Need a history lesson on the lean years, 1953 - 2011

[BrucePa]

If, as Cael (or Gable) says, you either have to recruit the Pennsylvania wrestlers or else you have to beat the Pennsylvania wrestlers.

So what happened from the lone championship in 1953 to Cael's arrival 58 years later? Where did all the Pennsylvania wrestlers go? Was it a lack of talent, or weak recruiting, or weak coaching, or sub-par facilities? What was going on during those years that left Penn State on the outside looking in?

 

[nerfstate]

If, as Cael (or Gable) says, you either have to recruit the Pennsylvania wrestlers or else you have to beat the Pennsylvania wrestlers.

So what happened from the lone championship in 1953 to Cael's arrival 58 years later? Where did all the Pennsylvania wrestlers go? Was it a lack of talent, or weak recruiting, or weak coaching, or sub-par facilities? What was going on during those years that left Penn State on the outside looking in?

I’m hardly the best historian—though I’ve been a fan since Jeff Prescott on.

The big factors I see though:

1. Lots of excellent in-state programs.
2. Dan Gable

 

[NoVa Lion]

I’m hardly the best historian—though I’ve been a fan since Jeff Prescott on.

The big factors I see though:

1. Lots of excellent in-state programs.
2. Dan Gable

Point #1 is the biggest factor by far. Gable as a coach wasn't until the mid 1970s.

 

[nerfstate]

Point #1 is the biggest factor by far. Gable as a coach wasn't until the mid 1970s.

agreed on both. Still think Gable is the #2, unless you have any others in mind?

 

[Cali_Nittany]

agreed on both. Still think Gable is the #2, unless you have any others in mind?

Gable didn't have very many PA wrestlers. And Oklahoma State had 18 championships during that period to go along with Iowa's 23.

 

[El-Jefe]

I’m hardly the best historian—though I’ve been a fan since Jeff Prescott on.

The big factors I see though:

1. Lots of excellent in-state programs.
2. Dan Gable

^^ This.

Also, we were primarily a regional recruiting team (PA + surrounding states). There were some exceptions (Abe, Jenkins, etc.), but that was our base. We competed with the PSAC schools for the same talent pool.

Iowa and OKST were national recruiting teams -- including our region.

One other factor, and it hurts to put it this way: we thought we were competing but really had no idea what it meant to compete with Iowa and OKST. Coach Lorenzo figured it out -- which is why he retired in order to become a fundraiser for the program. His vision, plus over a decade of hard work, is how we got Cael.

BTW, we were hardly the only school in that bucket. Ohio State was a happy underachiever until Tan Tom showed up. Pitt and Rutgers still haven't figured out how to leverage the demographic gold mines they're sitting on. Etc.

 

[Jessebelle]

If, as Cael (or Gable) says, you either have to recruit the Pennsylvania wrestlers or else you have to beat the Pennsylvania wrestlers.

So what happened from the lone championship in 1953 to Cael's arrival 58 years later? Where did all the Pennsylvania wrestlers go? Was it a lack of talent, or weak recruiting, or weak coaching, or sub-par facilities? What was going on during those years that left Penn State on the outside looking in?

We had a once great coach who stayed too long. Most of sixties and seventies we primarily wrestled only Eastern schools that provided weak competition.

 

[lockhavenlion3]

I’m hardly the best historian—though I’ve been a fan since Jeff Prescott on.

The big factors I see though:

1. Lots of excellent in-state programs.
2. Dan Gable

agree on #1. when i was in school, lh,edinboro,clarion,slippery rock,east stroud,bloomsburg,west chester were putting out national champions, and i probably missed a few others. not all those champs were from pa, but a great many were. just suppose most went tp ps. you have seen an iowa type situation.

 

[District four]

What are you all talking about wrestling didn't start until 2010 lol

 

[nerfstate]

I could be cheeky and add:
1a. The lack the GOAT at the helm.

 

[El-Jefe]

Did a little digging and found this gold nugget:
Native Pennsylvanian NCAA Champs & All-Americans DIV I (1929-2016)
http://wrestlingreport.com/college/PA-DI_AA.htm

It's a really, really long list. Go figure.

Below I've pared it down to NCAA Finalists from 1990-2019. It's STILL a really long list. Bold = went out of state. The cut-off line is the HS Class of 2010 (Cael's first recruiting class at PSU).

When looking at the guys above the line, most of the PA NCAA Finalists stayed in state, and most of them to PSU. Only Lee and McMullan (and maybe Lizak) would have improved our roster for 3+ years.

Below the line is a far different story -- in both regards. Also the PSAC schools were clearly more relevant then.


2019 Spencer Lee Iowa 1/125 Franklin Regional HS
2019 Jason Nolf Penn State 1/157 Yatesboro
2019 Vincenzo Joseph Penn State 2/165 Pittsburgh Central Catholic HS
2018 Spencer Lee Iowa 1/125 Franklin Regional HS
2018 Zain Retherford Penn State 1/149 Benton
2018 Jason Nolf Penn State 1/157 Yatesboro
2018 Hayden Hidlay NC State 2/157 Mifflin County HS
2018 Vincenzo Joseph Penn State 1/165 Pittsburgh Central Catholic HS
2017 Darian Cruz Lehigh 1/125 Bethlehem Catholic HS
2017 Ethan Lizak Minnesota 2/125 Parkland HS
2017 Zain Retherford Penn State 1/149 Benton
2017 Jason Nolf Penn State 1/157 Yatesboro
2017 Vincenzo Joseph Penn State 1/165 Pittsburgh Central Catholic HS
2016 Nico Megaludis Penn State 1/125 Murrysville
2016 Zain Retherford Penn State 1/149 Benton
2016 Jason Nolf Penn State 2/157 Yatesboro
2015 Zeke Moisey, West Virginia 2/125 Northampton
2015 Mitchell Port, Edinboro 2/141 Bellefonte
2015 Tyler Wilps, Pitt 2/174 Oakdale
2015 Nathaniel Brown, Lehigh 2/184 Lewisburg
2014 Josh Kindig, Oklahoma State 2/149 Auburn
2013 Nico Megaludis, Penn State 2/125 Murrysville
2013 Mitchell Port, Edinboro 2/141 Bellefonte
2013 Mike McMullan, Northwestern 2/285 Easton

------------------------------------

2014 Jim Sheptock, Maryland 2/184 Northampton
2014 Ed Ruth, Penn State 1/184 Harrisburg
2013 Jordan Oliver, Oklahoma State 1/149 Easton
2013 Ed Ruth, Penn State 1/184 Harrisburg
2013 Quentin Wright, Penn State 1/197 Wingate
2012 Nico Megaludis, Penn State 2/125 Murrysville
2012 Jordan Oliver, Oklahoma State 2/133 Easton
2012 Ed Ruth, Penn State 1/174 Harrisburg
2012 Quentin Wright, Penn State 2/184 Wingate
2012 Steve Bosak, Cornell 1/184 State College
2011 Jordan Oliver, Oklahoma State 1/133 Easton
2011 Quentin Wright, Penn State 1/184 Wingate
2009 Ryan Williams, Old Dominion 2/141 Mechanicsburg
2009 Jarrod King, Edinboro 1/165 Connellsville
2009 Jake Herbert, Northwestern 1/184 Wexford
2008 Coleman Scott, Ok State 1/133 Waynesburg
2008 Keith Gavin, Pitt 1/174 Factoryville
2008 Phil Davis, Penn State 1/197 Harrisburg
2007 Coleman Scott, Ok State 2/133 Waynesburg
2007 Keith Gavin, Pitt 2/174 Factoryville
2007 Jake Herbert, Northwestern 1/184 Wexford
2007 Aaron Anspach, Penn State 2/285 Columbia
2006 Chris Fleeger, Purdue 2/133 Trout Run
2006 Jake Herbert, Northwestern 2/174 Wexford
2006 Phil Davis, Penn State 2/197 Harrisburg
2005 Greg Jones, West Virginia 1/184 Slickville
2004 Josh Moore, Penn State 2/133 Franklin
2004 Troy Letters, Lehigh 1/165 Shaler
2004 Greg Jones, West Virginia 1/184 Slickville
2004 Pat Cummins, Penn State 2/285 Lititz
2003 Chris Fleeger, Purdue 2/125 Trout Run
2003 Troy Letters, Lehigh 2/165 Shaler
2003 Robbie Waller, Oklahoma 1/174 Mt. Pleasant
2003 Jon Trenge, Lehigh 2/197 Orefield
2002 Bryan Snyder, Nebraska 2/157 Easton.
2002 Greg Jones, West Virginia 1/174 Slickville.
2002 Rob Rohn, Lehigh 1/184 Nazareth.
2002 Jon Trenge, Lehigh 2/197 Orefield.
2001 Jody Strittmatter, Iowa 2/125 Ebensburg
2001 Bryan Snyder Nebraska, 2/157 Easton
2001 Josh Koscheck Edinboro 1/174 Waynesburg
2000 Jeremy Hunter, PSU 1/125 West Alexander
2000 Josh Koscheck, Edinboro 2/174 Waynesburg
2000 Vertus Jones, WVU 2/184 Slickville
1999 Jeremy Hunter, PSU 2/125 West Alexander
1998 Teague Moore, Okla. St. 1/118 Pittsburgh
1998 Vertus Jones, WVU 2/177 Slickville
1998 Jason Robison, Edinboro 2/190 Allison Park
1997 Cary Kolat, Lock Haven 1/142 Rices Landing
1997 Tony Robie, Edinboro 2/158 Erie
1996 Cart Kolat, Lock Haven 1/134 Rices Landing
1996 John Hughes, Penn State 2/142 Stillwater
1996 Jeff Walter, Wisconsin 1/hwt Sunbury
1995 John Hughes, Penn State 1/142 Stillwater
1993 Cary Kolat, Penn State 2/134 Rices Landing
1993 Troy Sunderland, PSU 2/150 McVeytown
1993 Sylvester Terkay, NC St 1/hwt Lawrence
1992 Troy Sunderland, Penn State 2/150 McVeytown
1992 Kurt Angle, Clarion 1/hwt Mt. Lebanon
1992 Sylvester Terkay, NC St 2/hwt Lawrence
1991 Scott Collins, WVU 1/142 Clearfield
1991 Paul Keysaw, Calif-Bake 1/190 Athens
1991 Kurt Angle, Clarion 2/hwt Mt. Lebanon
1990 Scott Schleicher, Navy 2/158 Allentown
1990 Kurt Angle, Clarion 1/hwt Mt. Lebanon
1990 Greg Haladay, PSU 2/hwt Catawissa

 

[AgSurfer]

I've been around long enough to remember some of the older history. I think El Jefe got it right on his second point. The top programs were doing national (and even international) searches for the best wrestlers and getting a lot of them. For example, when I was in college, OK State had gotten the Keller twins from WA, Uetake from Japan and 2X NCAA champion Geoff Baum from Allentown, PA. I know that Roderick also flew Andy Matter out to Stillwater for a recruitment visit, but fortunately for us, he decided to stay home.

BTW, at that point in time, neither Iowa nor Gable was a factor with recruitment. The premier program at that time was Iowa State where Gable was still competing until 1970, after which he spent several years preparing for the Olympics. Iowa had a decent program, but they didn't become a national powerhouse until Gable hired on as a coach. He definitely changed the landscape of college wrestling after that.

The

 

[Waste Management Consultant]

Title IX was a big factor. Basically caused the sport to consolidate at Div. 1 to larger better funded athletic programs, fewer programs for wrestlers to decide where to attend/compete.

 

[AgSurfer]

Title IX was a big factor. Basically caused the sport to consolidate at Div. 1 to larger better funded athletic programs, fewer programs for wrestlers to decide where to attend/compete.

Title IX certainly did a lot of damage to college sports programs, but I don't think it was much of a factor in affecting which programs were at the top of the food chain. That was mostly because of the decisions of the different college administrations. The The best programs are a result of smart decisions like hiring Gable and Cael along with the commitment of the schools to support their programs. There are other schools that have the resources to develop top level programs, but they either don't have the commitment to do it or they don't know how to do it. Sometimes both.

 

[Media Fan]

If, as Cael (or Gable) says, you either have to recruit the Pennsylvania wrestlers or else you have to beat the Pennsylvania wrestlers.

So what happened from the lone championship in 1953 to Cael's arrival 58 years later? Where did all the Pennsylvania wrestlers go? Was it a lack of talent, or weak recruiting, or weak coaching, or sub-par facilities? What was going on during those years that left Penn State on the outside looking in?

IMO, the latter portion of that period was due to poor leadership ( talking about post joining the Big Ten).

 

[matter7172]

For a good part of Fritz's tenure, Penn State was knocking at the door for a national championship, including winning the National Duals at least once. Then a poor choice for his successor occurred.

 

[FineMaterial]

I was at Penn State starting in the Bill Koll era. My view was there was so much talent available in the state but Bill Koll didn't do a lot with it.
Rich Lorenzo was an improvement in spirit but could not break through. He had more AAs than Koll but could never put it all together for a national title.

 

[jammenz]

For a good part of Fritz's tenure, Penn State was knocking at the door for a national championship, including winning the National Duals at least once. Then a poor choice for his successor occurred.

http://board.themat.com/index.php?/...lions-to-a-title/&tab=comments#comment-235500

"Fritz and Sunderland coached 15 podiums in 17 National Duals appearances, including two titles, three 3rds, and four 4ths. Cael tried a single Virginia Duals and forever quit the knockout formula when he lost, and then campaigned to destroy the National Duals. Or doesn't any of that factor in to your best coach considerations?"

 

[El-Jefe]

Nobody needs to click on the link to know Jammen is quoting himself again.

And on something nobody cares about, again.

 

[lockhavenlion3]

Nobody needs to click on the link to know Jammen is quoting himself again.

And on something nobody cares about, again.

jammies is the wrestling equivalent of the grinch; grumpy and green with envy.

 

[Chickenman Testa]

http://board.themat.com/index.php?/...lions-to-a-title/&tab=comments#comment-235500

"Fritz and Sunderland coached 15 podiums in 17 National Duals appearances, including two titles, three 3rds, and four 4ths. Cael tried a single Virginia Duals and forever quit the knockout formula when he lost, and then campaigned to destroy the National Duals. Or doesn't any of that factor in to your best coach considerations?"

Your Gophers can always hire Sunderland

 

[nerfstate]

Nobody needs to click on the link to know Jammen is quoting himself again.

And on something nobody cares about, again.

I’m worried about all your extra workload, jefe. Maybe we can cut out the middleman and @jammenz will agree to simply add this gif to his signature.

 

[matter7172]

Your Gophers can always hire Sunderland

True. He is no longer coaching Manheim Central.

 

[NoVa Lion]

http://board.themat.com/index.php?/...lions-to-a-title/&tab=comments#comment-235500

"Fritz and Sunderland coached 15 podiums in 17 National Duals appearances, including two titles, three 3rds, and four 4ths. Cael tried a single Virginia Duals and forever quit the knockout formula when he lost, and then campaigned to destroy the National Duals. Or doesn't any of that factor in to your best coach considerations?"

You should at least get your facts straight. Cael coached PSU to the VA Duals title in 2011. ROTFLMAO

 

[El-Jefe]

You should at least get your facts straight. Cael coached PSU to the VA Duals title in 2011. ROTFLMAO

You nailed it -- those are HIS facts, not THE facts.

 

[jammenz]

You should at least get your facts straight. Cael coached PSU to the VA Duals title in 2011. ROTFLMAO

On 10/10/2016 at 7:37 PM, SetonHallPirate said:"Actually, Penn State went to the Virginia Duals twice under Sanderson, the first time, finishing fourth (losses to the two Oklahoma schools), and the second time they won (beating Michigan in the final)."

"Yeah, I forgot the VMI, Kent State, Edinboro run to the finals." For some reason Penn State winning the National Duals by beating Iowa (Zaputil, Brands, Brands, Steiner, Seiner, etc) and Okie State (Purler, Purler, Fried, Smith, Brinzer, Couture, etc) overshadowed it.

 

[nitlion6]

On 10/10/2016 at 7:37 PM, SetonHallPirate said:"Actually, Penn State went to the Virginia Duals twice under Sanderson, the first time, finishing fourth (losses to the two Oklahoma schools), and the second time they won (beating Michigan in the final)."

"Yeah, I forgot the VMI, Kent State, Edinboro run to the finals." For some reason Penn State winning the National Duals by beating Iowa (Zaputil, Brands, Brands, Steiner, Seiner, etc) and Okie State (Purler, Purler, Fried, Smith, Brinzer, Couture, etc) overshadowed it.

Adding rationalizations in an attempt to dismiss your inability to get simple facts straight is a Jammy thing.

 

[Sullivan]

If, as Cael (or Gable) says, you either have to recruit the Pennsylvania wrestlers or else you have to beat the Pennsylvania wrestlers.

So what happened from the lone championship in 1953 to Cael's arrival 58 years later? Where did all the Pennsylvania wrestlers go? Was it a lack of talent, or weak recruiting, or weak coaching, or sub-par facilities? What was going on during those years that left Penn State on the outside looking in?

Recruiting PA has only been a part of the equation. The other part is to recruit athletes who are the best fit for the Penn State wrestling program.

 

[The Japanese Whizzer]

Recruiting PA has only been a part of the equation. The other part is to recruit the kids who are the best fit for the Penn State wrestling program.

Secretly developing a lab in the belly of Rec Hall to scientifically create these mat monsters like Nickal, Nolf, Retherford, Taylor, Wright, Megaludis, Mcintosh, Joseph, Hall, Lee, RBY was a big turning point.

 

[El-Jefe]

Secretly developing a lab in the belly of Rec Hall to scientifically create these mat monsters like Nickal, Nolf, Retherford, Taylor, Wright, Megaludis, Mcintosh, Joseph, Hall, Lee, RBY was a big turning point.

It's in the Creamery.

Just look what at how rapidly Geno Morelli improved when Cael sent him there to detox the Pitt out of his system.

 

[CropDuster507]

jammen self-quoting is the most jammen move of all-time. I love it.

 

[Rick Cummings]

^^ This.

Also, we were primarily a regional recruiting team (PA + surrounding states). There were some exceptions (Abe, Jenkins, etc.), but that was our base. We competed with the PSAC schools for the same talent pool.

Iowa and OKST were national recruiting teams -- including our region.

One other factor, and it hurts to put it this way: we thought we were competing but really had no idea what it meant to compete with Iowa and OKST. Coach Lorenzo figured it out -- which is why he retired in order to become a fundraiser for the program. His vision, plus over a decade of hard work, is how we got Cael.

BTW, we were hardly the only school in that bucket. Ohio State was a happy underachiever until Tan Tom showed up. Pitt and Rutgers still haven't figured out how to leverage the demographic gold mines they're sitting on. Etc.

The truth of this statement became clear to me when, in 1978, Gable flew into Port Jervis, NY (a 3.5 hour drive from state College) and signed the Banach brothers. I don't even know if Penn State was considered. Like taking candy from a baby...

I believe Rich Lorenzo was hired the next year.

 

[Cali_Nittany]

Courtesy of @pablow on HR: (TnT has recruited better out of PA than Gable.)


Updated list. PA has moved to 3rd on the AA list and Pat Lugo is Iowa's first all-American from Florida.

Iowa NCAA Champions

Iowa (28): Royce Alger (x2), Leslie Beers, Jay Borschel, Terry Brands (x2), Tom Brands (x3), Pete Bush, Cory Clark, Jim Craig, Barry Davis (x3), Kevin Dresser, Lee Fullhart, Dick Govig, Mark Ironside (x2), Eric Juergens (x2), Bruce Kinseth, Gary Kurdelmeir, Matt McDonough (x2), Jeff McGinness (x2), Cliff Moore, Mark Reiland, Simon Roberts, Derek St. John, Doug Schwab, Sherwyn Thorson, Daryl Weber, Jesse Whitmer, Chuck Yagla (x2), and Jim Zalesky (x3).
Illinois (7): Dan Holm, Terry McCann (x2), Dan Sherman, Brad Smith, Joe Williams (x3), T.J. Williams (x2), and Tony Ramos
New York (3): Ed Banach (x3), Lou Banach (x2), and Brad Penrith.
South Dakota (2): Randy Lewis (x2) and Lincoln McIlravy (x3)
North Dakota (2): Terry Steiner and Troy Steiner
Minnesota (2): Ken Leuer and Joel Sharratt
New Jersey (2): Chris Campbell (x2) and Steve Mocco
California (1): Marty Kistler (x2)
Colorado (1): Duane Goldman
Maryland (1): Rico Chiapparelli
Michigan (1): Brent Metcalf (x2)
Montana (1): Bill Zadick
Nebraska (1): Joe Scarpello (x2)
Ohio (1): Jim Heffernan
Oklahoma (1): Mark Perry (x2)
Pennsylvania (1): Spencer Lee (x2)

Iowa NCAA AAs

Iowa (84): Royce Alger, Doug Anderson, Morris Barnhill, Leslie Beers, Doug Benschoter, Jay Borschel, John Bowlsby, Paul Bradley, Terry Brands, Tom Brands, Pete Bush, Joe Carstensen, Bart Chelesvig, Cory Clark, Jim Craig, Barry Davis, Kevin Dresser, Matt Egeland, Chalie Falck, Matt Fields, Travis Fiser, Lee Fullhart, Ryan Fulsaas, Grant Gambrall, Vince Garcia, Thomas Gilman, Dan Glenn, Dick Govig, Byron Guernsey, Wes Hand, Jamie Heidt, Phil Henning, Tom Huff, Mark Ironside, Harlan Jenkinson, Eric Juergens, Loy Julius, Jeff Kerber, Earl Kielhorn, Bruce Kinseth, Gary Kurdelmeir, Rometo Macias, Montell Marion, Matt McDonough, Jeff McGinness, Mike McGivern, Rich Mihal, Albert Montgomery, Cliff Moore, Ryan Morningstar, Keith Mourlam, Alex Myer, Matt Nerem, Tyler Nixt, John Oostendorp, Dean Phinney, Greg Randall, Mark Reiland, Ralph Rieks, Tom Riley, Simon Roberts, Doug Schwab, Bill Sherman, Streeter Shining, Ben Shirk, Brooks Simpson, Mark Sindlinger, Joey Slaton, Jessman Smith, Derek St. John, Brandon Sorensen, Mark Stevenson, Doug Streicher, Verlyn Strellner, Sherwyn Thorson, Gordon Trapp, Mike Uker, Daryl Weber, Jesse Whitmer, Chuck Yagla, Jim Zalesky, Lenny Zalesky, Paul Zander, and Chad Zaputil
Illinois (18): Sam Brooks, Steve Combs, Tim Cysewski, Daniel Dennis, Dan Holm, Fran McCann, Terry McCann, Mike Mena, King Mueller, Tony Ramos, Dan Sherman, Brad Smith, Mark Trizzino, Scott Trizzino, Dan Wagemann, Jacob Warner, Joe Williams, and T.J. Williams
Pennsylvania (7): Ray Brinzer, Austin DeSanto, Mike Evans, Michael Kemerer, Spencer Lee, Jody Strittmatter, and Kaleb Young
Minnesota (5): Mike Edwards, Luke Eustice, Ty Eustice, Ken Leuer, Joel Sharratt, and Sam Stoll
New York (5): Ed Banach, Lou Banach, Brad Penrith, Tom Ryan, and Greg Stevens
Ohio (4): Mike DeAnna, Jim Heffernan, John Heffernan, and Alex Marinelli
South Dakota (3): Randy Lewis, Lincoln McIlravy, and Jan Sanderon
North Dakota (3): Kasey Gilliss, Terry Steiner, and Troy Steiner
Utah (3): Phillip Keddy, Ethan Lofthouse, and Luke Lofthouse
California (3): Harlan Kistler, Lindley Kistler, Marty Kistler
New Jersey (3): Chris Campbell, Joe Melchiore, and Steve Mocco
Kansas (2): Joe Johnston and Eric Luedke
Indiana (2): Bud Palmer and Alex Tsirtsis
Colorado (2): Duane Goldman and Nathan Burak
Montana (2): Bill Zadick and Mike Zadick
Alaska (1): Gabe McMahan
Delaware (1): Bobby Telford
Florida (1): Pat Lugo
Idaho (1): Dan Erekson
Maryland (1): Rico Chiapparelli
Michigan (1): Brent Metcalf
Nebraska (1): Joe Scarpello
Oklahoma (1): Mark Perry
Virginia (1): Steve Martin

 

[Cali_Nittany]

Courtesy of westyorkwrestling, here's a compiled list of Pennsylvania NCAA champions per college from 1954-2009:

Pitt (9): Solomon (1), Peery (3), DeWitt (1), Alberts (1), Schirf (1), Powell (1), Lauchle (1), Santoro (2), Gavin (1) <Note: most of Pitt's champs date back to the late 50s>
Penn State (9): Fornicola (1), Johnston (1), Matter (2), Fritz (1), Lynch (1), Martin (1), Hughes (1), Hunter (1), Davis (1)
Lehigh (6): Hamer (1), Pendleton (1), Stuart (1), Sculley (1), Rohn (1), Letters (1)
Clarion (4): Barton (1), Shalles (2), Rohn (1), Angle (2)
Iowa State (3): V.Long (1), Carr (3), Darkus (1)
Oklahoma St (3): Baum (2), Moore (1), Scott (1)
Edinboro (3): O'Day (1), Koscheck (1), King (1)
NC State (3): Reiss (1), Turner (1), Terkay (1)
West Virginia (2): Collins (1), Jones (3)
Lock Haven (2): Blacksmith (1), Kolat (2)
Oklahoma (2): Ruth (2), Waller (1)
Syracuse (2): Baker (1), Nance (2)
Maryland (2): Kopinsky (1), Kline (1)
North Carolina (2): Mock (1), Koll (1)
Yale (2): Fitch (1), Bennett (1)
Bloomsburg (1): Bonomo (3)
Pitt-Johnstown (1): Haselrig (3)
East Stroudsburg (1): Cuvo (2)
Northwestern (1): Hebert (2)
CSUB (1): Keysaw (1)
Moorhead St (1): Maughan (1)
Slippery Rock (1): Dziedzic (1)
Navy (1): Muthler (1)
Wisconsin (1): Walter (1)

 

[Cali_Nittany]

In the 56 years from 1954 to 2009 for PA NCAA champions:
Penn State - 9
Other PA colleges - 28
Out of state - 26

The Cael era (10 years) for PA NCAA champions:
Penn State - 6
Other PA colleges - 1
Out of state - 3

<number of wrestlers, not total titles - the contrast becomes more remarkable if the multiple titles are tallied up in the Cael era>

 

[El-Jefe]

The Cael era (10 years) for PA NCAA champions:
Penn State - 6
Other PA colleges - 1
Out of state - 3

<number of wrestlers, not total titles - the contrast becomes more remarkable if the multiple titles are tallied up in the Cael era>

And of those 3, two of them (Oliver and Bosak) chose their schools while Cael was still in Ames. Spencer Lee is the only NCAA champ from PA whom Cael could not keep in state.

And the 1 was Darian Cruz, whom Nico routinely dominated.

 

[Chickenman Testa]

In the 56 years from 1954 to 2009 for PA NCAA champions:
Penn State - 9
Other PA colleges - 28
Out of state - 26

The Cael era (10 years) for PA NCAA champions:
Penn State - 6
Other PA colleges - 1
Out of state - 3

<number of wrestlers, not total titles - the contrast becomes more remarkable if the multiple titles are tallied up in the Cael era>

Pre- Cael = sickening trend. We were essentially the Belgian Congo of the college wrestling world - resource-rich and mercilessly exploited by foreign powers

 

[El-Jefe]

Pre- Cael = sickening trend. We were essentially the Belgian Congo of the college wrestling world - resource-rich and mercilessly exploited by foreign powers

Except the then-powers only got a few of the PA NCAA champs. This would be more like the Belgian Congo being exploited by anybody with a water pistol.

Iowa State 4 (Bono, Carr 3x, Darkus, Long)
OKST 3 (Baum 2x, Moore, Scott)
NC State 3 (Reiss, Terkay, Turner)
Maryland 2 (Kline, Kopnisky)
North Carolina 2 (Koll, Mock)
Oklahoma 2 (G. Ruth 2x, Waller)
Syracuse 2 (Baker, Nance 2x)
West Virginia 2 (Collins, Jones 3x)
Yale 2 (Bennett, Fitch)
Bakersfield 1 (Keysaw)
Moorehead State 1 (Maughn)
Navy 1 (Muthler)
Northwestern 1 (Herbert 2x)
Wisconsin 1 (Walter)

 

[Cali_Nittany]

Pre- Cael = sickening trend. We were essentially the Belgian Congo of the college wrestling world - resource-rich and mercilessly exploited by foreign powers

This fits nicely with the "history lesson" in the title. Well done again CT.

The butchery headed by King Leopold II in the Congo "Free State" is the least discussed genocide in our history books.

 

[RoarLions1]

Long...

Boiling this down to a few items, as nerf did above (lots of in-state programs & Gable) is a great start. Showing that not all that many PA kids left the state, so the impact was minimal, as E-J does above is solid too. For those interested, here's more...

DILUTION
Dilution, not being exploited (out-recruited) by out-of-state schools is real, but I'm not sure it mattered all that much. PA has always been a great wrestling state, but other states were pretty good too, back in the day (discussed later). Today, PA has 11 of the 77 D1 wrestling programs, or about 14%. In 1985 (random pick near the middle of Gable's run), there were 136 D1 wrestling programs, and PA had slightly more than 10%. These numbers show that PA recruits always had choices within the state. As with all sports, team's fortunes ebb and flow. For example;
-- In the years 1954 through 1983 (30 years), Penn State was the highest NCAA finisher from PA only 4 times. Lehigh was the main culprit, but Pitt, Lock Haven, and others (Clarion 3x, Gettysburg 1x, Temple 1x, East Stroudsburg 2x) had their moments finishing higher than the Lions.
-- In the next 16 years (1984 through 1999), or 9 years of Lorenzo, 6 years of Fritz, and 1 year of Sunderland, Penn State was the top finishing PA school 14 years. Penn State was winning the in-state recruiting battle finally, but still wasn't winning it all.
-- PA schools had 188 top-20 finishes in these 56 years, or about 17% (one-sixth) of ALL the top-20 finishes in those 56 years. PA high school wrestling was alive and well, and all the PA Universities benefitted.

IOWA and OKLAHOMA
It's not just about Gable, imo. Sure, he won 15 championships and created a juggernaut, but as NoVa says, that's only a piece of the 56 years (1954 through 2009). The states of Iowa and Oklahoma dominated the wrestling landscape like no other states have dominated any other sports landscape ever. Both were better overall wrestling states (high school) than they are today, in comparison to other states, and they recruited well in the entire Midwest. Here's some facts;
-- From 1954 through 2009, Iowa and Oklahoma (just counting 4 schools; Iowa, Iowa St., Oklahoma, Oklahoma St.) had at least two top-5 finishers every year except 1993 and 1995, where they had 1. That's 54 of 56 years!! To me that's an amazing stat.
-- In 24 of the 56 years, 3 the four schools noted were in the top-5.
-- And in 13 of the 56 years, all 4 schools finished top-5 in the same year. From 1974 through 1986 (13 years), all 4 schools finished in the top-5 nine times. And from 1980 to 1986 (7 years), they WERE the top-4 teams every year except 1984.

This kind of success bred more success, and while not a boatload of recruits came from PA, these schools were very successful recruiting. This dominance was hard to break through to win a championship. From 1954 through 2000 (47 years), only MSU (1967) and ASU (1988) broke through and won championships. The other 45 years, the NCAA Championship was won by one of the four Iowa or Oklahoma schools. From 2001 through 2009, Minnesota was able to win three championships, though Iowa or Oklahoma schools won the other six.

PENN STATE
While Penn State wasn't winning championships, it's not like the team was a pushover either. With the exception of Iowa, Iowa State, Oklahoma and Oklahoma State, Penn State was arguably the second or third best team in the country overall, during the 56 years, 1954-2009. Still, it went in fits and spurts, and appears to me to be more related to coaching (which relates to recruiting, teaching the wrestlers, setting the tone (environment/atmosphere), etc. Here's a few facts;
Charlie Speidel (1954 through 1964): Very successful nationally. After the 1953 win, PSU finished 3, 2, 5, 5, before heading south a bit, and finishing from 7th to 25th in his final 7 years.
Bill Koll (1965 through 1978): Solid, but unspectacular. High dual meet win % (85%), but best NCAA finish was 4th in 1971. This started a run of 6 straight top-10 NCAA finishes. Looking at the schedule. and it appears we did not wrestle many top programs, hence the reason for a great dual meet record, and a good but not great NCAA record.
Rich Lorenzo (1979 through 1992): This was really the start of Penn State being recognized as a great wrestling school. From 1981 through 1992 (12 years), Rich led the team to 11 top-10 NCAA finishes, including 6 top-5. Still, the team could not break through the dominance from the Iowa and Oklahoma teams.
John Fritz (1993 through 1998): In Fritzie's 6 years, he continued the Lorenzo legacy, with top-10 finishes every year, and 5 of the 6 being top-5. This result meant Penn State had finished top-10 in 17-out-of-18 years. That's pretty amazing, though the top finish was 2nd in 1993, about 36 points behind Iowa at the NCAA Championships.
Troy Sunderland (1999 through 2009): Four top-10 finishes in 11 years, best a 3rd in 2008 just wasn't good enough, as Penn State dipped greatly from the Lorenzo/Fritz years. Three finishes outside the top-20 in those years, including 35th in 2002.

More detail than you needed, I'm sure. To recap;
1) The states of Iowa and Oklahoma had a lasso around a good bit of the top talent, winning 51 of the 56 Championships in the years 1954 through 2009.
2) Gable had an impact, for sure, but overall it was the dominance of ALL four schools noted above that kept PSU from a championship. The Gable years were dominated like no other, and that sets him apart.
3) It appears to me that dilution of PA talent, given the number of D1 programs in the state, in combination with the Iowa and Oklahoma (states) dominance prevented PSU (and in fact all schools) from breaking through.