The Iowa State Cyclones wrestling team represents

Iowa State University Iowa State University of Science and Technology (Iowa State University, Iowa State, or ISU) is a public land-grant research university in Ames, Iowa. Founded in 1858 as the Iowa Agricultural College and Model Farm, Iowa State became one of the ...

(ISU) and competes in the

Big 12 Conference The Big 12 Conference is a college athletic conference headquartered in Irving, Texas, USA. It consists of ten full-member universities. It is a member of Division I of the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) for all sports. Its ...

NCAA Division I NCAA Division I (D-I) is the highest level of intercollegiate athletics sanctioned by the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) in the United States, which accepts players globally. D-I schools include the major collegiate athletic ...

. 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 James H. Hilton Coliseum, commonly Hilton Coliseum, is a 14,267-seat multi-purpose arena located in Ames, Iowa. The arena opened in 1971. It is home to the Iowa State University Cyclones men's and women's basketball teams, wrestling, gymnastics ...

on Iowa State's campus. Iowa State became the second collegiate wrestling program to reach 1,100 dual wins on January 23, 2022.

Coaches

Charles Mayser (1916–1923)

Charles Mayser Charles William Mayser (June 3, 1876 – July 14, 1967) was an American football, baseball, and wrestling coach. He served three stints as the head football coach at Franklin & Marshall College (1913–1914, 1924–1925, 1944–1945) and was the ...

was the founding father of Iowa State wrestling. In addition to his wrestling coaching duties, “Uncle Charlie” performed coaching duties in

baseball Baseball is a bat-and-ball sport played between two teams of nine players each, taking turns batting and fielding. The game occurs over the course of several plays, with each play generally beginning when a player on the fielding t ...

and football, as well as being the athletic director. Mayser joined the athletic staff in 1916, the initial season of Cyclone wrestling. He coached for eight years and was responsible for five undefeated teams during his tenure. Despite lack of equipment and facilities, Mayser's squads dominated the Midwestern wrestling scene. His teams suffered only two defeats in his last six years and his last two squads were named unofficial national champions by Amateur Wrestling News. Mayser left Iowa State in 1923 to head the

Franklin & Marshall College Franklin & Marshall College (F&M) is a private liberal arts college in Lancaster, Pennsylvania. It employs 175 full-time faculty members and has a student body of approximately 2,400 full-time students. It was founded upon the merger of Fran ...

athletic department. During his eight years at Iowa State, Mayser went 35–4 during including one conference championship.

Hugo Otopalik (1924–1953)

Hugo Otopalik Hugo Otopalik (1890 – July 11, 1953) was an American football player, wrestler, coach, and athletic director primarily at Iowa State University. He was the architect of the first NCAA Championships in both the sport of wrestling and golf. Early ...

took over head coaching duties after serving as an assistant on Charles Mayser's staff for four years. In his 28 years as head coach, Otopalik's teams claimed seven conference championships and one NCAA title. He ended his illustrious career with a 159-66-5 mark and eight NCAA individual champions. Besides having a huge impact on Iowa State athletics, Otopalik also made his mark on the international scene. In

1932 Events January * January 4 – The British authorities in India arrest and intern Mahatma Gandhi and Vallabhbhai Patel. * January 9 – Sakuradamon Incident: Korean nationalist Lee Bong-chang fails in his effort to assassinate Emperor Hiro ...

, Otopalik served as head coach of the U.S. Olympic squad, which captured the team title at the Los Angeles Games. He also headed the National AAU Wrestling Committee for five years. During his 29 years at Iowa State, Otopalik went 159-65-6 including four conference championships and one NCAA championship.

Dr. Harold Nichols (1954–1985)

When you talk Iowa State wrestling history, Harold Nichols looms large. From 1965 to 1973, Nichols’ squads were the most dominant in wrestling, compiling five

NCAA titles The National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) is a nonprofit organization that regulates student athlete, student athletics among about 1,100 schools in the United States, Canada, and Puerto Rico. It also organizes the athletic sports, ...

and three runner-up finishes. Nichols was named the successor to

in 1954 after serving as head coach at

Arkansas State Arkansas ( ) is a landlocked state in the South Central United States. It is bordered by Missouri to the north, Tennessee and Mississippi to the east, Louisiana to the south, and Texas and Oklahoma to the west. Its name is from the Osage ...

for five years. His ISU teams racked up six NCAA titles, seven Big Eight titles and produced 38 NCAA individual champions and 91 Big Eight titlists. His career record at Iowa State is an untouchable 456-75-11. Nichols was named coach of the year three times and was tabbed Wrestling Man of the Year by Amateur Wrestling News in 1966. He is a member of the Helms Foundation Wrestling Hall of Fame, Iowa Wrestling Hall of Fame, National Wrestling Hall of Fame and served as vice-chairman of the United States Olympic Wrestling Committee. Nichols retired from coaching in 1985. During his 31 years at Iowa State, Dr. Nichols went 456-75-11 including seven conference championships and six NCAA championships.

Jim Gibbons (1985–1992)

In 1986, Jim Gibbons took over the reins of the Cyclone wrestling squad at age 26. Gibbons wrestled at ISU for Dr. Harold Nichols and earned All-America status three times, including the 1981 NCAA individual title at 134 pounds. Following his collegiate career, Gibbons served as an assistant coach at his alma mater for two years before taking over the head coaching duties. During his seven years as the Cyclone skipper, Gibbons’ squads claimed one Big Eight crown and captured the NCAA title in

1987 File:1987 Events Collage.png, From top left, clockwise: The MS Herald of Free Enterprise capsizes after leaving the Port of Zeebrugge in Belgium, killing 193; Northwest Airlines Flight 255 crashes after takeoff from Detroit Metropolitan Airport, ...

. He also coached seven individual NCAA champions while compiling a 96-32-1 career coaching mark. After winning the NCAA Championships in 1987, Gibbons was named national coach of the year. He was named Big Eight Coach of the year in 1991. Gibbons retired from coaching after the 1992 season. During his seven years at Iowa State, Gibbons went 96-32-1 including one conference championship and one NCAA championship.

Bobby Douglas (1992–2006)

A wrestling legend in his own right, Bobby Douglas was an NCAA runner-up at

Oklahoma State Oklahoma (; Choctaw: ; chr, ᎣᎧᎳᎰᎹ, ''Okalahoma'' ) is a state in the South Central region of the United States, bordered by Texas on the south and west, Kansas on the north, Missouri on the northeast, Arkansas on the east, New ...

and part of two Olympic teams as a competitor, finishing fourth at featherweight in the 1964 Tokyo Games. He was captain of the

1968 The year was highlighted by protests and other unrests that occurred worldwide. Events January–February * January 5 – " Prague Spring": Alexander Dubček is chosen as leader of the Communist Party of Czechoslovakia. * Janu ...

U.S. Olympic team in Mexico. Douglas coached the 1992 U.S. Olympic team whose 10 members placed among the top 10 in their respective weight classes, a U.S. Olympic first. He was a member of the U.S. Olympic coaching staff in

1976 Events January * January 3 – The International Covenant on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights enters into force. * January 5 – The Pol Pot regime proclaims a new constitution for Democratic Kampuchea. * January 11 – The 1976 ...

, 1980,

1984 Events January * January 1 – The Bornean Sultanate of Brunei gains full independence from the United Kingdom, having become a British protectorate in 1888. * January 7 – Brunei becomes the sixth member of the Association of Southeas ...

, and

1988 File:1988 Events Collage.png, From left, clockwise: The oil platform Piper Alpha explodes and collapses in the North Sea, killing 165 workers; The USS Vincennes (CG-49) mistakenly shoots down Iran Air Flight 655; Australia celebrates its Bicenten ...

. Douglas, a member of the

National Wrestling Hall of Fame The National Wrestling Hall of Fame and Museum is a museum and hall of fame for amateur wrestling, headquartered in Stillwater, Oklahoma. In 2010, it began operating the Dan Gable Museum in Waterloo, Iowa. History The museum was awarded to Stillw ...

, was also on the 1996 and 2004 U.S. Olympic coaching staffs. Douglas began his collegiate coaching career at Cal-Santa Barbara before coaching three national champions and 58 All-Americans from 1975 to 1992 at

Arizona State Arizona State University (Arizona State or ASU) is a public research university in the Phoenix metropolitan area. Founded in 1885 by the 13th Arizona Territorial Legislature, ASU is one of the largest public universities by enrollment in the ...

. His 1988 Sun Devil squad won the NCAA team title in Ames. He furthered his legacy at Iowa State, winning 198 dual matches. Douglas coached Cyclone wrestlers to 10 individual NCAA titles and 52 All-America performances. He is one of four collegiate coaches to win at least 400 duals matches. During his 14 years at Iowa State, Douglas went 198-75-3.

Cael Sanderson (2006–2009)

Cael Sanderson Cael Norman Sanderson ( ; born June 20, 1979) is an American former folkstyle and freestyle wrestler who is the current head coach of Penn State University's wrestling team. As a wrestler, he won an Olympic Gold medal and was undefeated in four ...

, arguably the greatest collegiate wrestler of all time, took the reins of the Iowa State wrestling team at the start of the 2006–07 season. Sanderson led the Cyclone grapplers to an NCAA runner-up finish in his first year at the helm and guided the Iowa State squad to three consecutive

championships. ISU didn't finish outside of the top five at the NCAA Championships under Sanderson's direction. After posting an undefeated record of 159–0 as a collegiate wrestler for ISU, Sanderson won an Olympic gold medal at the 2004 Summer Games in Athens, Greece. The former four-time NCAA champion brought aboard the top recruiting class in 2005, ranked by both Intermat and Amateur Wrestling News. Sanderson's 2007–08 squad garnered seven All-Americans at the NCAA Championships in

St. Louis St. Louis () is the second-largest city in Missouri, United States. It sits near the confluence of the Mississippi and the Missouri Rivers. In 2020, the city proper had a population of 301,578, while the bi-state metropolitan area, which e ...

, which was Iowa State's largest All-American count since seven earned honors in the 1992–93 season. In total, Cyclone wrestlers notched 15 All-America honors in his tenure. Cael Sanderson accepted the head coaching position at Penn State in April 2009. During his three years at Iowa State, Sanderson went 44–10 including three conference championships.

Kevin Jackson (2009–2017)

Kevin Jackson was introduced as Iowa State's head wrestling coach on April 30, 2009. As a college wrestler, he attended LSU and earned All-America honors three times before the school dropped the sport. He transferred to ISU for his senior year and captained the Cyclones’ last NCAA championship team (

), earning another All-America award with an NCAA runner-up finish and registering a 30-3-1 record. In 1992, Jackson won a gold medal at the

Barcelona Olympic Games The 1992 Summer Olympics ( es, Juegos Olímpicos de Verano de 1992, ca, Jocs Olímpics d'estiu de 1992), officially known as the Games of the XXV Olympiad ( es, Juegos de la XXV Olimpiada, ca, Jocs de la XXV Olimpíada) and commonly known as ...

. Since 1992, Jackson has coached for team USA at three summer Olympics including being the head coach for the Beijing Olympics in 2008. Jackson's last season for the Cyclones was a struggle, with a 1-12 dual meet record and scoring only one team point in the NCAA tournament.

Kevin Dresser (2017–present)

Dresser was announced as the new head coach on February 20, 2017.

Championships

Team championships

Individual NCAA championships

Individual Conference championships

Record

Olympians

Award winners

Hall of Fame

(1976) :

(1977) :

Glen Brand Glen Brand (3 November 1923 – 15 November 2008) was an American wrestler and Olympic champion in Freestyle wrestling Freestyle wrestling is a style of wrestling originated from Great Britain and the United States. Along with Greco-Roman, ...

(1978) : Dr. Harold Nichols (1978) :

Dan Gable Danny Mack Gable (born October 25, 1948) 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, ...

(1980) :

Ben Peterson Benjamin Lee "Ben" Peterson (born June 27, 1950) is a retired American freestyle wrestler. He competed at the 1972 and 1976 Olympics and won a gold and a silver medal, respectively. As a college wrestler, Peterson was a two-time NCAA champion at ...

(1986) : Bobby Douglas (1987) : Dick Barker (1991) :

Nate Carr Nate Carr (born June 24, 1960) is an American former Collegiate wrestling, collegiate and international senior level Freestyle wrestling, freestyle wrestler. He grew up in a family of 16 children in Erie, Pennsylvania. Five of these, including Na ...

(2003) : Kevin Jackson (2003) :Les Anderson (2004) :Larry Hayes (2004) : Chris Taylor (2012) * FILA Hall of Fame : Kevin Jackson (2005)

Individual

Dan Hodge Trophy 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 (''Wrestling Insider Newsmagazine'') and Culture House. It is the collegiate w ...

(2000) :

(2001) :

(2002) *NCAA Outstanding Wrestler Award :Ron Gray (1959) :

( 1969) :Tim Krieger (1989) :

(1999) :

(2000) :

(2001) :

(2002) *NCAA Gorriaran Award :Tom Peckham (1966) :

( 1969) :

(

1970 Events January * January 1 – Unix time epoch reached at 00:00:00 UTC. * January 5 – The 7.1 Tonghai earthquake shakes Tonghai County, Yunnan province, China, with a maximum Mercalli intensity of X (''Extreme''). Between 10,000 and ...

) : Chris Taylor (

1973 Events January * January 1 - The United Kingdom, the Republic of Ireland and Denmark 1973 enlargement of the European Communities, enter the European Economic Community, which later becomes the European Union. * January 15 – Vietnam War: ...

) :Johnnie Jones (

1977 Events January * January 8 – Three bombs explode in Moscow within 37 minutes, killing seven. The bombings are attributed to an Armenian separatist group. * January 10 – Mount Nyiragongo erupts in eastern Zaire (now the Democrat ...

) : Darryl Peterson (1985) :Eric Voelker (1988) :Matt Johnson (1991) * Big Eight Male Athlete of the Year :Tim Krieger (1989) : Chris Taylor (1973) * Big 12 Male Athlete of the Year :

(2002) * Big 12 Scholar Athlete of the Year :Kyven Gadson (2015)

Coaching

*NWCA Coach of the Year : Dr. Harold Nichols (1958) : Dr. Harold Nichols (1965) : Dr. Harold Nichols (1972) :Jim Gibbons (1987) : Bobby Douglas (2000) :

(2007) : Kevin Dresser (2019) * Big Eight Coach of the Year :Jim Gibbons (1989) :Jim Gibbons (1991) * Big 12 Coach of the Yearhttp://www.nmnathletics.com/fls/10410/pdfs/wrestling/record_book.pdf?DB_OEM_ID=10410&_ga=1.125657613.626301712.1480796304 : Bobby Douglas (1999) : Bobby Douglas (2000) :

(2007) : Kevin Dresser (2019)

Notable Iowa State Cyclone wrestlers

* Carl Adams – two-time NCAA Champion and three-time All-American *

– Olympic gold medalist at

1948 Summer Olympics The 1948 Summer Olympics (officially the Games of the XIV Olympiad and also known as London 1948) were an international multi-sport event held from 29 July to 14 August 1948 in London, England, United Kingdom. Following a twelve-year hiatus ca ...

, NCAA Champion, two-time NCAA finalist and three-time All-American * Bob Buzzard – Olympian at

1972 Summer Olympics The 1972 Summer Olympics (), officially known as the Games of the XX Olympiad () and commonly known as Munich 1972 (german: München 1972), was an international multi-sport event held in Munich, West Germany, from 26 August to 11 September 1972. ...

in Greco-Roman wrestling, two-time NCAA All-American * David Carr – Junior World Champion in

freestyle wrestling Freestyle wrestling is a style of wrestling originated from Great Britain and the United States. Along with Greco-Roman, it is one of the two styles of wrestling contested in the Olympic Games. American high school and men's college wrestli ...

, NCAA Champion and two-time All-American *

– Olympic bronze medalist at

1988 Summer Olympics The 1988 Summer Olympics (), officially known as the Games of the XXIV Olympiad () and commonly known as Seoul 1988 ( ko, 서울 1988, Seoul Cheon gubaek palsip-pal), was an international multi-sport event held from 17 September to 2 October ...

in freestyle wrestling, three-time NCAA Champion * Pat Downey – former member of Team USA Freestyle World Team in 2019, NCAA All-American at ISU *

– Olympic gold medalist at

in freestyle wrestling, World Champion in 1971, two-time NCAA Champion and three-time finalist, led Iowa Hawkeyes to 15 NCAA Team Championships as head coach *

Kyven Gadson Kyven Ross Gadson (born July 9, 1992) is an American amateur wrestler. Currently a senior competitor in amateur freestyle wrestling, earlier Gadson, while wrestling for the Iowa State Cyclones, was a three-time All-American in NCAA Division ...

– NCAA Champion and three-time All-American * Kevin Jackson – Olympic gold medalist at

1992 Summer Olympics The 1992 Summer Olympics ( es, Juegos Olímpicos de Verano de 1992, ca, Jocs Olímpics d'estiu de 1992), officially known as the Games of the XXV Olympiad ( es, Juegos de la XXV Olimpiada, ca, Jocs de la XXV Olimpíada) and commonly known as ...

in freestyle wrestling, two-time World Champion, NCAA finalist at ISU *

Travis Paulson Travis Paulson (born May 11, 1985) is an American freestyle wrestler who formerly competed at 74 kg for the United States of America. Biography Paulson wrestled for Lewis Central High School in Council Bluffs, Iowa during his high schoo ...

– former member of Team USA Freestyle World Team in 2010, three-time NCAA All-American *

– Olympic gold medalist at

in freestyle wrestling, silver medalist at

1976 Summer Olympics Events January * January 3 – The International Covenant on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights enters into force. * January 5 – The Pol Pot regime proclaims a new constitution for Democratic Kampuchea. * January 11 – The 1976 P ...

, two-time NCAA Champion *

– Olympic gold medalist at 2004 Summer Olympics in freestyle wrestling, World silver medalist in 2003, four-time undefeated NCAA Champion, only wrestler in NCAA Division I history to go undefeated with more than 100 wins (159–0) * Chris Taylor – Olympic bronze medalist at

in freestyle wrestling, two-time NCAA Champion * Mike van Arsdale – former MMA fighter, NCAA Champion and three-time All-American * Jake Varner – Olympic gold medalist at 2012 Summer Olympics, World bronze medalist in 2011, two-time NCAA Champion and four-time finalist * David Zabriskie – NCAA Champion and three-time All-American

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Iowa State Cyclones Wrestling 1916 establishments in Iowa Sports clubs established in 1916

Coaches

Charles Mayser (1916–1923)

Hugo Otopalik (1924–1953)

Dr. Harold Nichols (1954–1985)

Jim Gibbons (1985–1992)

Bobby Douglas (1992–2006)

Cael Sanderson (2006–2009)

Kevin Jackson (2009–2017)

Kevin Dresser (2017–present)

Championships

Team championships

Individual NCAA championships

Individual Conference championships

Record

Olympians

Award winners

Hall of Fame

Individual

Coaching

Notable Iowa State Cyclone wrestlers

See also

References