Nationals at Jadwin Gym 1981

[matter7172]

I attended the 1981 Nationals while living in NYC (drove down each day). My mind is boggled that Nationals were held there, considering the capacity of Jadwin is less than 7000. I have to believe it is the last "small" venue to host Nationals. I do have to say it was something to attend Nationals in that intimate a place, about the same as Rec Hall.

I can't find the info with a Google search, but that has to be the last time the host venue was at a sub-10,000 person capacity one.

What's the smallest venue at which people on this board have seen Nationals? There have to be a few there that witnessed 1968.

 

[androcles]

...1951 at Lehigh's Grace Hall with seating capacity about 2,100...

 

[matter7172]

...1951 at Lehigh's Grace Hall with seating capacity about 2,100...

Wow! You were there? I know my father-in-law went to that one as he graduated Lehigh in 1950 but that is crazy-small!

 

[NoVa Lion]

Rec Hall in 1968 for me, although I don't remember much about it as I was only 12.

 

[royboy]

Rec Hall in 1968 for me, although I don't remember much about it as I was only 12.

Yeah, I was there, too (and didn't get back to Nationals until Philadelphia in 2011).

http://www.wrestlingstats.com/ncaa/pdf/brackets/NCAA 1968.pdf

What I remembered was fairly typical State College weather for March (cold, windy, wet snow/rain) and Dan Gable winning his first.
Looking at the results, what we see is how dominating the old Big 8 schools were.

 

[Abro1975]

Before the advent of the Internet , it was very difficult for college wrestling fans to folllow the sport outside their own team. National newspapers rarely covered the sport. Now there is info everywhere, as well as online streaming of matches through the country. ESPN picking up the Nationals also helped immensely.

 

[matter7172]

Before the advent of the Internet , it was very difficult for college wrestling fans to folllow the sport outside their own team. National newspapers rarely covered the sport. Now there is info everywhere, as well as online streaming of matches through the country. ESPN picking up the Nationals also helped immensely.

This is true, but I had a subscription to Amateur Wrestling News back then so I could follow things, albeit with a bit of a time lag. AWN was the only game in town for quite a while.

It was kind of similar to lacrosse. I was at grad school at Rutgers in 1978 and sort of accidentally found out the NCAA Lacrosse Championships were being played there that year, so I got to walk up and buy tickets. Now the championships are a big deal and are played at NFL stadiums. The old Rutgers stadium was much smaller.

 

[AgSurfer]

Yeah, I was there, too (and didn't get back to Nationals until Philadelphia in 2011).

http://www.wrestlingstats.com/ncaa/pdf/brackets/NCAA 1968.pdf

What I remembered was fairly typical State College weather for March (cold, windy, wet snow/rain) and Dan Gable winning his first.
Looking at the results, what we see is how dominating the old Big 8 schools were.

I was there at Rec Hall in 1968 too. If I recall correctly, it was pretty full for most of the sessions. The biggest match of the tournament was the 123 lb finals where Dwayne Keller beat Rick Sanders. Keller was named OW because of that. There is a video of the finals on YouTube now.

I was also at Northwestern to see the NCAA in in 1970. My recollection is that the seating there was only around 7000. That was also an awesome finals because it was when Larry Owings beat Dan Gable. To this day, I still think it was the best finals match ever.

 

[tomsc]

I was at the 1968 NCAA's at Rec Hall and the 1981 NCAA's in Princeton. But I have a painful memory of one missed. In 1975 they were in Princeton as well. I was in graduate school in Phila at the time, and my brother called me up to ask if I wanted to drive to see the finals (Fritz was going to wrestle Milkovich in the finals). I debated, and said, "I have too much studying to do"! As most all of you know, Fritz upset 2x defending champ Milkovich in a super bout and I've always regretted not going to it. Back then, even in a "small" gym, you called walk up and by tickets at the door for the NCAA finals.

 

[Abro1975]

Incidently, the NJ State Wrestling Championships were held at Jadwin Gym for many years, now it packs in approx 40,000 Friday-Sunday in Atlantic City's Boardwalk Hall. One year, in between they held the States at Brendan Byrne Arena in the Meadowlands where the Nets & Devils played for a while.
I was able to make the Nationals at Madison Sq Garden 2 years ago, and was very impressed how the Garden ran it. Their Arena Audio and huge Video replay screens were very impressive.

 

[matter7172]

Incidently, the NJ State Wrestling Championships were held at Jadwin Gym for many years, now it packs in approx 40,000 Friday-Sunday in Atlantic City's Boardwalk Hall.

The move to AC was like a move from Hershey to Philadelphia for PA states to me. I think it was moved there in 1993. I went that year because a kid I used to coach was favored to win after two near misses in Princeton. He didn't and I haven't been back. I much preferred the feel of Jadwin which was also at least reasonably centrally located. Not to mention the lure of unwholesome activities for underaged kids in AC.