Minnesota Golden Gophers wrestling

Last updated
Minnesota Golden Gophers
wrestling
Minnesota Golden Gophers logo.svg
University University of Minnesota
Head CoachBrandon Eggum (7th season)
Conference Big Ten
Location Minneapolis, MN
Arena Maturi Pavilion
(Capacity: 5,700)
Nickname Gophers
ColorsMaroon and gold [1]
   
Team national championships
3
National championship years
2001, 2002, 2007
NCAA individual champions
23 (by 18 athletes)
All-Americans
195 (by 100 athletes)
Conference championships
94 (by 61 athletes)
Conference Tournament championships
1910, 1912, 1913, 1941, 1957, 1959, 1999, 2001, 2002, 2003, 2006, 2007

The Minnesota Golden Gophers wrestling program is an intercollegiate varsity sport at the University of Minnesota. They are a member of the Big Ten Conference and NCAA. Wrestling began at Minnesota in 1910, but the first formal dual meet was not until 1921 when coach Frank Gilman led the team to a victory over Wisconsin. The Gophers have won the NCAA Division I Wrestling Championships team title three times, in 2001, 2002, and 2007.

Contents

J Robinson served as head coach for the team for thirty years, leading the Golden Gophers to three national championships during his tenure, until he was fired in 2016 over his handling of a prescription drug scandal involving his wrestlers. [2] Following Robinson's departure, three-time Golden Gopher wrestling All-American Brandon Eggum was named as head coach. [3]

A Golden Gophers wrestler grapples with an Air Force opponent during a match in 2018 Minnesota vs. Air Force wrestling (44077982210).jpg
A Golden Gophers wrestler grapples with an Air Force opponent during a match in 2018

Home meets

Home meets are held in the 5,700-seat Maturi Pavilion in Minneapolis. When large crowds are expected, meets are held in Williams Arena, capacity 14,321. This often happens for matches against archrivals Iowa and Oklahoma State. Several home matches each year are televised by the Big Ten Network. The school has also used Target Center in downtown Minneapolis for some matches.

Team championships

The 2001 team has two unique distinctions: All ten wrestlers in each weight class earned All-American (top eight) status and the school won the national team championship despite not having a single finalist.

NCAA individual champions

The Gophers have had eighteen NCAA individual champions. Five of those were two-time champions.

Dan Hodge Trophy

Olympians

Minnesota wrestlers in the Olympics
YearNameCountryStyleWeight ClassPlace
1948 London Verne Gagne Flag of the United States.svg  United States Freestyle87 kgALT
1956 Melbourne Alan Rice Flag of the United States.svg  United States Greco-Roman 62 kg DNP
1976 Montreal Gary Alexander Flag of the United States.svg  United States Greco-Roman 62 kg DNP
1976 Montreal James "Evan" Johnson Flag of the United States.svg  United States Greco-Roman 90 kg 7th
1976 Montreal Dan Chandler Flag of the United States.svg  United States Greco-Roman 82 kg DNP
1980 Moscow Dan Chandler Flag of the United States.svg  United States Greco-Roman82 kgBoycott
1984 Los Angeles Dan Chandler Flag of the United States.svg  United States Greco-Roman 82 kg DNP
1984 Los Angeles Jim Martinez Flag of the United States.svg  United States Greco-Roman 68 kg Bronze
1988 Seoul Evan Bernstein Flag of Israel.svg  Israel Greco-Roman 90 kg DNP
1996 Atlanta Brandon Paulson Flag of the United States.svg  United States Greco-Roman 52 kg Silver
1996 Atlanta Gordy Morgan Flag of the United States.svg  United States Greco-Roman 74 kg 9th
1996 Atlanta David Zuniga Flag of the United States.svg  United States Greco-Roman 62 kg 10th
2000 Sydney Garrett Lowney Flag of the United States.svg  United States Greco-Roman 97 kg Bronze
2004 Athens Garrett Lowney Flag of the United States.svg  United States Greco-Roman 96 kg 19th
2008 Beijing Jake Deitchler Flag of the United States.svg  United States Greco-Roman 66 kg 12th
2020 Tokyo Gable Stevenson Flag of the United States.svg  United States Freestyle 125 kg Gold

Notable Minnesota wrestlers

Related Research Articles

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 WIN magazine and Culture House. It is the collegiate wrestling equivalent to the Heisman Trophy in college football. Its high school wrestling equivalent is the Junior Hodge Trophy, which has been awarded annually since 1998.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Dan Gable</span> American wrestler and coach (born 1948)

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 awarded the Presidential Medal of Freedom in 2020.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Greco-Roman wrestling</span> Style of amateur wrestling

Greco-Roman, Graeco-Roman, or 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.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Brad Rheingans</span> American wrestler (born 1953)

Bradley Bert 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 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. He represented the United States in freestyle wrestling at the 2009 World Championships at 74 kg.

Cole Konrad is an American retired mixed martial arts fighter. Konrad won a gold medal at the 2005 Pan-American Championships. He won the NCAA wrestling championships in 2006 and 2007 at 285 pounds and finished third at the 2006 World University Championships at 120 kilograms. He was the first Bellator Heavyweight World 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.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Oklahoma State Cowboys wrestling</span> United States university wrestling team

The Oklahoma State Cowboys wrestling team is the most successful NCAA Division I athletic 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.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Jake Deitchler</span> American wrestler (born 1989)

Jacob Deitchler is an American former wrestler who competed for the United States Greco-Roman wrestling team at the 2008 Summer Olympics. Deitchler, from Ramsey, Minnesota, is a former University of Minnesota wrestler and became the third wrestler in American history to go directly from high school and earn a spot on an Olympic Team.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Iowa State Cyclones wrestling</span> Wrestling team of Iowa State University

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 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.

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 13 team National Championship titles and 55 individual NCAA National Championship titles.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Ohio State Buckeyes wrestling</span> NCAA Division I college wrestling team

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.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Nebraska Cornhuskers wrestling</span>

The Nebraska Cornhuskers wrestling team represents the University of Nebraska–Lincoln in the Big Ten Conference of NCAA Division I. Since its inception in 1910, the program has an all-time record of 773–576–29 with seven conference tournament titles and eleven individual NCAA champions. The team has been coached by Mark Manning since 2000.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Michigan Wolverines wrestling</span> Sports team

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.

Spencer Richard Lee (born October 14, 1998) is an American freestyle and former folkstyle wrestler who competes at 57 kilograms. In freestyle, he is qualified for the 2024 Summer Olympics, and has been a Pan American champion, a two-time US National champion, and a three-time age-group World champion, once in the U17 level and twice in the U20 level.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Gable Steveson</span> American wrestler and football player (born 2000)

Gable Dan Steveson is an American professional football player who is a defensive end for the Buffalo Bills of the National Football League (NFL). He is an Olympic gold medalist freestyle wrestler and 2 time gold medalist folkstyle wrestler and also had a brief stint in professional wrestling where he was signed to WWE from 2021 to 2024.

The 2020 United States Olympic Team Trials for wrestling were held at the Dickies Arena of Fort Worth, Texas, on April 2–3, 2021. This event determined the representative of the United States of America for the 2020 Summer Olympics at each Olympic weight class. Originally scheduled to take place at the Bryce Jordan Center in University Park, Pennsylvania and on April 4–5, 2020, this event was postponed by the United States Olympic & Paralympic Committee and USA Wrestling on March 13, 2020, along with the 2020 Summer Olympics due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

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 champion and Big Ten Conference champion at 285 pounds for the Michigan Wolverines, and the Dan Hodge Trophy winner.

References

  1. "Colors and Type | University Relations" . Retrieved December 20, 2022.
  2. Fuller, Marcus; Christensen, Joe (September 8, 2016). "J Robinson fired by University of Minnesota after 30 years as wrestling coach". Star Tribune.
  3. "Brandon Eggum". University of Minnesota.
  4. "Jayson Ness Wins Hodge Trophy". University of Minnesota Athletics. March 26, 2010. Archived from the original on July 11, 2011. Retrieved 2011-02-17.
  5. "Jayson Ness Wins Hodge Trophy". TheGuillotine.com. March 26, 2010. Archived from the original on July 17, 2011. Retrieved 2011-02-17.