By Craig Cooper Cyler - opportunities to excel. The rom the first summer camp ses- wrestling room door was always open to sions when he saw Cael them. Sanderson, State coach "Probably right away I knew that I thought he was could be pretty good in the sport," Cael F seeing a young wrestler who said recently. "I was lucky that I found had the potential to do something excep- success pretty early. tional. "We played other sports growing up, Other kids in the camp at Arizona but once we got into freestyle wrestling, it State, where Douglas was then coaching, didn't allow much time for baseball or were on one page. The kid from Heber soccer. It's hard to say how good any of us City, , the kid from good wrestling would have been in other sports because stock, was not just chapters, but volumes we spent so much time with wrestling." ahead. Cael was younger, but taller, and was Iowa State's Sanderson distanced able to hold his own in the household bat- himself from the top names in the sport tles that would break out in Steve and of wrestling last March at the NCAA Di- Debbie Sanderson's home. There was no vision I Championships. Not even the such thing as an illegal hold or potential- greats like Dan Gable, Bruce Baumgart- ly dangerous hold as long as Debbie ner, John Smith and Pat Smith wrestled Sanderson wasn't home. their entire college careers without a loss "She wouldn't allow us to rough- to a collegiate wrestler. Sanderson fin- house when she was home. She would ished his career unbeaten. He has kill us," Cael said. become only the second Division I Douglas said Cael's assessment of wrestler to win four national titles. Only the family structure is only a slight exag- Pat Smith, who is coaching at Oklahoma For the 159 opponents who have geration. State won four NCAA individual cham- been left in Cael Sanderson's vapor trail, "It's a unique family and Debbie is pionships. his career has been anything but a fanta- the alpha (leader) of that pack," Douglas If Sanderson had failed to claim his sy. The beatings have been very real. said. "Debbie used to wrestle with the fourth championship, that also would be For many reasons - family back- boys and she did pretty well." historic, too. Upsets of that magnitude ground, physical attributes, mat style and Douglas and Iowa State benefited become the lore of wrestling. What personality among them - Sanderson did from strong family ties. Cole and Cody Douglas saw years ago in Sanderson, something exceptional last March just as were already in the Cyclone program thousands of fans at the Pepsi Center, Bobby Douglas thought he would. when the recruiting battle for Cael began , witnessed. Around his home in the mountains and quickly ended. There was never "We would be working on step one of Utah, families participate in winter much doubt in Douglas' mind, or Cael's with these young kids and Cael would sports with enthusiasm. The Sanderson for that matter, that he would follow his already be at steps five, six and seven," family's passion was wrestling, first and brothers to Ames, Cael admired the recalls Douglas, who moved on to Iowa last. wrestling style of Oklahoma State coach State and hit the recruiting trifecta by Cael tried many sports as a kid, just John Smith, but the family ties were landing Cody, Cole and Cael Sanderson. as Gable did, but devoted most of his stronger. "When we got him in our wrestling room athletic energy to wrestling at an early The Sanderson brothers have obvi- in 1998 (Cael was held out as a redshirt age. It was a natural decision. Steve ous personality differences. Cole is the freshman) we knew what we had. Sanderson was a pretty good college most spiritual and is on a Mormon mis- “It’s a fantasy to think you will ever wrestler who coached high school sion. Cody is most outgoing. Cael is have an athlete like Cael. I'm living that wrestling. Those factors gave his four quiet, but has a different side off the mat, fantasy." sons - Cole, Cody, Cael and high schooler according to his college coach. Cael

page 6 May 30, 2002 - Wrestling U.S.A. Magazine