Originally Posted by oldfart

Right. It is not the same as boxing, where a guy moving up in weight has to beat a current, defending champ to claim the new weight. Generally, an NCAA weight doesn't have a defending champ in it year after year. In all three of his titles, Dake did not have to face a defending champ (champs before him: 141=Jaggers, 149=Metclaf, 157=Jenkins). By moving up to 165, he has a shot at Taylor, who not only is the defending champ at 165 but also the defending Hodge winner as well as the OW at NCAAs (WOW, just read that. I'm sure that would be unprecedented).

Which begs the question, would Dake be able to beat the three listed predecessors at his championship weights

Not unprecedented as Caldwell beat defending Hodge and NCAA OW Metcalf in 2009.

It was before the Hodge, but Gable was the returning OW when Owings beat him and then Owings was returning OW when he lost the next year to Keller.

Originally Posted by ODH

Not unprecedented as Caldwell beat defending Hodge and NCAA OW Metcalf in 2009.

It was before the Hodge, but Gable was the returning OW when Owings beat him and then Owings was returning OW when he lost the next year to Keller.

How soon I forget Caldwell and Metcalf, good (obvious) call ODH.

I looked a litle more and Mocco was returning Hodge winner (not OW) when he lost to Conrad

Very interesting!

Originally Posted by TLV

I'm with you TW25.
Gable won the Midlands as a frosh....when the Midlands was much tougher. He beat a much older NCAA champ to do it. IF he had been able to wrestle as a Frosh, he would have probably met David McQuire in the finals of both the Big 8 and NCAAs. He beat McGuire in both tourneys his soph year. Mcguire was a 2 time NCAA Champ and 2 time Big 8 champ losing only to Gable.
Face it, Gable was upset by Owings. Owings did not win the NCAAs his next 2 years. I am a contemporary of him as well. The question was not whether he was going to win, but how he was going to pin the other guy........take him down to his back or beat the hell out of the other guy on the mat and double bar arm him. I put Cael ahead of him, but no one since. Before him, Koll and Hodge and no one else for dominance. Koll was so mean, that the NCAA changed the rules to eliminate one of his favorite moves.

Good stuff from yester-year. Yes, they changed the illegal slam rule because of Bill Koll. He was my wrestling coach in college and used to smilingly refer to himself as an "SOB"--"Sweet Old Bill". He told me that my problem was that I "wasn't mean enough." He was a good and effective coach. But, I think it's safe to say that Cael's style is a good bit different than Bill Koll's. As all know, I'm sure, Rob Koll is Bill's son. (Not implying anything there, just in case someone reads something into that!)

I was mightily impressed that he didn't get turned. DC

Originally Posted by vaisforlovers

You were mightily impressed with someones bottom skills who was unable to get away..

Your evaluation skills are bar none.

Originally Posted by kr1963

Dake 4-3 no RT

That's the most non-homer pick in the history of TWT, nice work KR.