The Dan Hodge Trophy is awarded each year to the United States of America’s best college wrestler. The trophy is presented at the end of the season by W.I.N. Magazine and Culture House. It is the collegiate wrestling equivalent to the Heisman Trophy in college football. It also has a high school wrestling equivalent, the Junior Hodge Trophy, since 1998.
Danny Mack Gable is an American former folkstyle and freestyle wrestler and coach. Considered to be one of the greatest wrestlers of all time, Gable is a two-time NCAA Division I national champion, a world gold medalist, and an Olympic gold medalist. Gable was only the third wrestler to be inducted into the United World Wrestling's Hall of Fame in the Legend category. In 2014, Gable was inducted into the International Sports Hall of Fame and on December 8, 2020, U.S. President Donald Trump awarded Gable with the Presidential Medal of Freedom.
Laverne Clarence Gagne was an American amateur and professional wrestler, football player, wrestling trainer and wrestling promoter. He was the owner and promoter of the Minneapolis-based American Wrestling Association (AWA), the predominant promotion throughout the Midwest and Manitoba for many years. He remained in this position until 1991, when the company folded.
Greco-Roman, Graeco-Roman, classic wrestling is a style of wrestling that is practiced worldwide. Greco-Roman wrestling was included in the first modern Olympic Games in 1896 and has been in every edition of the summer Olympics held since 1904. This style of wrestling forbids holds below the waist, which is the main feature that differentiates it from freestyle wrestling. This restriction results in an emphasis on throws, because a wrestler cannot use trips to bring an opponent to the ground or hook/grab the opponent's leg to avoid being thrown.
Steve Mocco is an American former amateur wrestler, judoka and mixed martial artist. As a collegiate wrestler, he was a two-time NCAA national champion, four-time finalist, and was awarded the Dan Hodge Trophy. In freestyle, he represented the US at the Olympics and was a three-time Pan American Champion. As an MMA fighter, he most notably competed at the WSOF. He is currently a coach at both combat sports, being one of the main coaches at MMA powerhouse American Top Team and an assistant wrestling coach at Lehigh University.
Bradley Bert "Brad" Rheingans is an American former Greco-Roman wrestler and professional wrestler. He was a member of the United States' Greco-Roman wrestling teams for the 1976 and 1980 Summer Olympics, as well as winning two gold medals in the 1975 and 1979 Pan American Games and a bronze medal in the 1979 World Wrestling Championships.
Dustin Schlatter is an American former folkstyle wrestler. He won the 2006 NCAA wrestling title and was a three-time NCAA All-American at 149 pounds for the University of Minnesota. As a high school wrestler, Schlatter was a NHSCA Senior national title, USA Wrestling Junior and Cadet national titles in freestyle and Greco-Roman wrestling, and was a four-time Ohio high school state champion.
The University of Iowa men's wrestling program is one of the most successful NCAA Division I athletic programs. The Hawkeyes are 37 time Big Ten Conference champions and second in NCAA history with 24 National Championships
The Oklahoma State Cowboys wrestling team is the most successful NCAA Division I program of all time in any sport. As of 2021–2022, Oklahoma State wrestling has won 34 team national championships, 143 individual NCAA championships, and 485 All-American honors.
Jacob Deitchler is a retired American wrestler who won a position on the United States Olympic Greco-Roman wrestling team in 2008. Deitchler, from Ramsey, Minnesota, is a former University of Minnesota wrestler and is only the third wrestler in history to come directly from high school to earn a spot on the United States Olympic Team.
The Iowa State Cyclones wrestling team represents Iowa State University (ISU) and competes in the Big 12 Conference of NCAA Division I. The Cyclones are 8 time National Champions, 17 time National Runners-Up, and have 45 Top 4 "Trophy" Finishes. The team is coached by Kevin Dresser. The Cyclones host their home meets at Hilton Coliseum on Iowa State's campus. Iowa State became the second collegiate wrestling program to reach 1,100 dual wins on January 23, 2022.
Brandon Douglas Paulson is a former Olympic Greco-Roman wrestler and current wrestling coach. Paulson was born in Coon Rapids, Minnesota, and is a 1992 graduate of Anoka High School. At Anoka High, Paulson was a three time state champion in his weight class and was named Mr. Minnesota Wrestling in his senior year after finishing with a career record of 155-12-1. Paulson was the first high school wrestler to earn a spot on the U.S. National Senior team when he qualified for the 1991–1992 team. In 1993 he was a Junior World Silver Medalist. Overall, he earned 16 national titles in Greco-Roman and Freestyle wrestling, and was a 1996 Olympic silver medalist in the 114.5 lbs weight class in Greco-Roman wrestling.
Bilyal Valerievich Makhov is a Russian mixed martial artist, freestyle and Greco-Roman wrestler. Olympic gold medalist 2012. He is signed to the Ultimate Fighting Championship, currently competing in the Heavyweight division. He was the Russian champion in 2007 and 2010, European champion in 2010 and World champion in 2007, 2009 and 2010 in Men's Freestyle 120 kg wrestling and bronze medalist in 130 kg Greco-Roman Wrestling at the World Championships in 2014 and 2015. In 2015, he won the Russian National Greco-Roman Wrestling Championships
The Penn State Nittany Lions wrestling program is an intercollegiate varsity sport at Pennsylvania State University. The wrestling team is a competing member of the Big Ten Conference and the National Collegiate Athletic Association. The Nittany Lions compete at Rec Hall in State College, Pennsylvania, on the campus of Pennsylvania State University. The Nittany Lions have claimed 12 team National Championship titles and 55 individual NCAA National Championship titles.
The Ohio State Buckeyes wrestling team represents the Ohio State University and competes in the Big Ten Conference of the NCAA Division I level. The Buckeyes host their home meets at the Covelli Center on Ohio State's campus.
The Nebraska Cornhuskers wrestling team represents the University of Nebraska–Lincoln in the Big Ten Conference of NCAA Division I. The program has won seven conference titles and eleven individual NCAA championships. The team has been coached by Mark Manning since 2000.
The Michigan Wolverines wrestling team is an NCAA Division I Wrestling team competing as members of the Big Ten Conference. The team is coached by Sean Bormet, a two-time All-American at Michigan.
Gable Dan Steveson is an American professional wrestler, freestyle wrestler, and folkstyle wrestler. He is currently signed to WWE, the second Olympic wrestling gold medalist to be signed by the company, after Kurt Angle.
Mason Parris is an American freestyle and folkstyle wrestler who competes at 125 kilograms. In freestyle, he claimed the 2019 World Junior Wrestling Championships gold medal. As a folkstyle wrestler, he was the 2023 NCAA Division I national and Big Ten Conference champion at 285 pounds for the Michigan Wolverines, and the Dan Hodge Trophy winner.
