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1961 to 2025 All time OK State Greats (Chapter 1)

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oberebo

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In an attempt to bore wrestling fans far and wide I am going to discuss the best in each weight class since I became a fan in 1961. I am starting at the lowest weight in 1961 and since weights have
changed since 1961 I am lumping 115,118,123,125,126 in this first chapter. My first wrestling match was in 1961and the Bedlam match started at 115 pounds and Mark McCracken defeated his OU Opponent. Masaki Hatta followed at 123 and won and I was sold on wrestling. That year McCracken finished 2nd at 115 pounds at the NCAA tournament and Hatta was 1st at 123. Hatta was also 1st the next year and McCracken was 3rd in 1963. These are my two sentimental favorites as they were the first cowboys I watched wrestle. Masaki's younger brother Tadaki followed him in1964 winning an NCAA championship in 1966. Tommy Green was 3rd at 115 in 1968 and Ray Stapp 2nd in 1969 and 4th in 1971. At 123 Dennis Dutsch was 5th in 1964 and also placed in1965. (Side note- Dutsch was my wife's favorite wrestler at least in 1963 and 1964 as she was Doc Cooper's nurse at the OK State infirmary. I do not want to break Hippa laws but he might have had to have a boil lanced on his back side during that time and the nurse was very attentive). Dwayne Keller had 2 NCAA titles in 1968 and1970 at126 and is one of my finalists in this grouping. Jerry Kelly had a 2nd place finish in
1980 at 118 and followed that with a 3rd place at 126 in 1981. In 1981 Randy Willingham was 3rd at 118 and 5th in 1982. Mark Perry was 6th in 1984 at 118 and 5th in 1985. In 1986 Eddie Woodburn
was 6th at 118. Cory Baze was5th at 118 in 1988. At 126 in 1988 Kendall Cross in 1988 but was first in 1989 (Tom Brands was 4th). In 1990 he finished 3rd and Tom Brands was 1st. Kendall is one of my finalists in this grouping. My third finalist in this group is Yoshiro Fujita who won it all at 126 in 1971. Tony Purler was 3rd at 126 in 1991 and the won it all in 1993 but he won the title wrestling for Nebraska due to our probation. His brother Nick was 7th at 126 in 1994.
Eric Guerrero was 5th at 126 in 1996 and then was 1st in 1997,1998, 1999. At 118 Teague Moore was first in1998 and 3rd at 125 in 1999. Jeff Ragan was 6th at 125 in 2000. The year 2000 ended the 118 weight class. Skylar Holman was 6th in 2002. Coleman Scott was 8th in 2005 at125, 6th in 2006, 2nd at 133 in 2007 and 1st at 133 in 2008. He and Eric have also made my finals list.
In 2015 Eddie Klimara was placed 4th at 125 Nick Piccininni was AA twice in 2017 and 2019. Daton Fix is a 4X AA placing 2nd in 2021 at 125 ,2nd at 133 in 2022 2nd at 133 in 2023 and 3rd in 2024.
Finally Troy Spratley placed 2nd at125 in 2025.
My picks for outstanding wrestlers in this group 1. Eric Guererro, 2. Dewayne Keller, 3. Yoshiro Fujita, 4. Coleman Scott
 
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Anon1751751898

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oberebo said:
In an attempt to bore wrestling fans far and wide I am going to discuss the best in each weight class since I became a fan in 1961. I am starting at the lowest weight in 1961 and since weights have
changed since 1961 I am lumping 115,118,123,125,126 in this first chapter. My first wrestling match was in 1961and the Bedlam match started at 115 pounds and Mark McCracken defeated his OU Opponent. Masaki Hatta followed at 123 and won and I was sold on wrestling. That year McCracken finished 2nd at 115 pounds at the NCAA tournament and Hatta was 1st at 123. Hatta was also 1st the next year and McCracken was 3rd in 1963. These are my two sentimental favorites as they were the first cowboys I watched wrestle. Masaki's younger brother Tadaki followed him in1964 winning an NCAA championship in 1966. Tommy Green was 3rd at 115 in 1968 and Ray Stapp 2nd in 1969 and 4th in 1971. At 123 Dennis Dutsch was 5th in 1964 and also placed in1965. (Side note- Dutsch was my wife's favorite wrestler at least in 1963 and 1964 as she was Doc Cooper's nurse at the OK State infirmary. I do not want to break Hippa laws but he might have had to have a boil lanced on his back side during that time and the nurse was very attentive). Dwayne Keller had 2 NCAA titles in 1968 and1970 at126 and is one of my finalists in this grouping. Jerry Kelly had a 2nd place finish in
1980 at 118 and followed that with a 3rd place at 126 in 1981. In 1981 Randy Willingham was 3rd at 118 and 5th in 1982. Mark Perry was 6th in 1984 at 118 and 5th in 1985. In 1986 Eddie Woodburn
was 6th at 118. Cory Baze was5th at 118 in 1988. At 126 in 1988 Kendall Cross in 1988 but was first in 1989 (Tom Brands was 4th). In 1990 he finished 3rd and Tom Brands was 1st. Kendall is one of my finalists in this grouping. My third finalist in this group is Yoshiro Fujita who won it all at 126 in 1971. Tony Purler was 3rd at 126 in 1991 and the won it all in 1993 but he won the title wrestling for Nebraska due to our probation. His brother Nick was 7th at 126 in 1994.
Eric Guerrero was 5th at 126 in 1996 and then was 1st in 1997,1998, 1999. At 118 Teague Moore was first in1998 and 3rd at 125 in 1999. Jeff Ragan was 6th at 125 in 2000. The year 2000 ended the 118 weight class. Skylar Holman was 6th in 2002. Coleman Scott was 8th in 2005 at125, 6th in 2006, 2nd at 133 in 2007 and 1st at 133 in 2008. He and Eric have also made my finals list.
In 2015 Eddie Klimara was placed 4th at 125 Nick Piccininni was AA twice in 2017 and 2019. Daton Fix is a 4X AA placing 2nd in 2021 at 125 ,2nd at 133 in 2022 2nd at 133 in 2023 and 3rd in 2024.
Finally Troy Spratley placed 2nd at125 in 2025.
My picks for outstanding wrestlers in this group 1. Eric Guererro, 2. Dewayne Keller, 3. Yoshiro Fujita, 4. Coleman Scott
Click to expand...
Good list but I would include Johny Thompson the snake master in this group.
 
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Wolfclan67

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Fujita forced the Keller Twins to move up in weight by completely dominating Dewayne Keller in their ranking matches, and the Kellers were both multiple national champions. At his best, Fujita was the most dominate. Only the different eligibility rules of the time and an injury prevented him from being a multiple time national champion as well.
 
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oberebo

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CHAPTER II 130.133,134
I will start this chapter with Yoshiro Uetake and immediately name him as the greatest at this weight in my humble opinion.
Uetake was 3X National champion in 1963,1964,1965 and would have been the first four time champion except for the freshman rule. He was undefeated and the best I have witnessed at this weight class and possibly the best ever at any
weight. He was impeccable in his style and skill. He was not a Jax Forrest type wrestler who is at the other end of the
spectrum and Jax may out do Yoshiro by the end of his career with 4 National championships. If he does and I am still
around and competent I will then reassess my choices as to the order of my top 5.
In 2017 and 2018 Kaid Brock placed 5th at 134. I should have mentioned that Uetake wrestled all three years at 130 before the weight changed. Jon Morrison placed 6th in 2013. Prior to that for 4 years ending in 2012 Jordan Oliver was a dominant force at 134 placing 1st twice, 2nd once (very controversial loss) and 4th. I covered Coleman Scott in Chapter1 as he started
out as a 125 pounder but Scott was also a National champion at 134.
Johnny Thompson was a 4 time All-American from 2001 to 2004 and a National champion in 2003 and 2002 and placed
2nd and third in the other two years. He is high on my list of All-time favorites and also top five in this 2dnd chapter.
In 1991 and 1992 Alan Fried was 2nd Nationally and one of our best at this weight class. A side note on this wrestler is that Micco and his bride were dating during this time and the soon-to be-bride let him know that if Alan were to be available then
she would have a tough choice to make concerning her marriage plans. Luckily, for Micco he apparently was not available.
In 1990 Chris Owens was 3rd and in 1987 Chris Barbee was 5th at 134.
John Smith was 1st in 1987 and 1988 and placed 2nd in 1985 to Jim Jordan. John went on to be a 6 X World and Olympic Champion which places him high on the top five list. In 1983 and 1984 Clar Anderson placed 5th and then 1st at 134. Thomas "Snake" Landrum placed 5th in 1980 and was another favorite of mine for his style. Other notable wrestlers at this weight
class include Steve Barrett, 5th in 1979, Bobby Stites,2nd in 1973 and Mike Riley, 3rd in 1972 and 5th in 1969.
I already labeled my #1 choice at this weight class as Yoshiro Uetake. IF a certain Freshman wrestler lives up to my
present expectations and becomes a 4 time champion I might revisit this choice. As of now the remaining four choices
are 2. John Smith, 3. Johnny Thompson, 4. Jordan Oliver, 5. Alan Fried.
 
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OAMC99

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Alan Fried has to be higher IMO. He gave up a NC for us to stick around. And his finals loss was to an all-timer.
 
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DPJ1

DPJ1

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OAMC99 said:
Alan Fried has to be higher IMO. He gave up a NC for us to stick around. And his finals loss was to an all-timer.
Click to expand...

oberebo said:
CHAPTER II 130.133,134
I will start this chapter with Yoshiro Uetake and immediately name him as the greatest at this weight in my humble opinion.
Uetake was 3X National champion in 1963,1964,1965 and would have been the first four time champion except for the freshman rule. He was undefeated and the best I have witnessed at this weight class and possibly the best ever at any
weight. He was impeccable in his style and skill. He was not a Jax Forrest type wrestler who is at the other end of the
spectrum and Jax may out do Yoshiro by the end of his career with 4 National championships. If he does and I am still
around and competent I will then reassess my choices as to the order of my top 5.
In 2017 and 2018 Kaid Brock placed 5th at 134. I should have mentioned that Uetake wrestled all three years at 130 before the weight changed. Jon Morrison placed 6th in 2013. Prior to that for 4 years ending in 2012 Jordan Oliver was a dominant force at 134 placing 1st twice, 2nd once (very controversial loss) and 4th. I covered Coleman Scott in Chapter1 as he started
out as a 125 pounder but Scott was also a National champion at 134.
Johnny Thompson was a 4 time All-American from 2001 to 2004 and a National champion in 2003 and 2002 and placed
2nd and third in the other two years. He is high on my list of All-time favorites and also top five in this 2dnd chapter.
In 1991 and 1992 Alan Fried was 2nd Nationally and one of our best at this weight class. A side note on this wrestler is that Micco and his bride were dating during this time and the soon-to be-bride let him know that if Alan were to be available then
she would have a tough choice to make concerning her marriage plans. Luckily, for Micco he apparently was not available.
In 1990 Chris Owens was 3rd and in 1987 Chris Barbee was 5th at 134.
John Smith was 1st in 1987 and 1988 and placed 2nd in 1985 to Jim Jordan. John went on to be a 6 X World and Olympic Champion which places him high on the top five list. In 1983 and 1984 Clar Anderson placed 5th and then 1st at 134. Thomas "Snake" Landrum placed 5th in 1980 and was another favorite of mine for his style. Other notable wrestlers at this weight
class include Steve Barrett, 5th in 1979, Bobby Stites,2nd in 1973 and Mike Riley, 3rd in 1972 and 5th in 1969.
I already labeled my #1 choice at this weight class as Yoshiro Uetake. IF a certain Freshman wrestler lives up to my
present expectations and becomes a 4 time champion I might revisit this choice. As of now the remaining four choices
are 2. John Smith, 3. Johnny Thompson, 4. Jordan Oliver, 5. Alan Fried.
Click to expand...
Micco will always have a feather in his cap beating Fried out for his bride😅.

As usual thanks for the history lesson in Cowboy wrestling, great write up.
 
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oberebo

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Chapter 3
I start this chapter by correcting any impression I gave to readers that my future Daughter-in-law Mrs. Micco had any real interaction with Alan Fried. She admired him from afar(the stands) and as far as I know they never met. She admits the admiration was strong on her part, maybe just to keep Micco in line. Since I mentioned Alan Fried Chapter 3 starts with a cross over as Alan won the NCAA Title at 142in 1990. Chapter 3 basically is 137 through 142 in weight. When I first started as a fan
back in the early 60's 137 was the weight which later morphed into 142 which is the subject of this chapter.
In 1962 Doug Wilson of the Ponca City Wilsons was 3rd at 137 and in 1964 Jim Rogers was 5th at this weight. starting in 1965 Gene Davis was an All-American placing 1st,4th and 3rd in successive years and is a strong candidate for the top five in this group. Ray Murphy placed 5th at 137 in 1968. Ray was later severely injured and paralyzed in a free style match which I
saw in Gallagher Hall. Darrell Keller placed 1st at 142 in 1972. In 1976 and 1977 Steve Randall was a 2X AA placing 2nd and 4th at 142. One of my all-time favorite wrestlers, Steve Barrett was a two X AA and National champion in 1976 and 1977. Barrett was a no-holds barred competitor and captured the hearts of most Cowboy fans. Leroy Smith captured an NCAA title at this weight in 1980 and also placed 4th at this weight. His career included several match-ups with Andre Metzger and a very controversial free-style bout with Randy Lewis which resulted in a law suit. Leroy was the first brother of this dynasty and one of the best. I still remember him as a favorite to win this weight at Nationals and was stunned in the first round and lost to
a low seeded wrestler which caused him a 2nd National championship. Leroy is a great spokesman and statesman for
wrestling as the director of the National wrestling Hall of Fame.
Luke Skove was a 2X AA at this weight in the mid-80's placing 4th and 5th, followed by Leo Bailey who was 6th in 1983.
Chuck Barbee was also a 2X AA placing 3rd twice. Chris Owens was 2nd at 142 in 1992. Scott Reyna was a 3X AA in the 90's placing 4th,6th, and 7th. Another top contender at this weight was Steve Schmidt who was a 3XAA placing 2nd, 4th and 7th.
He wrestled basically on one leg the year he placed 7th having a severe knee injury that was heavily wrapped. We all thought he would win it in 1998 prior to the unfortunate injury. Daniel Frishkorn was 4th in 2005 and Nathan Morgan was 4th twice in 2007 and 2008. The last contender in this group is Dean Heil, a 3X AA and 2X National champion from 2013 to 2017. It is difficult to rate this group from one through five and a little bias on my part might skew the rankings.
1. Steve Barrett 2. Leroy Smith 3. Dean Heil 4. Steve Schmidt 5. Darrell Keller
 
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oberebo

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CHAPTER 4
This chapter will cover weights 145,147,`49 and 150. In 1960-61 Bob Wilson placed third at 147 pounds. in 1963-64 Mike Reding was 2nd at 147. For some reason I was particularly drawn to Mike and his brother Glen who I believe were from
Duncan. In the 1967 season Jim Rogers was 4th at 147. Ray Murphy was a 3X AA for the Cowboys at this weight placing 5th at 137 in 1968 and 2nd at 145 in 1967. Jay Arneson was a 3X AA in the late 60's and early 70's at 150 placing 6th and 4th and finally 2nd in 1971. Paul Martin took over this spot in 1978 and placed 3rd. He moved up to 158 later. Charles Shelton was 4th at 150 in 1979. Kenny Monday placed 1st and 2nd in 1981 and 1982 and is my choice for #1 in this group. Luke Skove, Vince Silva, Wes White were AA's in the mid-80's at this weight. Todd Chesbro was a 2X AA at 150# and is on my top 5 list. Jacob Newby and Jimmy Arias were 1 time AA's at 150 prior to it changing to 149. Jerod Sanders was our first AA at 149 placing
4th. From 2003 thru 2005 Zach Esposito was a 3X AA placing 2nd,3rd and 1st at 149. Jordan Oliver was 1st at 149 in 2013. Anthony Collica placed 4th in 2016 and Boo Lewallen was a 2X AA placing 8th and 4th. The #1 pick in this class was easy with Kenny Monday followed closely by Zach Esposito, Paul Martin, Jay Arneson and Todd Chesboro. #6 in my opinion would be
Ray Murphy. Kenny Monday went on to World and Olympic fame. An even more famous world and Olympic champion did wrestle for us during this period. Dave Schultz placed 3rd for us in1975 at 150 pounds. I arbitrarily did not include him, not out of spite but because it was only one year and he went on to fame out of the University of Oklahoma. However, I do remember fondly the NCAA Tournament in 1980 where Ricky Stewart at 158 pinned Dave with a Fireman's Carry in Princeton, New Jersey.
I snapped a photo of Ricky after this match and years later sent it to him. One of my all-time best memories.
1, Kenny Monday, 2. Zach Esposito,3. Jay Arneson, 4. Todd Chesboro, 5. Ray Murphy
 
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TheJimReaper

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I have nowhere near the wrestling knowledge that you do Oberebo but I’m going to have to respectfully disagree about not including Jordan Oliver in your top 5. That man was an absolute beast. Particularly his senior year. It was one of the most dominant years I’ve seen from a wrestler. I don’t think he ever gave up a takedown.
 
DoeBro

DoeBro

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oberebo said:
CHAPTER 4
This chapter will cover weights 145,147,`49 and 150. In 1960-61 Bob Wilson placed third at 147 pounds. in 1963-64 Mike Reding was 2nd at 147. For some reason I was particularly drawn to Mike and his brother Glen who I believe were from
Duncan. In the 1967 season Jim Rogers was 4th at 147. Ray Murphy was a 3X AA for the Cowboys at this weight placing 5th at 137 in 1968 and 2nd at 145 in 1967. Jay Arneson was a 3X AA in the late 60's and early 70's at 150 placing 6th and 4th and finally 2nd in 1971. Paul Martin took over this spot in 1978 and placed 3rd. He moved up to 158 later. Charles Shelton was 4th at 150 in 1979. Kenny Monday placed 1st and 2nd in 1981 and 1982 and is my choice for #1 in this group. Luke Skove, Vince Silva, Wes White were AA's in the mid-80's at this weight. Todd Chesbro was a 2X AA at 150# and is on my top 5 list. Jacob Newby and Jimmy Arias were 1 time AA's at 150 prior to it changing to 149. Jerod Sanders was our first AA at 149 placing
4th. From 2003 thru 2005 Zach Esposito was a 3X AA placing 2nd,3rd and 1st at 149. Jordan Oliver was 1st at 149 in 2013. Anthony Collica placed 4th in 2016 and Boo Lewallen was a 2X AA placing 8th and 4th. The #1 pick in this class was easy with Kenny Monday followed closely by Zach Esposito, Paul Martin, Jay Arneson and Todd Chesboro. #6 in my opinion would be
Ray Murphy. Kenny Monday went on to World and Olympic fame. An even more famous world and Olympic champion did wrestle for us during this period. Dave Schultz placed 3rd for us in1975 at 150 pounds. I arbitrarily did not include him, not out of spite but because it was only one year and he went on to fame out of the University of Oklahoma. However, I do remember fondly the NCAA Tournament in 1980 where Ricky Stewart at 158 pinned Dave with a Fireman's Carry in Princeton, New Jersey.
I snapped a photo of Ricky after this match and years later sent it to him. One of my all-time best memories.
1, Kenny Monday, 2. Zach Esposito,3. Jay Arneson, 4. Todd Chesboro, 5. Ray Murphy
Click to expand...
A small correction regarding Mike Reding and Glen Reding. Mike is my brother, he is a year older than me and we were both born and raised in Stillwater. Glen Reding is our cousin from Geary, Oklahoma, he was a Big Eight champion for OSU a couple of years before Mike entered OSU. I have an interesting story about the time Mike wrestled Greg Ruth from ou which I will relate at another time… After Mike graduated from OSU, he first coached & taught at a high school in Iowa. A few years later, he became the coach at Duncan High School where they won some State champs and he sent a number of his wrestlers to OSU( Ricky Stewert was one of his wrestlers.)
 
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chasepollard

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TheJimReaper said:
I have nowhere near the wrestling knowledge that you do Oberebo but I’m going to have to respectfully disagree about not including Jordan Oliver in your top 5. That man was an absolute beast. Particularly his senior year. It was one of the most dominant years I’ve seen from a wrestler. I don’t think he ever gave up a takedown.
Click to expand...
That’s a fact actually!

He was also a bad call from being a 3xer.

He was so dominant, a put him with Ringer in my mind.
 
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oberebo

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chasepollard said:
That’s a fact actually!

He was also a bad call from being a 3xer.

He was so dominant, a put him with Ringer in my mind.
Click to expand...
I actually did include Jordan Oliver in the top 5- See Chapter 2. Oliver started as a 134 pounder so I placed him in Chapter2. This was a judgement call but that list was 1. Uetake, 2.John Smith, 3. Johnny Thompson 4. Jordan Oliver, 5. Alan Fried. There was quite a bit of overlapping in Chapter 2 but mainly covered 130,133,134 although Jordan did eventually move up to 142 for his 2nd title. You could argue that he should be #3 and maybe a little bias crept in here as one of my all time favorites was
Johnny Thompson. If I had placed him in Chapter 3 he would most likely been#1. This was an arbitrary decision on my part but he spent more of his career in the 134 weight class. It was unfortunate that I placed him there with 2 of my all time greats.
 
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chasepollard

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oberebo said:
I actually did include Jordan Oliver in the top 5- See Chapter 2. Oliver started as a 134 pounder so I placed him in Chapter2. This was a judgement call but that list was 1. Uetake, 2.John Smith, 3. Johnny Thompson 4. Jordan Oliver, 5. Alan Fried. There was quite a bit of overlapping in Chapter 2 but mainly covered 130,133,134 although Jordan did eventually move up to 142 for his 2nd title. You could argue that he should be #3 and maybe a little bias crept in here as one of my all time favorites was
Johnny Thompson. If I had placed him in Chapter 3 he would most likely been#1. This was an arbitrary decision on my part but he spent more of his career in the 134 weight class. It was unfortunate that I placed him there with 2 of my all time greats.
Click to expand...
Oh, don’t mistake my comment as negative.

I love this stuff!
 
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oberebo

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Chapter 4
This Chapter encompasses weights 157, 158 and 160.
DoeBro said:
A small correction regarding Mike Reding and Glen Reding. Mike is my brother, he is a year older than me and we were both born and raised in Stillwater. Glen Reding is our cousin from Geary, Oklahoma, he was a Big Eight champion for OSU a couple of years before Mike entered OSU. I have an interesting story about the time Mike wrestled Greg Ruth from ou which I will relate at another time… After Mike graduated from OSU, he first coached & taught at a high school in Iowa. A few years later, he became the coach at Duncan High School where they won some State champs and he sent a number of his wrestlers to OSU( Ricky Stewert was one of his wrestlers.)
Click to expand...
Thank you for the corrections and thanks for the update.I knew Duncan fit in there somewhere but when you get to be our age you tend to sometimes re-write history.
 
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oberebo

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oberebo said:
Chapter 4
This Chapter encompasses weights 157, 158 and 160.

Thank you for the corrections and thanks for the update.I knew Duncan fit in there somewhere but when you get to be our age you tend to sometimes re-write history. This chapter starts with my first year in Stillwater and the 1960-61 season. Phil Kinyon placed 1st in 1961 but lost in the finals in the next two years. As a very young Sophomore I was more than impressed with Kinyon. That was back in the time that many wrestlers including Phil wrestled bare-chested and with tights. His chest hair looked like a mangrove swamp and he was well-muscled. In 1962 the NCAA finals were in Stillwater. I attended one session but not the finals however I listened on the radio to Jack Griffith calling the matches. Phil lost in the finals in1962 to Jack Flasche of Northern Colorado in what was a huge upset at the time. I have been told that Kinyon was the reason Ronnie Clinton went to 167 and Bob Johnson went up two weights to 177 and both were National champions that year. The following year J Robinson was at this weight but did not qualify for Nationals. In 1964-65 the afore-mentioned Mike Reding placed 4th at this weight. He was from Stillwater I have been told by an unimpeachable source. lol . In the following years Jerry Stone placed 6th , Alan Albright placed 3rd and Roy Ray was 6th in 1974. Ricky Stewart from DUNCAN placed 7th in 1979, 1st the next two years including his pin of Dave Schultz and he was a four time AA. Bill Dykeman placed 4th at this weight and 5th the following year. Glen Lanham(current Duke Coach was 5th in 1985. History was made when Leroy and John's younger brother, Pat Smith won the title four straight years. Hardell Moore followed that up with 4th and 2nd place finishes. Another of my all-time favorite wrestlers. Shane Roller (Of reverse headlock fame) was a 3X AA placing 3rd,3rd,4th to start off the 21st Century. Not to be outdone Johny Hendricks was a 4X AA placing 5th, 1st, 1st and 2nd. Starting in 2013 Alex Dierenger placed 3rd, 1st,1st and 1st with the last championship at 165. Joe Smith placed 7th at 157 and 4th the following year. Wyatt Sheets was 8th in 2018 and Caleb Fish was 8th in 2024. 1. Pat Smith 2. Alex Dierenger 3. Johny Hendricks 4. Ricky Stewart 5. Phil Kinyon 6. Shane Roller 7.Hardell Moore. When looking at Phil Kinyon's record I read that he barely lost in the Olympic Trials in 1960 to Doug Blubaugh who went on to win the 60 OIympics and that there was a 4 year span in Free-style wrestling at this weight where Blubaugh and Kinyon wrestled 13 times and 12 times they ended up tied with the 13th time being the OIympic trials finals. That is amazing to me.
Click to expand...
 
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mugwamp2

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DoeBro said:
A small correction regarding Mike Reding and Glen Reding. Mike is my brother, he is a year older than me and we were both born and raised in Stillwater. Glen Reding is our cousin from Geary, Oklahoma, he was a Big Eight champion for OSU a couple of years before Mike entered OSU. I have an interesting story about the time Mike wrestled Greg Ruth from ou which I will relate at another time… After Mike graduated from OSU, he first coached & taught at a high school in Iowa. A few years later, he became the coach at Duncan High School where they won some State champs and he sent a number of his wrestlers to OSU( Ricky Stewert was one of his wrestlers.)
Click to expand...
small world DoeBro. Arlene Reding was my second grade teacher in Duncan. My mom taught the other 2nd grade class at Horace Mann Elementary!
 
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oberebo

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Chapter 5 Weight 165-167
I'm going to lead off with a headline. Mike Sheets will be my #1 pick at this weight. This could be debated by others but Sheets is my All-time favorite wrestler and he was so dominant his last two years that it would be hard to pick the other two contenders against him. In the early 60's Ronnie Clinton was a 3 time AA and another of my favorite wrestlers. He was 1st in 1962 when the NCAA finals were in Stillwater despite having 20 stitches in his right hand just before the tournament started due to an accident fixing a pipe faucet at his residence. He was 2nd in 1960 at 167 and was 3rd in 1991 despite going up 2 weights to wrestle at 191. He will be in my top 5. Bob Drebenstedt was a 2X AA in the middle 60's and Bruce Campbell placed 2nd at167 in 1961. Ron Ray was 1st at 167 in 1972 and was 6th the next year at 158. Paul Martin was 2nd at 167 in 1975.
This brings us to my headliner, Mike Sheets. In the 1980-81 NCAA tournament Sheets was a freshman and when in High
School he wrestled around 150 and so was another Freshman wrestler by the name of Kenny Monday. So his Freshman year
Sheets went up two weights and placed 7th at 167. He was 2nd in 1982 but placed 1st his last 2 years at 1967. He was the most dominant wrestler in the top position on the mat that I have ever witnessed.
Following Sheets, Mike Ferrell was a 2X AA at 167 and Mark Van Tine sandwiched in between his 2 AA finishes with a 2nd at 167. Todd Chesboro was a 2X AA taking 2nd at 167 in 1990 and 8th at 150 the following year. One of the top 3 wrestlers for Oklahoma State at this weight class followed Chesboro. Mark Branch was a 4X AA at 167 finishing in the finals all 4 years
and taking 1st twice. He was a huge underdog when he won his first title as a freshman and dominated the field. Following Branch, Mark Smith became the 3rd brother to gain AA status when he finished 4th at 167 in1998.
Tyrone Lewis was a 3X AA at this weight finishing 5th, 3rd and 2nd. The 3rd contender for top ranking at this weight is
Johny Hendricks. Hendricks was a 2X National Champion and also finished 2nd in 2007. The three OK State wrestlers at the top of this weight class are also three of the best to ever wrestle at this weight class. In following years Chandler Rogers was a 2X AA and one of the most exciting and endearing wrestlers we have put on the mat. Travis Witlake placed 4th at 165 and Isaac Olejnik was 5th in 2021. Cam Amine was an AA in 2024-25. My rankings below are my opinion and could stir up some controversy. 1.Mike Sheets 2. Mark Branch 3.Johny Hendricks 4. Ronnie Clinton 5. Tyrone Lewis 6. Ron Ray
 
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Old Number Nine

Old Number Nine

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"This could be debated by others but Sheets is my All-time favorite wrestler and he was so dominant his last two years that it would be hard to pick the other two contenders against him." & "He was the most dominant wrestler in the top position on the mat that I have ever witnessed."

In total agreement and there cannot be any controversy with picking sheets over these others (although I know nothing about Clinton & Ray but their records). I believe that at their prime Sheets would easily beat Branch, Hendricks or Lewis. The only way they could have a chance with him is if they were nearly impossible to take down, which they were not. It would be the same with them as it was with almost everyone he wrestled: High-crotch, Kick in the leg, Nearfall... repeat as needed.
 
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oberebo

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Chapter 6 174-177
My first years in Stillwater I watched Bob Johnson wrestling at 177 and he was National champion both years. He had tremendous battles with Dean Lahr from Colorado and came out on top. As previously mentioned, Bob came to Oklahoma
State as a 157 pounder but due to Phil Kinyon and Ronnie Clinton moved up to 177. In the mid-60's Bill Harlow came to Stillwater from Tennessee and was a 3X NCAA finalist finishing 2nd twice at 177 and moved up to 191 his senior year and was a National Champion in 1967. Geoff Baum was a National champion for the Cowboys in 1971. David McQuaig was a 2X AA in 1974 and 1976 placing 5th both years. Eric Wais was a 3X AA for us placing 2nd & 4th at 177 and then moving up to 190 where he was National champion. Reggie Wilson was 6th in the mid-80's. Chris Barnes was a 2X National champion in 1986 and 1987. He was an exciting wrestler to watch, Mark Smith was a 2X AA moving up to 177 his final year. He placed 5th in both years.
Chris Pendleton was a 3X AA and a 2X National Champion at 174 and is my pick for #1 at this weight. His bouts with Ben Askren at this weight were historic and he handled Askren's Funk to win these battles. Brandon Mason was 5th at 177 in the 2005 season. Chris Perry then came on the scene and became a 3X AA and 2X National champion. He was one of the most
technically sound wrestlers I have seen. Jacobe Smith and Kyle Crutchmer were both AA's following Perry at 177. Dustin Plott
was a 3X AA for the Cowboys finishing 2nd in 2021. Last year Dean Hamiti was 1st at 174. This has been a tough weight for me to rank but here goes: 1. Chris Pendleton 2. Chris Perry 3. Bob Johnson 4. Bill Harlow 5. Chris Barnes 6. Eric Wais. It seems that if your first name is Chris you rank high at this weight.
 
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Aardvark86

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Interesting history, which got me thinking...

How tough must the first classes of post-WWII wrestlers coming back and going to school on the GI bill have been? Any lore?
 
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oberebo

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Aardvark86 said:
Interesting history, which got me thinking...

How tough must the first classes of post-WWII wrestlers coming back and going to school on the GI bill have been? Any lore?
Click to expand...
I know we had more than one veteran come back from WWII and become National champion for Oklahoma A&M. If I had started this series a few years earlier than this 174-177 weight class would have included a wrestler from Blackwell, OK where I was born but never lived. Just after World War II in 1947 a state champion from Blackwell showed up to wrestle for Oklahoma A&M and coach Art Griffith. Jim Gregson was a two time All-American winning the 175 Pound National Title in 1949. He had beaten returning National Champion from A&M George Dorsch in wrestle-offs to qualify to wrestle in the NCAA's. He only
wrestled 3 dual matches during that season. He defeated #1 seed Joe Scarpello in the finals. He left Stillwater After 1949 season to enter the Army and did not return until the 1955 season. He returned to the A&M campus and wrestled in the 55-56 season with a 5-2 record at 177. His two losses were to Dan Hodge who was undefeated in his caree(46-0-) and who pinned 78% of his opponents. Gregson is the only person who scored a point on Hodge in his college career. He lost the two dual matches to Hodge 5-1 and 6-0. At Nationals he went up to 191 pounds and got to the finals losing 5-3 to an Iowa wrestler. When he and Hodge wrestled Hodge was 23 having served in the Navy and he was 27. Gregson was co-captain his senior year with Myron Roderick. Note: The 1point Gregson scored was on an escape as Hodge was never taken down.
 
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oberebo

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I apologize for being so long winded but to answer more pertinently the question posed by Aardvark86, Charles "Chuck" Hetrick was an OK A&M wrestler who entered school in 1941 but left after Pearl Harbor and spent 2 1/2 years in the Pacific with the Marines. He was discharged from the Marines in 1946 and returned to Stillwater and ironically he was National Champion in 1949 with the afore-mentioned Jim Gregson. Both were from Blackwell, Oklahoma. He had a storied coaching career in both Blackwell and later in Stillwater and Bartlesville. He was National champion in 1949 at 128 pounds.
 
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Aardvark86

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oberebo said:
I apologize for being so long winded but to answer more pertinently the question posed by Aardvark86, Charles "Chuck" Hetrick was an OK A&M wrestler who entered school in 1941 but left after Pearl Harbor and spent 2 1/2 years in the Pacific with the Marines. He was discharged from the Marines in 1946 and returned to Stillwater and ironically he was National Champion in 1949 with the afore-mentioned Jim Gregson. Both were from Blackwell, Oklahoma. He had a storied coaching career in both Blackwell and later in Stillwater and Bartlesville. He was National champion in 1949 at 128 pounds.
Click to expand...
Without people telling wonderful stories like this they get forgotten. And we cannot have that.
 
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Old Number Nine

Old Number Nine

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oberebo said:
Chapter 6 174-177
My first years in Stillwater I watched Bob Johnson wrestling at 177 and he was National champion both years. He had tremendous battles with Dean Lahr from Colorado and came out on top. As previously mentioned, Bob came to Oklahoma
State as a 157 pounder but due to Phil Kinyon and Ronnie Clinton moved up to 177. In the mid-60's Bill Harlow came to Stillwater from Tennessee and was a 3X NCAA finalist finishing 2nd twice at 177 and moved up to 191 his senior year and was a National Champion in 1967. Geoff Baum was a National champion for the Cowboys in 1971. David McQuaig was a 2X AA in 1974 and 1976 placing 5th both years. Eric Wais was a 3X AA for us placing 2nd & 4th at 177 and then moving up to 190 where he was National champion. Reggie Wilson was 6th in the mid-80's. Chris Barnes was a 2X National champion in 1986 and 1987. He was an exciting wrestler to watch, Mark Smith was a 2X AA moving up to 177 his final year. He placed 5th in both years.
Chris Pendleton was a 3X AA and a 2X National Champion at 174 and is my pick for #1 at this weight. His bouts with Ben Askren at this weight were historic and he handled Askren's Funk to win these battles. Brandon Mason was 5th at 177 in the 2005 season. Chris Perry then came on the scene and became a 3X AA and 2X National champion. He was one of the most
technically sound wrestlers I have seen. Jacobe Smith and Kyle Crutchmer were both AA's following Perry at 177. Dustin Plott
was a 3X AA for the Cowboys finishing 2nd in 2021. Last year Dean Hamiti was 1st at 174. This has been a tough weight for me to rank but here goes: 1. Chris Pendleton 2. Chris Perry 3. Bob Johnson 4. Bill Harlow 5. Chris Barnes 6. Eric Wais. It seems that if your first name is Chris you rank high at this weight.
Click to expand...
Not going by records of course, just the wrestlers I have seen in my life but... I believe that if they had competed in their primes Eric Wais might have pulled the arms off of Pendleton, Perry and Barnes. Also, I would put Perry below Barnes; (don't know about Johnson or Harlow)
 
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oberebo

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Old Number Nine said:
Not going by records of course, just the wrestlers I have seen in my life but... I believe that if they had competed in their primes Eric Wais might have pulled the arms off of Pendleton, Perry and Barnes. Also, I would put Perry below Barnes; (don't know about Johnson or Harlow)
Click to expand...
Old Number Nine you may be right. Eric was a powerful wrestler and was also a favorite of mine. This weight had many great wrestlers and the ranking of them is subjective on my part.
 
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oberebo

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Chapter 7 191,190,197
In 1961-62 season Joe James placed 2nd at 191. Since his career was mostly at 285 I will be covering him in the 8th installment. Jack Brisco another Blackwell wrestler was a 2X AA and in 1963-64 he won the 191 pound becoming the first native american to win a NCAA wrestling championship. In 1966 Bill Harlow moved up to 191 and placed 1st. From 1966 to 1971 Geoff Baum was a 3X AA and 2X National champion. I was raising a young family of 4 children during this time and I confess that Geoff who I will rank high due to his record, is a blur in my mind and I will leave it to others who remember him better. Darryl Monasmith I do remember primarily due to his decision over Frank Santana in the Big 12 championships. He placed 4th and 6th at 190 pounds. Eric Wais who was discussed in previous installment placed1st at 190 in 1979. Greg Hawkins was 7th in 1982 after Karl Lynes placed 4th the previous year. After a six year stint in the US Army where he captured a Greco championship, Randy Couture began his career at OSU. He was a 3X AA and twice placed 2ndd after finishing 6th his first year.
JJ McGrew came to Stillwater in the early 1990's after Notre Dame dropped their wrestling program and was a 2X AA and a National champion at 190 in 1995. Mark Munoz was a 2X AA and a national champion in 2001 and finished with 121wins. Muhammad Lawal was 3rd at 197 in 2003.
Jake Rosholt was a 3 time NCAA champion at two weights (184 & 197) and finished his career with 105 wins. Clayton Foster was a 2X AA, placing 6th at 184 and 4th at 197. In 2010 Alan Gelogaev was7th at 197. More on this Russian wrestler in the next chapter. Cayle Byers was 3rd at 197 in 2012 followed by Blake Rosholt who was 8th in 2013. Preston Weigel was a 2 time AA placing 6th and 3rd. Our last NCAA champion at this weight was AJ Ferrari.
1. Jake Rosholt 2. Geoff Baum 3.Randy Couture 4 Mark Munoz 5 JJMcGrew 6. Jack Brisco 7 AJ Ferrari
 
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