Mt. Rushmore of college wrestling

[jrod65]

Some fun off season discussion.

I was watching some baseball last night and the announcers were discussing their takes on the "Mt. Rushmore of baseball." That got me to thinking about who I would pick for wrestling, specifically relating to college career. Here's my picks:

Cael Sanderson
Dan Hodge
Dan Gable
Yojiro Uetake

Who would you pick?

 

[Phantom of the Palestra]

Gable Steveson. .....Well someone was going to say it.

 

[STAND with PRIDE]

Cael’s head alone would take up all the space

Well someone was gonna say it

 

[Waste Management Consultant]

Pat Smith
Cael Sanderson
Kyle Dake
Logan Steiner

 

[Phantom of the Palestra]

Some fun off season discussion.

I was watching some baseball last night and the announcers were discussing their takes on the "Mt. Rushmore of baseball." That got me to thinking about who I would pick for wrestling, specifically relating to college career. Here's my picks:

Cael Sanderson
Dan Hodge
Dan Gable
Yojiro Uetake

Who would you pick?

You could make a strong case for Dake. 4 losses but 4 titles. Figure in some of the guys he had to compete against, (and beat). He is definitely first alternate.

 

[Waste Management Consultant]

Is it my personal mt. Rushmore? No, I just went with the four 4 timers. Figure it’s hard to argue that feat.

 

[STAND with PRIDE]

Is it my personal mt. Rushmore? No, I just went with the four 4 timers. Figure it’s hard to argue that feat.

I’ll try... there are a few 3 timers I would put up there before a couple of the 4 timers.

 

[nitlion6]

Some fun off season discussion.

I was watching some baseball last night and the announcers were discussing their takes on the "Mt. Rushmore of baseball." That got me to thinking about who I would pick for wrestling, specifically relating to college career. Here's my picks:

Cael Sanderson
Dan Hodge
Dan Gable
Yojiro Uetake

Who would you pick?

Bill Koll should be on that short list.

 

[McScoreley]

I'll be completely impartial here:

Cael Sanderson
Bo Nickal
Jason Nolf
Zain Retherford

 

[jrod65]

Bill Koll should be on that short list.

I was having a very hard time deciding between him and Uetake. Almost took the easy way out and put them as 4a and 4b.

 

[jrod65]

Is it my personal mt. Rushmore? No, I just went with the four 4 timers.

Don't leave us hanging. Who are on your Mt. Rushmore?

 

[PSU Mike]

Pat Smith
Cael Sanderson
Kyle Dake
Logan Steiner

Logan was who made Troy and Terry great

 

[a_mshaffer]

Pat Smith
Cael Sanderson
Kyle Dake
Logan Steiner

I'll take John Smith over Pat (unless it is only NCAA wrestling)

 

[Waste Management Consultant]

It’s hard to have a list based on just college wrestling. Otherwise the safe choice is the 4x champs. My personal list not necessarily greatest College wrestlers, but successful in college as well as other aspects of wrestling/wrestling folklore.
American Wrestling Mt. Rushmore:

1. Sanderson
2. Gable
3. Kolat
4. Dave Schultz

 

[Waste Management Consultant]

Alternate: Jordan Burroughs.

 

[El-Jefe]

Slush Fund
Stall Call
Tanning Booth
(4th see-thru in honor of weight cuts)

 

[matter7172]

Bill Koll should be on that short list.

I wish I could like this 100x. My son and I were talking about him recently. Three years undefeated, three time champ and two time OW. Not to mention a great career as a coach (five undefeated seasons in his 14 year stint at the helm of PSU).

But college wrestling was probably a piece of cake to him - he was on the beaches of Normandy on D-Day and earned a Bronze Star.

So, for the love of God, the man belongs on the Mt. Rushmore of college wrestling.

 

[STAND with PRIDE]

I wish I could like this 100x. My son and I were talking about him recently. Three years undefeated, three time champ and two time OW. Not to mention a great career as a coach (five undefeated seasons in his 14 year stint at the helm of PSU).

But college wrestling was probably a piece of cake to him - he was on the beaches of Normandy on D-Day and earned a Bronze Star.

So, for the love of God, the man belongs on the Mt. Rushmore of college wrestling.

3 yrs undefeated, 3 x Champ, 2 x Hodge winner (and shoulda been 3)
If Koll is on there, then Zain should be too.

 

[matter7172]

3 yrs undefeated, 3 x Champ, 2 x Hodge winner (and shoulda been 3)
If Koll is on there, then Zain should be too.

No offense, but if Bill Koll was allowed to wrestle four years in college by NCAA rules ... You can't differentiate between athletes because the NCAA didn't allow athletes to compete as freshmen when they were in college.

 

[okinburg1]

Sanderson
Dake
Pat Smith
Hodge

(since the OP specified college wrestling)

 

[STAND with PRIDE]

No offense, but if Bill Koll was allowed to wrestle four years in college by NCAA rules ... You can't differentiate between athletes because the NCAA didn't allow athletes to compete as freshmen when they were in college.

If,if,if... If Cael wasnt redshirting, he would have a loss. Koll was great,shame we didnt get to see him all 4 years. Good topic,but impossible to agree on.

 

[matter7172]

If,if,if... If Cael wasnt redshirting, he would have a loss. Koll was great,shame we didnt get to see him all 4 years. Good topic,but impossible to agree on.

Probably. But getting a Bronze Star on the beaches of Normandy on D-Day way outweighs whatever someone else did in an extra year of college wrestling - even Cael.

 

[nerfstate]

Probably. But getting a Bronze Star on the beaches of Normandy on D-Day way outweighs whatever someone else did in an extra year of college wrestling - even Cael.

Certainly in the measurement of his contribution to humanity and country, but I don't think it's a factor in a discussion about wrestling specifically. Fact is, Koll doesn't need it to be considered in the conversation, and as SwP says, these discussions will never have consensus.

 

[matter7172]

Cael Sanderson (wrestler and coach); only four year undefeated four time champ. I believe he will ultimately surpass Gable as a coach also.

Bill Koll (wrestler and coach); first of only two three year undefeated three time champs when only three years of competition allowed. Sort of the inverse of Gable - wouldn't be on for just his coaching accomplishments.

Dan Gable (wrestler and coach); by his own admission, better as a coach than a wrestler, but close to the top as a wrestler, save that one match. It's amazing to me that people can list him above Koll as a wrestler.

Yojiro Uetake (provisional) - He will probably be the first to come off the list for me. But the only one besides Koll and Cael to go undefeated in college.

 

[nitlion6]

Not many people force a rule change. Delgado forced the below the waist ride as well as edge wrestling. Heil forced the neutral danger rule. The need to address the rule was obvious since both competitors used what they did to stall their way to numerous victories.
Bill Koll forced a rule change because he was too brutal in his dominance.
Bill wasn't just undefeated, he dominated in a manner that caused concern for his opponents' well being.

 

[diggerpup]

Is_there_Vodka_in_heaven
IRONBIRD
WEH8ST8Hawk
Gobblin


First alternate: WildTurk

 

[NoVa Lion]

Cael Sanderson (wrestler and coach); only four year undefeated four time champ. I believe he will ultimately surpass Gable as a coach also.

Bill Koll (wrestler and coach); first of only two three year undefeated three time champs when only three years of competition allowed. Sort of the inverse of Gable - wouldn't be on for just his coaching accomplishments.

Dan Gable (wrestler and coach); by his own admission, better as a coach than a wrestler, but close to the top as a wrestler, save that one match. It's amazing to me that people can list him above Koll as a wrestler.

Yojiro Uetake (provisional) - He will probably be the first to come off the list for me. But the only one besides Koll and Cael to go undefeated in college.

There other undefeated wrestlers from the period when frosh weren't allowed to wrestle. Dan Hodge was one of them.

 

[Reslo]

Long Bus Rides
Average Officials
Tweets From Aruba
The Flu

 

[Conewago]

I’ll try... there are a few 3 timers I would put up there before a couple of the 4 timers.

I'd take Jordan Oliver over Logan Stieber, for obvious reasons...

 

[Conewago]

Cael Sanderson (wrestler and coach); only four year undefeated four time champ. I believe he will ultimately surpass Gable as a coach also.

Bill Koll (wrestler and coach); first of only two three year undefeated three time champs when only three years of competition allowed. Sort of the inverse of Gable - wouldn't be on for just his coaching accomplishments.

Dan Gable (wrestler and coach); by his own admission, better as a coach than a wrestler, but close to the top as a wrestler, save that one match. It's amazing to me that people can list him above Koll as a wrestler.

Yojiro Uetake (provisional) - He will probably be the first to come off the list for me. But the only one besides Koll and Cael to go undefeated in college.

I hope you realize Dan Gable is the only man in history to win an Olympic gold medal without surrendering a single point ........ while wrestling effectively with one knee

 

[NoVa Lion]

I hope you realize Dan Gable is the only man in history to win an Olympic gold medal without surrendering a single point ........ while wrestling effectively with one knee

Since this thread is about the Mt. Rushmore of COLLEGE wrestling that is a moot point. JMHO.

 

[matter7172]

There other undefeated wrestlers from the period when frosh weren't allowed to wrestle. Dan Hodge was one of them.

I said Uetake was provisional. Now he is bounced.

Gotta give Gable the spot over him because of his coaching career.

Hodge, one of only four career-undefeated wrestlers, gets the fourth spot.

Since this thread is about the Mt. Rushmore of COLLEGE wrestling that is a moot point. JMHO.

What he said.

Final list: Cael, Koll, Gable and Hodge.

 

[Chickenman Testa]

If,if,if... If Cael wasnt redshirting, he would have a loss. Koll was great,shame we didnt get to see him all 4 years. Good topic,but impossible to agree on.

Eh, if Cael wasn’t redshirting, he probably beats Jenn like he hammered him every time subsequently - made him quit one time.

Cael was probably having fun in his redshirt year.

 

[Conewago]

Since this thread is about the Mt. Rushmore of COLLEGE wrestling that is a moot point. JMHO.

That doesn't make one iota of sense to me NoVa

I'm replying to matter's statement that he can't understand how anyone can think Gable was better than Koll. (I'm gonna ignore the fact that Koll could use slams that were made illegal before Gable could use something similar)

matter172 earlier quite explicitly stated that Koll's service in World War Two matters for this discussion:

But getting a Bronze Star on the beaches of Normandy on D-Day way outweighs whatever someone else did in an extra year of college wrestling - even Cael.

His words, not mine

Yet we're supposed to believe that Gable's extreme international wrestling achievements don't matter? Uh, okay.

I'm not gonna go any farther with this - it doesn't really matter and it's a distraction - but that's a pretty silly double standard that I wanted to correct...

Peace

 

[NoVa Lion]

That doesn't make one iota of sense to me NoVa

matter172 earlier quite explicitly stated that Koll's service in World War Two matters for this discussion:

But getting a Bronze Star on the beaches of Normandy on D-Day way outweighs whatever someone else did in an extra year of college wrestling - even Cael.

Yet we're supposed to believe that Gable's extreme international wrestling achievements don't matter? Uh, okay.

Because matter injected non college results just like you did makes in valid? Sorry, but that is a really weak point. If you want to start a thread about the greatest American wrestler of all time feel free to do so but saying my post makes no sense is nonsensical.

 

[sunshinedynomite]

A certain Iowa wrestler not impressed with these choices

 

[androcles]

...and if you want to carve out a family mountain I would suggest the Rex Peery family ... father Rex and sons Hugh and Ed ... 9 total years of eligibility and 9 NCAA titles...!!!...

 

[matter7172]

Because matter injected non college results just like you did makes in valid? Sorry, but that is a really weak point. If you want to start a thread about the greatest American wrestler of all time feel free to do so but saying my post makes no sense is nonsensical.

In case it was hard to tell, I don't like the argument point that the fact the the NCAA didn't allow 4 years of competition when some wrestlers were in college diminishes their achievements (as in Koll only wrestled for three seasons makes his career less impressive than Dake's, for example). Koll, Hodge and Uetake (like Cael) beat every wrestler they faced in college - so batting 1.000 pushes them ahead of anyone who won four titles because the NCAA changed its rule and allowed four years of competition after the three year competitors left school. The only person who surpasses them is four years undefeated Cael (and Gable because of his coaching career).

Koll, Hodge and Uetake's accomplishments stand on their own, but saying they only won three titles while going undefeated in college wrestling so someone who won four titles without going undefeated belongs ahead of them is just as specious as bringing accomplishments outside of college wrestling into the argument. And if we are bringing accomplishments outside college wrestling into play, Gable's performance at the 1972 Olympics doesn't impress me nearly as much as a Bronze Star received for actions on the beaches of Normandy on D-Day.

 

[sunshinedynomite]

Any of those guys not beating Nico in the room?

 

[hlstone]

Dan Gable- my shoes
Wade Schalles - watched his cradle tape until it wore out
Quentin Wright - brought me back to enjoying the sport.
Ed Ruth- my daughter asked if we could go to a meet. He ended up chatting with her.
Cael and his teams. I enjoy the way they conduct themselves.

May be more than 4, but it's my Mountain.