I have done this before but with the conclusion of another season I decided to take another crack at putting together a list of the greatest wrestlers in Penn State history. This is just one man's opionion and I look forward to the opinions of others.
1. David Taylor- I know he has one less championship than Ed Ruth, but Ruth did not have a Kyle Dake to deal with. Taylor was the most dominant wrestler in Penn State history and our only 4x finalist. 2x Hodge winner.
2. Ed Ruth- If somebody wants to put Ed number one it is hard to argue. He is our only 3x champ. He has 136 wins which is two more than Taylor. I just give the slight nod to Magic Man.
3. Zain Retherford- If Zain wins a 3rd natty he moves to number one in my book. I also believe that had he redshirted his Freshman year he would already have 3.
4. Kerry McCoy- I basically ignore his Freshman year when he had to cut so much weight. He was 131-1 as a heavyweight, and he dealt with some other very good heavyweights.
5. Quentin Wright- Q was so much fun to watch. 4x AA, 3x finalist, and 2x champ.
6. Andy Matter- I don't remember him. Was too young when he won in 71&72, but it is hard to ignore his 58-2 record. Would love feedback from those who saw him.
7. Jim Martin- Just one championship but won 155 matches against only nine losses. Ricky Bonomo owned him. He beat Martin 4 times and none of the matches were particularly close, but Martin was 2-0-1 against Tom Brands. 4x AA who never finished lower than 4th.
8. Sanshiro Abe- Another 4x AA who only won one championship. Career record of 125-15
I strongly considered including Cary Kolat. He finished 2nd and 3rd in his two years with Penn State. He won two National Championships with Lock Haven. If they had been at Penn State he would be no worse than 3rd on my list. Jason Nolf and Bo Nickal are both two time finalists who you could argue have done enough to be included but I am going to wait one more year.
1. David Taylor- I know he has one less championship than Ed Ruth, but Ruth did not have a Kyle Dake to deal with. Taylor was the most dominant wrestler in Penn State history and our only 4x finalist. 2x Hodge winner.
2. Ed Ruth- If somebody wants to put Ed number one it is hard to argue. He is our only 3x champ. He has 136 wins which is two more than Taylor. I just give the slight nod to Magic Man.
3. Zain Retherford- If Zain wins a 3rd natty he moves to number one in my book. I also believe that had he redshirted his Freshman year he would already have 3.
4. Kerry McCoy- I basically ignore his Freshman year when he had to cut so much weight. He was 131-1 as a heavyweight, and he dealt with some other very good heavyweights.
5. Quentin Wright- Q was so much fun to watch. 4x AA, 3x finalist, and 2x champ.
6. Andy Matter- I don't remember him. Was too young when he won in 71&72, but it is hard to ignore his 58-2 record. Would love feedback from those who saw him.
7. Jim Martin- Just one championship but won 155 matches against only nine losses. Ricky Bonomo owned him. He beat Martin 4 times and none of the matches were particularly close, but Martin was 2-0-1 against Tom Brands. 4x AA who never finished lower than 4th.
8. Sanshiro Abe- Another 4x AA who only won one championship. Career record of 125-15
I strongly considered including Cary Kolat. He finished 2nd and 3rd in his two years with Penn State. He won two National Championships with Lock Haven. If they had been at Penn State he would be no worse than 3rd on my list. Jason Nolf and Bo Nickal are both two time finalists who you could argue have done enough to be included but I am going to wait one more year.
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