A History of Intercollegiate Wrestling at Oregon State University (1909-1974)
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AN ABSTRACT OF THE THESIS OF Richard Cornelius Nelson for the degree MASTER OFEDUCATION (Name) (Degree) in EDUCATION presented on ,{Z.o/L?q /222 (Major Department) (Date) Title:A HISTORY OF INTERCOLLEGIATE WRESTLINGAT OREGON STATE UNIVEaSIT;$7 (1909-A974) Redacted for Privacy Abstract approved: /John P. O'hea Intercollegiate wrestling at Oregon State University hadits inception on March 20, 1909.On that day, the Oregon Agricultural College wrestling team wrestled ina home meet against the team from Washington State College.The Beavers, under the tutelage of their first coach Eddie O'Connell,won their first intercollegiate meet, five to one.Since that day, wrestling in Oregon and the PacificNorth- west has shown tremendous growth and development.In the 66 year history, Oregon State University wrestlingteams have had a total of 13 coaches, compileda 384-68-14 win/loss/tie record, produced six national champions and several Amateur AthleticUnion and United States Wrestling Federation champions, hadone Olympic champion and six other Olympic team members,and placed second in the National Collegiate Athletic Association championships.Coach Dale Thomas, 1957-, has had great influenceon the sport in the state of Oregon and the Pacific Northwest. Olympic competition and refereeing, national wrestling titles, initiating the international Cultural Exchange Program and the Kid Wrestling Program, inter- national coaching, and consistent showing in the NCAA championships are just a few of the highlights of Thomas' career as competitor and coach. The wrestling program at Oregon State University provides the individual wrestler with an opportunity to develop himself not only physically, but educationally as well. A History of Intercollegiate Wrestling at Oregon State University (1909-1974) by Richard Cornelius Nelson A THESIS submitted to Oregon State University in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Master of Education Completed October 1974 Commencement June 1975 APPROVED: Redacted for Privacy Associattrofes.sor of physical Education in charge of major Redacted for Privacy Head of Department of Physical Education Redacted for Privacy Dean of Graduate School Date thesis is presented 0);(ele/L- /97-2 Typed by Clover Redfern for Richard Cornelius Nelson ACKNOWLEDGMENTS Although this thesis is an individual work and responsibility, it could not have been completed without the help and encouragement of many individuals.I owe much to Dr. John P. O'Shea, my major professor, and the other members of my committee, Dr. Dale 0. Thomas, Dr. Forrest Gathercoal, and Dr. Kenneth Patterson.With- out their guidance and suggestions, the thesis would not have reached its final stage. Much credit must also be given to the many people from whom I gathered historical information. I am very grateful to Dr. Charlotte Lambert.Without her patient support I could never have completed this master's thesis. Finally, it has been the unfailing devotion of my wife, Karen, to me and our children that allowed me to complete this work. TABLE OF CONTENTS Chapter Page I.INTRODUCTION 1 Statement of the Problem 8 Hypotheses 8 Need for the Study 8 Scope of the Study 9 Limitations of the Study 10 Sources of Data 10 Methods of Research/Procedure 11 II.THE SEASONS OF 1909 THROUGH 1920 12 1909 12 1910 16 1911 18 1912 20 1913 21 1914 23 1915 24 1916 25 1917 26 1918 27 1919 29 1920 30 III.THE SEASONS OF 1921 THROUGH 1926 32 1921 33 1922 34 1923 35 1924 36 1925 39 1926 40 IV. THE SEASONS OF1927 THROUGH 1942 43 1934 45 1935 45 193 6 46 1937 46 1938 47 1939 48 1940 48 1941 51 1942 52 Chapte r Page V. THE SEASONS OF 1943 THROUGH 1956 53 1948 54 1949 55 1950 56 1951 57 1952 59 1953 60 1954 61 1955 63 1956 64 VI. THE SEASONS OF 1957 THROUGH 1974 68 1957 77 1958 85 1959 87 1960 93 1961 95 1962 101 1963 105 1964 107 1965 109 1966 112 1967 114 1968 115 1969 118 1970 121 1971 125 1972 126 1973 129 1974 133 VII.DISCUSSION, CONCLUSIONS AND RECOMMENDATIONS 137 Conclusions 140 Recommendations 141 BIBLIOGRAPHY 142 Books 142 Newspapers 142 Interviews 150 Unpublished Materials 151 Publications 152 Chapter Page APPENDICES 155 Appendix A:Oregon State University Wrestling Record 155 Appendix B:Oregon State University Wrestling Coaches and Varsity Team Members (1909-1974) 171 Appendix C:OSU Place Winners in National Tournaments 182 Appendix D:Coaches and Members of U.S. Teams From Oregon State University 185 Appendix E:OSU Wrestling Hall of Fame 186 Appendix F:Summary of OSU Results Since 1957 188 LIST OF FIGURES Figure Page 1.Oregon State University Wrestling Team of 1911. Coach, Jim Arbuthnot. 19 2.Robin Reed, 1924 Olympic Gold Medal Winner, Oregon State coach 1925-26. 37 3.Oregon State University Wrestling Team of 1954. Coach, Jim Dixon. 62 4.Oregon State University Wrestling Team of 1956. Coach, Hal Peterson. 66 5.Dale 0. Thomas, Oregon State University Coach, 1957-. 69 6.Oregon State University Wrestling Team of 1957. Coach, Dale Thomas. 80 7.John Dustin, 177, 191 and heavyweight classes; fourth in the NCAA in 1957 and 1958 at 177 lbs; conference cham- pion 1957, 1958 and 1959.First person to place twice in NCAA from Northwest. 82 8.Oregon State University Wrestling Team of 1959. Coach, Dale Thomas. 90 9.Fritz Fivian, 167-pound; Mits Tamura, 115-pound; and Don Conway, 177-pound.Fivian was a three time conference champion at 167.All were conference champions and OSU representatives to NCAA champion- ships in 1959. 92 10.Don Conway, NCAA 167-pound champion in 1961.Con- ference champion 1959, 1960 and 1961 at 177 pounds. 100 11.Ron Finley, 137-pound.Second in the NCAA in 1961. Conference champion 1961 and 1962. 102 12.Tobe Zweygardt, 147-pound.Conference champion in 1961 and 1962. 103 Figure Page 13.Jerry Perez, 115-pound.Conference champion 1960, 1961 and 1962. 104 14.Len Kauffman, 177-pound. Second in the NCAA in 1965; third in NCAA in 1964.Conference champion 1963, 1964, and 1965. 110 15.Oregon State University Wrestling Team of 1966. Coach, Dale Thomas. 113 16.Oregon High School Cultural Exchange Team of 1968. Coaches, Richard Weisbrodt and Robert Shewbert. 116 17.Phil Frey, 145-pound.Fourth in the NCAA in 1969. Conference champion in 1967. 119 18.Jess Lewis, heavyweight.First in NCAA in 1969 and 1970.Conference champion in 1968, 1969 and 1970. 122 19.Oregon State University Wrestling Team of 1970. Coach, Dale Thomas. 123 20.Roger Weigel, 134-pound.First in the NCAA in 1971. Conference champion in 1969, 1970 and 1971. 127 21.Mike R. Jones, 158-pound.Second in the NCAA in 1971.Conference champion in 1971, 1972 and 1973. 128 22.Jim Crum ley, 177-pound. Second in the NCAA in 1970. Conference champion in 1971 and 1973. 131 23.Jim Hagen, heavyweight. Second in the NCAA in 1973. Conference champion in 1971, 1972 and 1973. 132 24.Greg Strobel (with trophy), 190-pound.First in the NCAA 1973 and 1974.Conference champion in 1972, 1973 and 1974. 135 A HISTORY OF INTERCOLLEGIATE WRESTLING AT OREGON STATE UNIVERSITY (1909-1974) I.INTRODUCTION The history of intercollegiate wrestling at Oregon State University (OSU) is a narration of progress --andone of contrast. From the days of the "full Nelson" and "head scissors" to the "suplay" and "whizzer". from the horse and buggy days to the supersonic age. from the period of the Physical Culture Depart- ment instructor/coach to paid coaches. from less than one meet a season to more than 25 dual meets a season . from the Oregon Agricultural College (OAC) "Aggies" to the Oregon StateUniversity "Beavers". from no organized:conference meets to sanctioned NCAA championships--intercollegiate wrestling at OregonState University has provided a unique opportunity for the individual wrestlers to develop themselves physically and educationally. Upon completion of a review of the literature in the Oregon State University library, the author found thatno previous detailed history of intercollegiate wrestling at Oregon State University has beenwrit- ten.Such a narrative will be a further contribution to thehistorical records at Oregon State University, the Department of Physical Education and the Department of Intercollegiate Athletics. 2 A brief history of wrestling, from antiquity to date, is included to familiarize the reader with this combative activity.After gaining a knowledge of the historical background of wrestling as it was practiced around the world in ancient times, the readercan more fully appreciate its history at Oregon State University. Wrestling has a long and honorable history thatcan be traced through the centuries.It was probably first utilized by man for self- defense purposes against his enemies and wild beasts. Hunt (1965) states in his book: Archaeological investigations have turnedup supporting evidence dating back over 5000years. One of the more revealing searchescentered around the tombs carved into the mountains near Beni Hasanon the banks of the Nile in Upper Egypt.Here, the life of ancient Egypt is depicted in paintings, wall carvings, and hieroglyphics.Several hundred of these illustrations show wrestlers demonstrating very nearly all the holds and positions currently in use.Since these tombs date back to at least 2500 B.C., it is evident that wrestling had been systematically and scientifically developed toa high degree by that time. Although it appears that Egyptianswere among the first to introduce wrestling, the Greeks were among the first tostress it in athletic competition (Umbach, 1953). They regarded the wrestler as the best type of athlete, surpassed only by the discus thrower. The Greeks rated wrestling with running and jumping as the most natural form of athletics; it required no paraphernalia, and itpro- vided an excellent method of building muscles and improving health (Umbach, 1953).