Penn State Nittany Lions wrestling

1911 Penn State wrestling team

Wrestling at Penn State was introduced at the turn of the 20th century, with the introduction of intra-class duals which helped initiate incoming students into college life, with the first of these duals taking place in 1902.[2] Following the formation of the Eastern Intercollegiate Wrestling Association in 1904, a wrestling club was founded at Penn State in 1908, which aimed to represent the college in formal competition.[3][4] The Penn State Wrestling Club arranged two intercollegiate dual meets in the Fall of 1908 with Lehigh and Cornell.[5] The club had to do so independently of the College Athletic Association as wrestling was not yet a recognized sport in the organization.[6] The first dual was cancelled, but the second held on March 27, 1909, at Cornell went forward seeing Penn State fall 6–1 in their first ever, with each team receiving one point for each bout winner.[2][7]

The program grew and thrived over the next few decades, producing numerous talented wrestlers and successful teams. One of the program's early stars was William Neidig, who wrestled on Penn State's first undefeated team in 1911 when the team went 4–0 against Lehigh, Yale, Columbia and Cornell.[8] Another notable wrestler from this era was Levi Lamb, a three-sport athlete at Penn State who excelled in wrestling, football, and track. Lamb only lost two bouts in his four-year Penn State career with 70% of his victories coming from pins. Lamb went on to coach wrestling at Boston Tech before enlisting in the Army to serve in World War I.[9][10]

Penn State's 1921 national intercollegiate wrestling championship team

Penn State's Bill Santel wrestles Navy's Bart Downes in February 1949 in Annapolis, Maryland

After eight years of apply for membership, Penn State was granted entrance into the Eastern Intercollegiate Wrestling Association (EIWA) in 1918. This made them eligible to compete for league championships and place claims on national titles.[11] Penn State claimed its first EIWA title that same year beginning a streak of 6 title wins in 8 seasons.[12]

In 1921, Penn State embarked on a difficult seven-event schedule that included dual meets with four EIWA programs and trips to face two top teams in the Midwest in Indiana and Iowa State. The Nittany Lions claimed their fourth straight EIWA title at the end of season tournament hosted at Princeton.[2] That win coupled with the out of conference dual wins against Indiana and Iowa claimed Penn State their first National Championship title.[13]

Penn State wrestling broke into the world stage in 1924 when Katsutoshi Naito competed in the 1924 Summer Olympics. Naito, a Japanese born immigrant, was team captain his senior season and claimed an EIWA championship at 135 pounds. While Naito was one of the best wrestlers in his weight class and expressed his interest in representing the United States in the competition due to the passage of the Immigration Act of 1924 he was banned from representing the country in international competitions This lead the Japanese Olympic Committee to extend an invitation to Naito to compete in Freestyle wrestling in the featherweight class.[14][15] Naito won his first match against Belgium's Albert Foubert before facing and losing by decision to eventual gold medalist Robin Reed of the United States. Naito recovered and went on to win the bronze medal by defeating Sweden's Hans Hansson. Naito's win marked Japan's first ever Olympic medal in wrestling and 3rd overall.[2][16]

After undergoing five coaching changes, the Nittany Lions found their long-term coach in Charlie "Doc" Speidel. The Panzer College graduate and skilled boxer in the Golden Gloves, was hired by the Nittany Lions in 1927 as the university's boxing and wrestling coach.[17] Although he never engaged in competitive wrestling himself, he took on the role with enthusiasm and dedication.[18][19][20] Under Speidel's leadership, the team quickly gained recognition, with Howard Johnston earning Penn State's first All-American title in 1935 at 165 pounds. Speidel also played a key role in establishing the National Wrestling Coaches Association in 1930 and organizing the first PIAA State Championships in 1938.[21][22]

Penn State's history with the NCAA Wrestling Championships began when Ted Wilson was crowned EIWA champion at 125 pounds in 1929 making him the first Nittany Lion to be invited to the post season tournament.[23] Wilson would fall in the first round to Iowa State's Richard Cole.[24] The following year, Penn State was selected to host the 1930 NCAA Wrestling Championships which took place at Rec Hall.[25][26] Four Nittany Lion wrestlers were entered to the tournament in Roy Maize at 115 pounds, Grant Stein at 135 pounds, Karl Kaiser at 145 pounds and Paul Long at 175 pounds.[27]

The inclusion of Chuck Hall on the Nittany Lion's 1940s wrestling teams broke barriers across college athletics. Hall was the first blind Division 1 collegiate wrestler to record a fall when he took down his opponent in a bout against Temple.[28] Hall wrestled in high school and was the team captain at Philadelphia's Overbrook School for the Blind.[29] Teammate and fraternity brother Charlie Ridenour was instrumental in developing Hall's wrestling ability while at Penn State.[30] Hall's father was a member of the 1909 wrestling club team that debuted the sport at the university.[31]

The Penn State wrestling team poses with the 1953 NCAA National Championship trophy

In 1953, Penn State's wrestling team enjoyed one of its most successful seasons to date, winning matches against Virginia, Lehigh, Navy, Penn, Syracuse, Cornell, Maryland, and Pitt, with the latter breaking Pitt's 16-match win streak.[32][33] The team went on to win the EIWA Tournament before clinching their first NCAA wrestling championship becoming the first team from the Eastern United States to do so.[34] The team boasted nine wrestlers, five of whom became All-Americans, with Hud Samson achieving an individual national championship. This win was particularly significant as it ended the 19-year dominance of Oklahoma and Oklahoma A&M in the sport.[2][21][35]

Penn State wrestling underwent a significant transition with the retirement of longtime coach Charlie Speidel in 1964. Under Speidel's 34 year leadership Penn State recorded a record of 191-56-13, winning the university's first team national championship in 1953, achieving eight EIWA team titles, producing six individual NCAA champs, 15 national finalists, and 41 All-Americans. Speidel was replaced by Bill Koll who was one of the country's most successful collegiate wrestlers and a notable coach.[2]

After competing in the EIWA for 58 years, Penn State left the conference in 1975 and competed independently for one season. During that year, the team earned a spot in the NCAAs through the Eastern Regional Independent tournament. In 1976, the team became a charter member of the newly formed Eastern Wrestling League (EWL), which was the brainchild of several individuals, including Ed Czekai, Penn State's Athletic Director, Frank Lignelli, Clarion's Athletic Director, and Walt Cummins, Pitt's Athletic Director. The EWL had six original members: Penn State, Pitt, Clarion, Lock Haven, Bloomsburg, and Buffalo. Additional members, West Virginia, Cleveland State, Millersville, and Edinboro, were added later.[2]

Penn State wrestling had its worst performance in program history during the 1978–1979 season. Despite having achieved an average of ten wins per year and three top-10 finishes in the NCAA tournament over the preceding five years, the team experienced a rapid decline in performance due to academic ineligibility and injuries. Despite first-year coach Rich Lorenzo's optimism, the team failed to reverse their fate, ultimately suffering 11 consecutive losses and finishing the season with a 2–11 record. Despite the disastrous start, Lorenzo's leadership and personality proved to be essential to Penn State's eventual resurgence during the 1980–81 season, leading them to a sixth-place finish in the NCAA tournament.[36]

Considered one of Penn State wrestling's most notable seasons during its first century, the 1986-87 campaign was highlighted by several key achievements. The team secured the program's first victory over Iowa with a 27–15 final score, and also recorded a convincing regular season triumph over Oklahoma by 30–8. The Nittany Lions ended the season with a dual record of 18-1-1, clinching the EWL title and finishing in third place at the NCAA championships. Despite falling short of individual NCAA titles, the team earned a notable eight All-American honors, the most in its history up to that point. Additionally, the squad broke Penn State's record for most dual victories in a season, and shared the National Duals championship with Oklahoma State.[2] During the 1988 season Penn State would defeat the Iowa Hawkeyes 19-18 at Carver-Hawkeye Arena on December 6th. This would be the first and only time Iowa would lose a home dual under legendary coach Dan Gable.

The 1990s marked a period of change and close calls for Penn State wrestling. Over the course of the decade, the team achieved a record of 149 wins, 56 losses, and 4 ties. The Lions performed well in the NCAA Division I tournament, finishing in the top five a total of eight times, including one 2nd-place finish and three 3rd places. In addition, the team boasted five national champions, who won a total of seven titles, as well as 13 individual EWL championships and 14 individual Big 10 championships. Despite consistently being a top contender, the team fell just short of winning the national or Big Ten Conference championship.[2]

The wrestling program saw several changes during the 1990s. Penn State joined the Big Ten Conference on June 4, 1990, becoming the conference's 11th member. Long term head coach Rich Lorenzo retired in 1992 compiling a 188-64-9 record and coached 53 All-Americans.[36] Lorenzo was succeeded by John Fritz, who was later replaced by former wrestler Troy Sunderland. The team also had several standout wrestlers, including Kerry McCoy, Cary Kolat, and Troy Sunderland.[2]

Penn State hit a slump under head coach Troy Sunderland, through the 2000s the team had only achieved two top-five finish in his 11-year tenure, and had even placed as low as 35th. After recording a lackluster record of 8-12-2 in the dual season and placed 17th at the 2009 NCAA Championships the university decided to part ways with Sunderland.[37]

Penn State Wrestling, Nick Lee vs. Ohio State

In April 2009, Cael Sanderson, one of the most distinguished American wrestlers, accepted the head coaching position with Penn State wrestling. As a college wrestler, Sanderson had a perfect 159–0 record and won four NCAA titles. He then won an Olympic gold medal in Athens in 2004, before becoming a coach at his alma mater Iowa State. Sanderson's Iowa State team finished second, fifth, and third at NCAAs during his time as head coach, qualifying a wrestler in every weight class for the championships during each of his three years — 30 in total.[38]

With Sanderson, the team has returned to its status as one of the top collegiate wrestling programs in the country, with a four-year NCAA Team Championship streak from 2011 to 2014, and an additional four-year NCAA Team Championship streak from 2016 to 2019. From February 22, 2015, to November 22, 2019, the team achieved a 60 dual meet win streak.