Career Win % Leaders --> History stuff

[Psalm 1 guy]

Look at this amazing list I pulled from Penn State Wrestling Club:

Career Win % Leaders

#	Name	Seasons	Record	Career Win %
1​	Josh Barr​	2024-2025​	25-0-0​	100.0%​
2​	Ed Ruth​	2011-2014​	136-3-0​	97.8%​
3​	David Taylor​	2011-2014​	134-3-0​	97.8%​
4​	Zain Retherford​	2014-2018​	126-3-0​	97.7%​
5​	Bo Nickal​	2016-2019​	120-3-0​	97.6%​
6​	Jason Nolf​	2016-2019​	117-3-0​	97.5%​
6​	Mitchell Mesenbrink​	2024-2025​	39-1-0​	97.5%​
8​	Aaron Brooks​	2020-2024​	89-3-0​	96.7%​
9​	Andy Matter​	1970-1972​	58-2-0​	96.7%​
10​	Carter Starocci​	2021-2025​	90-4-0​	95.7%​
11​	Levi Haines​	2023-2025​	61-3-0​	95.3%​
12​	Mark Hall​	2017-2020​	116-6-0​	95.1%​
13​	Anthony Cassar​	2018-2020​	49-3-0​	94.2%​
14​	Dick Lemyre​	1952-1954​	40-3-0​	93.0%​
15​	Jack Light​	1935-1937​	25-1-1​	92.6%​
16​	Jim Martin​	1986-1989​	155-9-4​	92.3%​
17​	John Johnston​	1956-1958​	43-4-0​	91.5%​
18​	Roman Bravo-Young​	2019-2023​	101-10-0​	91.0%​
19​	Andrew Long​	2011-2011​	20-2-0​	90.9%​
19​	Cary Kolat​	1993-1994​	60-6-0​	90.9%​
21​	Vincenzo Joseph​	2017-2020​	89-9-0​	90.8%​
22​	JaMarr Billman​	1998-1999​	56-6-0​	90.3%​
23​	Nick Lee​	2018-2021​	119-13-0​	90.2%​
24​	Jim Maurey​	1948-1950​	18-2-0​	90.0%​
24​	F.W. Kaiser​	1925-1927​	18-2-0​	90.0%​

 

[creamery freak]

Look at this amazing list I pulled from Penn State Wrestling Club:

Career Win % Leaders

​

#	Name	Seasons	Record	Career Win %
1​	Josh Barr​	2024-2025​	25-0-0​	100.0%​
2​	Ed Ruth​	2011-2014​	136-3-0​	97.8%​
3​	David Taylor​	2011-2014​	134-3-0​	97.8%​
4​	Zain Retherford​	2014-2018​	126-3-0​	97.7%​
5​	Bo Nickal​	2016-2019​	120-3-0​	97.6%​
6​	Jason Nolf​	2016-2019​	117-3-0​	97.5%​
6​	Mitchell Mesenbrink​	2024-2025​	39-1-0​	97.5%​
8​	Aaron Brooks​	2020-2024​	89-3-0​	96.7%​
9​	Andy Matter​	1970-1972​	58-2-0​	96.7%​
10​	Carter Starocci​	2021-2025​	90-4-0​	95.7%​
11​	Levi Haines​	2023-2025​	61-3-0​	95.3%​
12​	Mark Hall​	2017-2020​	116-6-0​	95.1%​
13​	Anthony Cassar​	2018-2020​	49-3-0​	94.2%​
14​	Dick Lemyre​	1952-1954​	40-3-0​	93.0%​
15​	Jack Light​	1935-1937​	25-1-1​	92.6%​
16​	Jim Martin​	1986-1989​	155-9-4​	92.3%​
17​	John Johnston​	1956-1958​	43-4-0​	91.5%​
18​	Roman Bravo-Young​	2019-2023​	101-10-0​	91.0%​
19​	Andrew Long​	2011-2011​	20-2-0​	90.9%​
19​	Cary Kolat​	1993-1994​	60-6-0​	90.9%​
21​	Vincenzo Joseph​	2017-2020​	89-9-0​	90.8%​
22​	JaMarr Billman​	1998-1999​	56-6-0​	90.3%​
23​	Nick Lee​	2018-2021​	119-13-0​	90.2%​
24​	Jim Maurey​	1948-1950​	18-2-0​	90.0%​
24​	F.W. Kaiser​	1925-1927​	18-2-0​	90.0%​

Great list! 11 of the top 12, and 15 of the top 24 coached by Cael. Pretty good for a guy that supposedly can't coach!

 

[Psalm 1 guy]

Of those top 25, if you take out wrestlers from 50+ years ago to more approximate the modern era of wrestling, you get 16 of the top 20 who wrestled under Cael.

 

[McScoreley]

I know injuries are part of the sport and thus those losses count but ....

If Carter was healthy and went 3-0 at Big Tens last year instead of 0-2, he would be at 97.9%

He would be #1 for people who are done with their careers (since under normal circumstances he is)

 

[baccafarmer]

Of those top 25, if you take out wrestlers from 50+ years ago to more approximate the modern era of wrestling, you get 16 of the top 20 who wrestled under Cael.

Modern era? What will fans think of the 2010-2025 era in the year 2075? This so
called “presentism” is part of what makes sports debates interesting. It’s really impossible to accurately compare most statistics across the rolling hills of rule changes, BUT, I would argue that “Winning Percentages” correlate rather well with how dominant a wrestler is or was across all eras.

 

[mcpat]

Look at this amazing list I pulled from Penn State Wrestling Club:

Career Win % Leaders

​

#	Name	Seasons	Record	Career Win %
1​	Josh Barr​	2024-2025​	25-0-0​	100.0%​
2​	Ed Ruth​	2011-2014​	136-3-0​	97.8%​
3​	David Taylor​	2011-2014​	134-3-0​	97.8%​
4​	Zain Retherford​	2014-2018​	126-3-0​	97.7%​
5​	Bo Nickal​	2016-2019​	120-3-0​	97.6%​
6​	Jason Nolf​	2016-2019​	117-3-0​	97.5%​
6​	Mitchell Mesenbrink​	2024-2025​	39-1-0​	97.5%​
8​	Aaron Brooks​	2020-2024​	89-3-0​	96.7%​
9​	Andy Matter​	1970-1972​	58-2-0​	96.7%​
10​	Carter Starocci​	2021-2025​	90-4-0​	95.7%​
11​	Levi Haines​	2023-2025​	61-3-0​	95.3%​
12​	Mark Hall​	2017-2020​	116-6-0​	95.1%​
13​	Anthony Cassar​	2018-2020​	49-3-0​	94.2%​
14​	Dick Lemyre​	1952-1954​	40-3-0​	93.0%​
15​	Jack Light​	1935-1937​	25-1-1​	92.6%​
16​	Jim Martin​	1986-1989​	155-9-4​	92.3%​
17​	John Johnston​	1956-1958​	43-4-0​	91.5%​
18​	Roman Bravo-Young​	2019-2023​	101-10-0​	91.0%​
19​	Andrew Long​	2011-2011​	20-2-0​	90.9%​
19​	Cary Kolat​	1993-1994​	60-6-0​	90.9%​
21​	Vincenzo Joseph​	2017-2020​	89-9-0​	90.8%​
22​	JaMarr Billman​	1998-1999​	56-6-0​	90.3%​
23​	Nick Lee​	2018-2021​	119-13-0​	90.2%​
24​	Jim Maurey​	1948-1950​	18-2-0​	90.0%​
24​	F.W. Kaiser​	1925-1927​	18-2-0​	90.0%​

Who are the board’s historians? Tell us about Jack Light, F.W. Kaiser, Dick Lemyre, John Johnston and Jim Maurer.

 

[amattaro]

Who are the board’s historians? Tell us about Jack Light, F.W. Kaiser, Dick Lemyre, John Johnston and Jim Maurer.

I nominate you, what with your penchant for watching matches from years gone by.

 

[creamery freak]

Who are the board’s historians? Tell us about Jack Light, F.W. Kaiser, Dick Lemyre, John Johnston and Jim Maurer.

I will. They were all pretty good wrestlers in their day.🙂

 

[mcpat]

I will. They were all pretty good wrestlers in their day.🙂

 

[mcpat]

Alright. By the powers vested in me via Google…

Jack Light was a 1932 graduate of State College high, which did not have a wrestling team. He never lost a dual and was a 3x EIWA champ. He became a physician in State College and was at most PSU matches and some practices until his passing in 2000.

Thank you FLO for the info.

Here is a link to the 1935 EIWA brackets; Light dominated the 135 weight class, although a fall in 8:41 leaves me wondering how long a match was 90 years ago!

http://www.wrestlingstats.com/eiwa/pdf/brackets/EIWA%201935.pdf

 

[Callthestall]

They certainly wrestled a lot of matches in the 1980s . Jim Martin 168 matches in 4 years.
Brooks wrestled 92 matches in 5 years.
I'm surprised that Aaron doesn't have 100 wins.

 

[dicemen99]

I know injuries are part of the sport and thus those losses count but ....

If Carter was healthy and went 3-0 at Big Tens last year instead of 0-2, he would be at 97.9%

He would be #1 for people who are done with their careers (since under normal circumstances he is)

If you did that I think you need to take out Nolfs injury default against Rutgers. What's fair is fair. Nolf would be 117-2.

 

[McScoreley]

If you did that I think you need to take out Nolfs injury default against Rutgers. What's fair is fair. Nolf would be 117-2.

And Ed against Stanford

I'm going down a rabbit hole

 

[bwfight]

Maybe someone can share some history about that Matter guy.😉 To the unknown Andy on occasion will discuss his love for Rutgers😏

I'm surprised that Brooks doesn't have 100 wins.

I believe the Rutgers Matter is a different Matter altogether if that matters.

A friend of mine wrestled behind Andy Matter at Penn State and said he was one of the best of that era.

 

[Psalm 1 guy]

Modern era? What will fans think of the 2010-2025 era in the year 2075? This so
called “presentism” is part of what makes sports debates interesting. It’s really impossible to accurately compare most statistics across the rolling hills of rule changes, BUT, I would argue that “Winning Percentages” correlate rather well with how dominant a wrestler is or was across all eras.

Fair point. On the other hand, all but one (Andy Matter) of the wrestlers from over 50 years ago had less than 50 matches spread over three seasons, with two only having 20 matches in three seasons. That is a pretty small sample size compared to those wrestlers with many more matches under their belts, i.e. 159-0 over four seasons.

And in a similar vein, I still feel bad for all those wrestlers who lost their final year of eligibility to COVID. Specifically, at least Cenzo lost in the finals his junior year, or he would have even lost out on the chance to be a four-timer. I'm also thrilled that the last group of COVID-extra eligibility wrestlers will have completed their final year of eligibility this season.

 

[Psalm 1 guy]

And Ed against Stanford

I'm going down a rabbit hole

Nolf would have been at 98.3% and Ed would have been at 98.56%, but Ed did finish out the match with Amuchastegui after the injury and came back to finish in third that tournament, so I am less inclined to not include Ed's loss to Amuchastegui. With all of that said, it is amazing how many phenomenal wrestlers have wrestled for Penn State under Cael. Also, so many were so close to having an undefeated career, which makes what Cael accomplished over 159 matches so astounding; no injury defaults, wrestling through sickness and minor injuries, having a tough cut that week, making a match-ending mistake, getting caught in a throw or cradle, etc.

 

[mcpat]

Dick Lemyre in his own words: https://pennstatewrestlingclub.org/dick-lemyre-1954/

His brother, Joe, also starred for Penn State.

3x EIWA Champ. 2nd at 130 on the 1953 National Championship squad.

J. Richard Lemyre, Penn State '54

J. Richard Lemyre, Penn State '54

www.eiwawrestling.org

1953 National Championship bout; Lemyre vs Nalan:

 

[mcpat]

John Johnston was a PIAA champion in high school, an NCAA champ for Penn State and went 382-199-9 as the head coach at Princeton. Princeton won ten IVY League championships and one EIWA championship with him at the helm. Also was an NCAA official.

Thank you NWOF.org.

In his own words: https://pennstatewrestlingclub.org/john-johnston-by-john-harrison-1958/

 

[mcpat]

Unable to find much on Kaiser and Maurer. Anyone able to help?

 

[matter7172]

I believe the Rutgers Matter is a different Matter altogether if that matters.

A friend of mine wrestled behind Andy Matter at Penn State and said he was one of the best of that era.

In the town in which I grew up, basketball was king. After I was the last cut from our freshman basketball team, a friend of mine suggested I try wrestling. I had no idea we had such a sport at our high school. I also had no idea such a sport existed.

Our high program was just starting and hired a new coach whose first season was my sophomore year. He was just out of college and had been the PSAC champion. By his fourth year, we had two state placers.

Anyway. Andy Matter was the Penn State wrestler at roughly my weight class at that time and he was my first (probably only) wrestling idol. Saw him wrestling against Lehigh on channel 33 out of Hershey.

 

[mcpat]

In the town in which I grew up, basketball was king. After I was the last cut from our freshman basketball team, a friend of mine suggested I trywrestling. I had no idea we had such a sport at our high school. I also had no idea such a sport existed.

And that, kids, is how Michael Jordan became an NCAA wrestling champ and Olympic gold medalist.

 

[matter7172]

And that, kids, is how Michael Jordan became an NCAA wrestling champ and Olympic gold medalist.

I think I made the right choice. I did play on my law school Lawyers League basketball team in NYC when I was around 30 years old, but i was better in wrestling.

 

[Callthestall]

I believe the Rutgers Matter is a different Matter altogether if that matters.

A friend of mine wrestled behind Andy Matter at Penn State and said he was one of the best of that era.

My bad.Just assumed it was him . I deleted the post.

 

[Nitlion1986]

They certainly wrestled a lot of matches in the 1980s . Jim Martin 168 matches in 4 years.
Brooks wrestled 92 matches in 5 years.
I'm surprised that Aaron doesn't have 100 wins.

Aaron sat out a lot of matches his last two years. 184 2 seasons ago and 197 last year were both tough cuts for him.

 

[Callthestall]

Aaron sat out a lot of matches his last two years. 184 2 seasons ago and 197 last year were both tough cuts for him.

When he was at 184 , I thought to myself he had a tough cut. A lot of wrestlers have muscle mass in arms and chest. He just looks powerful from head to toe. His cut must have been tough especially at 184.

 

[baccafarmer]

Dick Lemyre in his own words: https://pennstatewrestlingclub.org/dick-lemyre-1954/

His brother, Joe, also starred for Penn State.

3x EIWA Champ. 2nd at 130 on the 1953 National Championship squad.

J. Richard Lemyre, Penn State '54

J. Richard Lemyre, Penn State '54

www.eiwawrestling.org

1953 National Championship bout; Lemyre vs Nalan:

View embedded media

Wow - that’s great watching wrestling action from 1953 at PSC. A pungent reminder that wrestling has been a great sport to watch for long before the current era. I’m one of those guys who leans heavily in his seat when guys are getting turned as if I can send cosmic energy to the guy I’m rooting for. Ole Dick Leymre had me leaning out the side of my chair with his “one point tilt”‘or what ever the hell it was. Ha! Great stuff— THANKS

 

[Nitlion1986]

When he was at 184 , I thought to myself he had a tough cut. A lot of wrestlers have muscle mass in arms and chest. He just looks powerful from head to toe. His cut must have been tough especially at 184.

2 summers ago I watched him roll around with Kyle Snyder and I thought he looked every bit as big as Kyle. I got the chance to ask him about his weight and the way I put it was "I go 2 and a quarter and you look to be at least as big as me, what do you weigh?" His answer was "you and I on a scale would go 450".

That just told me 184 had to be near impossible and that 197 was going to be a task as well.

You are right, he just looks so freaking powerful.

 

[Nitlion1986]

Wow - that’s great watching wrestling action from 1953 at PSC. A pungent reminder that wrestling has been a great sport to watch for long before the current era. I’m one of those guys who leans heavily in his seat when guys are getting turned as if I can send cosmic energy to the guy I’m rooting for. Ole Dick Leymre had me leaning out the side of my chair with his “one point tilt”‘or what ever the hell it was. Ha! Great stuff— THANKS

My father who was 2nd half of 80s at the time and would generally just watch the wrestling. There was something about Joesph though. Half way through his freshman year my father started wrestling Joseph's matches with him. When Joseph was inside tripping and pinning Martinez, my dad had his back arched and arms doubled over in a clinch and sent Cenzo the same energy you sent Leymre.
As the ref was slapping the mat my dad was already coming out of his seat and off his feet punching the air screaming "yeah". He literally swung through the air with enough velocity he damn near went over the railing. I caught him laughing my ass off. I have been to matches with him since the 60s and wrestled in front of him a 100 times and never saw much more than stoic reactions.

 

[creamery freak]

Unable to find much on Kaiser and Maurer. Anyone able to help?

I pulled out my copy of ' A Century of Penn State Wrestling. Jim Maurey was coach, Charlie Speidel's choice as his top wrestler at 145-147 lbs, and a team captain on the 1950 team. Jim's two brothers, Don and Gerry wrestled on PSU's 53 championship team. Jim was elected into the PA Wrestling Coaches Association Hall of Fame in 1996.

I couldn't find anything on Kaiser.

 

[wrestleknownothing]

I pulled out my copy of ' A Century of Penn State Wrestling. Jim Maurey was coach, Charlie Speidel's choice as his top wrestler at 145-147 lbs, and a team captain on the 1950 team. Jim's two brothers, Don and Gerry wrestled on PSU's 53 championship team. Jim was elected into the PA Wrestling Coaches Association Hall of Fame in 1996.

I couldn't find anything on Kaiser.

The Maurey boys did not want to one up each other.

Jim Maurey was an All-American in 1950 (3rd at 145 as a #4 seed) for Penn State.
His brother Don was an All-American the following year, 1951 (3rd at 137)
Their brother Gerry was a two time All-American (3rd at 137 in 1953, 3rd at 137 in 1954)

Jim was also 0-2 in the 1948 tournament that was wrestled in the Olympic bracketing (black mark) method, failing to make the third round.

It looks like Maurey was a transfer from Lehigh as he also shows up in the 1947 bracket wrestling for the Mountain Hawks.

That 18-2 record looks suspicious though given that he appears to have taken 3 loses at the 1948 and 1950 tournaments combined.

Edit: The 18-2 record does not include his 1947-48 season for some reason (it is listed in his bout details) when he went 8-4.

 

[wrestleknownothing]

Alright. By the powers vested in me via Google…

Jack Light was a 1932 graduate of State College high, which did not have a wrestling team. He never lost a dual and was a 3x EIWA champ. He became a physician in State College and was at most PSU matches and some practices until his passing in 2000.

Thank you FLO for the info.

Here is a link to the 1935 EIWA brackets; Light dominated the 135 weight class, although a fall in 8:41 leaves me wondering how long a match was 90 years ago!

http://www.wrestlingstats.com/eiwa/pdf/brackets/EIWA%201935.pdf

Back in the day:

Bouts are 10 minutes in length, with 2 three-minute extra (overtime) periods if no winner is determined in regulation. Both extra periods shall start in the “referee’s position”.

If a takedown occurs in the first 2 minutes of the bout, it shall become a continuous 10-minute bout.

If no takedown or fall occurs in the first 2 minutes, the remaining 8 minutes are divided into two 4-minute periods, with each wrestler starting on top in one period.

If a wrestler scores a fall in the first 4-minute period, this terminates only the first 4-minute period. The other wrestler has the opportunity to score a fall in a faster time in the second 4-minute period.

Consolation bouts consist of three 2-minute periods. A referee can call for extra periods if he is unable to declare a winner in regulation.

Any part of both shoulders held in contact with the mat for an appreciable length of time (i.e., 3 seconds) constitutes a fall.

If no fall has resulted after the end of the regular period of wrestling, the referee shall award the bout to the wrestler who shows greater wrestling ability and aggressiveness, provided the wrestler has a riding time-advantage of at least one-minute.

The one-minute riding time advantage is not necessary to declare a winner in extra periods or consolation bouts.

 

[wrestleknownothing]

Another thing about Light that I found interesting is that he participated in the 1935 NCAA tournament at Lehigh where he went 0-1, but it looks like Penn State did not participate in the 1936 tournament at Washington & Lee. This was not that unusual back in the day when travel budgets were small to non-existent.

And apparently floods were an issue. From the 1937 Intercollegiate Wrestling Guide:

"The 1936 meet served as a semi-final American Olympic tryout, with the first four place winners in each weight qualifying for the final Olympic tryouts. This created additional interest in the meet, both from the standpoint of wrestlers and spectators, and helped to make the meet one of the best ever held.

Unfavorable weather conditions, with floods in several sections of the country made it impossible for a number of teams to get to the meet. However, the Middle West, East and South were well represented and competition was of the highest caliber.

This was the first National Collegiate wrestling tournament ever held in the South, and the interest shown, through crowds and gate receipts, was very gratifying. It will undoubtedly be of great help to wrestling in this section where the sport has been developing steadily in high schools and colleges during the past few years."

 

[creamery freak]

Another thing about Light that I found interesting is that he participated in the 1935 NCAA tournament at Lehigh where he went 0-1, but it looks like Penn State did not participate in the 1936 tournament at Washington & Lee. This was not that unusual back in the day when travel budgets were small to non-existent.

And apparently floods were an issue. From the 1937 Intercollegiate Wrestling Guide:

"The 1936 meet served as a semi-final American Olympic tryout, with the first four place winners in each weight qualifying for the final Olympic tryouts. This created additional interest in the meet, both from the standpoint of wrestlers and spectators, and helped to make the meet one of the best ever held.

Unfavorable weather conditions, with floods in several sections of the country made it impossible for a number of teams to get to the meet. However, the Middle West, East and South were well represented and competition was of the highest caliber.

This was the first National Collegiate wrestling tournament ever held in the South, and the interest shown, through crowds and gate receipts, was very gratifying. It will undoubtedly be of great help to wrestling in this section where the sport has been developing steadily in high schools and colleges during the past few years."

Have to change your board name to wrestleknowseverything. Thanks for the info!

 

[mcpat]

Unfavorable weather conditions, with floods in several sections of the country made it impossible for a number of teams to get to the meet. However, the Middle West, East and South were well represented and competition was of the highest caliber.

The 1936 Susquehanna River flood has been exceeded only by the 1972 flood in Harrisburg.

Remembering the 1936 Susquehanna River flood

The date tends to pass with less fanfare these days, but Thursday is the 73rd anniversary of the Susquehanna River flood of 1936. It is Harrisburg's second-biggest flooding disaster, behind Hurricane Agnes in 1972, which killed 72 and caused an...

www.pennlive.com

 

[ad1986]

https://intermatwrestle.com/articles.html/college/intermat-rewind-major-changes-r68317/

College wrestling bouts for the 1966-67 season dropped from nine to eight minutes.
Today's seven-minute matches debuted in 1982'.
In 1911, collegiate wrestling rules allowed the referee to determine a win in the absence of a fall after 15 minutes.

 

[Cowbell Man]

https://intermatwrestle.com/articles.html/college/intermat-rewind-major-changes-r68317/

College wrestling bouts for the 1966-67 season dropped from nine to eight minutes.
Today's seven-minute matches debuted in 1982'.
In 1911, collegiate wrestling rules allowed the referee to determine a win in the absence of a fall after 15 minutes.

lol. Thank goodness wrestling moved to objective point based scoring. Otherwise Eye Test would be having a field day determining champions.

 

[Nitlion1986]

lol. Thank goodness wrestling moved to objective point based scoring. Otherwise Eye Test would be having a field day determining champions.

If eye test ruled the day Prescott's 14-0 MD would have been a referee decision for Zaputil for extensive PSU stalling. The same for Lynch beating Iowa's Randall 13-6.

 

[GOLDBANGER]

Jim Martin wrestled A LOT of matches 155-9-4 at Penn State and 159-2 at Danville High School.

 

[Psalm 1 guy]

I would like to take full credit for this leisurely stroll down wrestling memory lane. I anticipated nothing less when I started this thread on Penn State Career Win % Leaders : )

 

[wrestleknownothing]

lol. Thank goodness wrestling moved to objective point based scoring. Otherwise Eye Test would be having a field day determining champions.

1941 saw the introduction of the point system.

But in 1949 they got rid of OT and went back to having the ref decide.

Dick Hutton lived by that sword and died by that sword. In 1949 he lost the title to Verne Gagne on a ref's decision. The next year he won the title the same way. Both matches ended 1-1.

Hutton was a ref decision away from being the first four timer. But he was also a ref's decision away from being a two timer.