder, DeadHead11 and 1 other person
STAND with PRIDE said:
Why are NCAA titles more highly regarded than wins/losses. Kyle Dake COULD have had 30 losses, but because he went undefeated for 4 great weekends he is considered the #2 goat. DT, on the other hand HAD 3 losses, and is one of the most dominant our sport has ever seen yet is lucky to make top 20 all-time.
Click to expand...


Unfortunately for DT, Dake was his kryptonite. Had he beaten Dake in the tournament it would be a different narrative. I’m not a Dake fan, I don’t care for his defensive counter approach in folk style. But he wins. And you have to appreciate that. Is he #2 ? Nah.
 
  • Like
Reactions: midniteride
matter7172 said:
Why does Bill Koll get so little respect?
Click to expand...

ss7 said:
It probably has something to do with the fact that it was 70+ years ago.

I don't think it's a lack of respect, it's just a lack of familiarity. Not exactly easy to learn about any sports - outside of professional baseball - from the 1940s.
Click to expand...
Among those that knew Bill, he gets a TON of respect. There's just fewer of them, so I agree.
 
STAND with PRIDE said:
Why are NCAA titles more highly regarded than wins/losses. Kyle Dake COULD have had 30 losses, but because he went undefeated for 4 great weekends he is considered the #2 goat. DT, on the other hand HAD 3 losses, and is one of the most dominant our sport has ever seen yet is lucky to make top 20 all-time.
Click to expand...
Well considering Dake only lost 4 times, 2 of which were as a true freshman, that's a pretty weak complaint. Taylor lost to Jenkins as a true freshman and getting rag dolled by Cyler at wrestle offs leads me to believe he would have taken a few more losses that year if he was in the lineup.

Sure, DT is an all-time great, but let's not act like he has even a remotely plausible argument to be on the same level as Dake, who has 2 more titles, no redshirt, 3 head to head wins, and only 1 extra loss (or the same if you count DT's loss to Jenkins unnattached). The bottom line is that titles are always what matters in sports. For years Manning wasn't considered a great, even though he dominated the regular season, because he couldn't get it done in the playoffs. Lebron faced the same criticism. It's just reality.
 
  • Like
Reactions: Afw6006, lionlover and Dogwelder
RoarLions1 said:
Bill Koll Northern Iowa 3 1943-1948
Keith Young Northern Iowa 3 1949-1951
Dan Hodge Oklahoma 3 1955-1957
Earl McCready Oklahoma State 3 1928-1930
Jack VanBebber Oklahoma State 3 1929-1931
Conrad Caldwell Oklahoma State 3 1930-1932
Rex Peery Oklahoma State 3 1933-1935
David Arndt Oklahoma State 3 1941-1946
Yojiro Uetake Oklahoma State 3 1964-1966

Plus Zain, of course, and Cael if you want t say "at least 3x champ".
Click to expand...

This really shows how good Zain was and how rare his 3 year run was considering he's one of two people since 1966 to have 3 undefeated years ending in a title.
 
  • Like
Reactions: lionlover, Cali_Nittany, Dogwelder and 1 other person
STAND with PRIDE said:
Why are NCAA titles more highly regarded than wins/losses.
Click to expand...


In my eyes, a large part of what separates great athletes from elite athletes is how they perform "under the bright lights." Winning the NCAA's is a testament to both their physical abilities and mental strength. Navigating their way through a field of the best competition and coming out on top should absolutely carry more weight than losing a match in January.


Here's a hypothetical for you:

Wrestler A had a career record of 46-46. He was never a conference champ, but was a 4 time AA, 3 time finalist, and 2 time champ.

Wrestler B had a career record of 86-8. He went undefeated during all regular seasons, was a 4 time conference champ, but only a 2 time AA, placing 7th both times.

Which wrestler was more successful?
 
  • Like
Reactions: slushhead
y2jriden said:
This really shows how good Zain was and how rare his 3 year run was considering he's one of two people since 1966 to have 3 undefeated years ending in a title.
Click to expand...
Kerry McCoy had 2 undefeated NC seasons and should have had 3. I thought he was robbed in NCAA semis his Jr year, which was his only loss as a Hwt.
 
  • Like
Reactions: El-Jefe and nerfstate
I could of swore Zain lost to Sorenson once......once right?...maybe???

#closedoesntcountinwrestling
#watermelonkiller
#eatitturk
 
  • Like
Reactions: slushhead
js8793 said:
Well considering Dake only lost 4 times, 2 of which were as a true freshman, that's a pretty weak complaint. Taylor lost to Jenkins as a true freshman and getting rag dolled by Cyler at wrestle offs leads me to believe he would have taken a few more losses that year if he was in the lineup.

Sure, DT is an all-time great, but let's not act like he has even a remotely plausible argument to be on the same level as Dake, who has 2 more titles, no redshirt, 3 head to head wins, and only 1 extra loss (or the same if you count DT's loss to Jenkins unnattached). The bottom line is that titles are always what matters in sports. For years Manning wasn't considered a great, even though he dominated the regular season, because he couldn't get it done in the playoffs. Lebron faced the same criticism. It's just reality.
Click to expand...
Rag dolled in the wrestle offs by Cyler, but IMO beat him (he had the TD at the end) at the NLO. I am not sure he beats JP that year, but it doesn't require a stretch to imagine he does.
 
y2jriden said:
I was talking to some people recently about how many wrestlers have had undefeated NC seasons. Then we were talking about how many have had multiple undefeated NC seasons. That is significantly less but still many. How many guys have had 3? And then clearly only 1 has 4 undefeated National Championship seasons. Here is my list that I thought of, I didn't do much research so I was wondering if anyone can think of anyone else that be added to the list.

4 undefeated national championship seasons
  • Cael Sanderson

3 undefeated national championship seasons
  • Zain Retherford
  • Possibly Carlton Haselrig although I couldn't confirm more than he's a 3 timer with a long winning streak at the end

Others that I considered that definitely did not have 3 undefeated NC seasons
Ed Ruth - 2
Bo - 2
Nolf - 2 (injury default away)
Logan Stieber - 2
Kyle Dake - maybe 2, did he lose his JR year? definitely did lose his FR and SO
Pat Smith - pretty sure he had losses in several years
Dieringer - 2
J'den Cox - 1 or 2, did he lose a FR? finished 5th as SO, DQ loss JR year, undefeated SR
Gable - 2
David Taylor - 2

I would think that maybe an Iowa guy or OSU guy may have accomplished this? McIlravey? Joe Williams?
Click to expand...
Marcus LeVesseur, 4 time undefeated NC. 155-0
 
jrod65 said:
In my eyes, a large part of what separates great athletes from elite athletes is how they perform "under the bright lights." Winning the NCAA's is a testament to both their physical abilities and mental strength. Navigating their way through a field of the best competition and coming out on top should absolutely carry more weight than losing a match in January.


Here's a hypothetical for you:

Wrestler A had a career record of 46-46. He was never a conference champ, but was a 4 time AA, 3 time finalist, and 2 time champ.

Wrestler B had a career record of 86-8. He went undefeated during all regular seasons, was a 4 time conference champ, but only a 2 time AA, placing 7th both times.

Which wrestler was more successful?
Click to expand...

In that scenario ,wrestler A


Now you answer my hypo, without scrutiny.

Wrestler A — Career 50% win pct
Career 25% bonus pct
3x Conf champ
2x AA
1x NCAA champ


Wrestler B— Goes undefeated 1st year with 90% bonus , but loses in finals on a hands to the face call
Goes undefeated 2nd year with 92% bonus, but loses in finals on a headgear pull call.
Goes undefeated 3rd year with 95% bonus but loses in finals on a locked hands call
Goes undefeated 4th year with 100% bonus but loses in finals on a late thrown brick.

Same weight, same time frame,now you are the coach for the all-star team, which do you pick?
 
y2jriden said:
This really shows how good Zain was and how rare his 3 year run was considering he's one of two people since 1966 to have 3 undefeated years ending in a title.
Click to expand...

And quite honestly, maybe only 2 matches that had me worried half way thru.
 
STAND with PRIDE said:
In that scenario ,wrestler A


Now you answer my hypo, without scrutiny.

Wrestler A — Career 50% win pct
Career 25% bonus pct
3x Conf champ
2x AA
1x NCAA champ


Wrestler B— Goes undefeated 1st year with 90% bonus , but loses in finals on a hands to the face call
Goes undefeated 2nd year with 92% bonus, but loses in finals on a headgear pull call.
Goes undefeated 3rd year with 95% bonus but loses in finals on a locked hands call
Goes undefeated 4th year with 100% bonus but loses in finals on a late thrown brick.

Same weight, same time frame,now you are the coach for the all-star team, which do you pick?
Click to expand...
Well, I'm certainly not taking the one with the worst luck in the world.
 
  • Like
Reactions: Dogwelder
js8793 said:
Sure, DT is an all-time great, but let's not act like he has even a remotely plausible argument to be on the same level as Dake, who has 2 more titles, no redshirt, 3 head to head wins, and only 1 extra loss (or the same if you count DT's loss to Jenkins unnattached). The bottom line is that titles are always what matters in sports. For years Manning wasn't considered a great, even though he dominated the regular season, because he couldn't get it done in the playoffs. Lebron faced the same criticism. It's just reality.
Click to expand...

Except at the NCAAs the year Dake beat Taylor in the finals, Taylor outscored Dake for the tournament. So, actually, if you are trying to win the team title, you would rather have Taylor on your team that year than you would Dake.
 
RoarLions1 said:
Bill Koll Northern Iowa 3 1943-1948
Keith Young Northern Iowa 3 1949-1951
Dan Hodge Oklahoma 3 1955-1957
Earl McCready Oklahoma State 3 1928-1930
Jack VanBebber Oklahoma State 3 1929-1931
Conrad Caldwell Oklahoma State 3 1930-1932
Rex Peery Oklahoma State 3 1933-1935
David Arndt Oklahoma State 3 1941-1946
Yojiro Uetake Oklahoma State 3 1964-1966

Plus Zain, of course, and Cael if you want t say "at least 3x champ".
Click to expand...
One of the wrestlers I thought of was Greg Jones but guess he must have taken a loss in one of his championship years, thought all his career losses were in the year he didn’t win it
 
kingslayer_85 said:
One of the wrestlers I thought of was Greg Jones but guess he must have taken a loss in one of his championship years, thought all his career losses were in the year he didn’t win it
Click to expand...
Two losses as a freshman, when he won his first National Championship.
 
mrh1645 said:
The three that come to mind are 3xNC Yojiro Uetake (OkSt) and Dan Hodge (Ok), both who were undefeated in their careers (neither could wrestle as frosh) and 3xNC Lee Kemp who had three undefeated seasons, but did have a tie.
Click to expand...

Lee Kemp was 39-0 as a sophomore, 40-1 as a junior and 31-0-1 as a senior. There is some discussion as to how to count those losses though. His loss his junior year was to Pete Galea at the Northern Open. Pete was a post-graduate at the time. Under today's rules, that loss wouldn't count. However, in that era, those were wins and losses. He tied Kelly Ward in the All-Star Classic, which at the time, was also a countable match.

We can't alter history based on what isn't countable today vs. what is countable today. If that was the case, Cael's attached varsity record would be in the neighborhood of 11 more wins.
 
  • Like
Reactions: Crunched, dunkej01 and PD4thespawn
You must log in or register to reply here.

Similar threads

S

Excluding the undefeated and national championship seasons, which Penn State team was the best of the rest?

Replies
24
Views
1K
Penn State Football
IANit
IANit
C

MSU dual thread - Jan 10

Replies
261
Views
31K
The Wrestling Room
NittanyLion84
NittanyLion84
R

Call me Nostradamus...Penn State Outlook

Replies
50
Views
4K
Penn State Football
CJFisJoePaII
C
R

OSU Sawyer Strip Sack TD. Does PSU make that play?

Replies
64
Views
3K
Penn State Football
bvillebaron
B
pish69

Willie's Crystal Ball for 2025

Replies
177
Views
26K
The Wrestling Room
tullfan68
T
ADVERTISEMENT

Latest posts

ADVERTISEMENT
Top Bottom
Back