Wrestling "oops!"

Johnnythompsonnum1 · 09-10-2007, 04:19 PM

Before the 2001 NCAA Championships, the University of Iowa had 100's of t-shirts and hats printed up saying, "Iowa Hawkeyes, 2001 National champions". Come championship time, the Hawkeyes were dethroned and The Golden Gophers of Minnesota walked home with the Gold. When visiting the Hawk shop in Iowa City, I had a chance to buy a t-shirt that read "Iowa Hawkeyes, 2001 National champions", but I didn't, because I didn't like the idea of wearing false advertisment. Looking back, I wish I would have. That might be worth something someday.

Before the 2000 Olympic trials, McDonald's endorsed Joe Williams in one of their commercials and had him billed as a 2000 olympian for freestyle wrestling. I suppose they must have figured, that he was going to win the tirals hands down. Unfortunately for McDonald's and Williams, Brandon Slay stepped in and took the spot. Most common American's probably didn't know or didn't care, but it'd be like McDonald's having "Superbowl champions Chicago Bears" when we all know what really happened.

Spider · 09-10-2007, 11:11 PM

ideamark · 09-11-2007, 06:57 AM

Before the broadcast of the superheavyweight finals in Greco at the 2000 Olympics, NBC showed two "up close and personal" segments on the two competitors... a long, detailed one on Karelin (no doubt put together from bits from previous editions shown at earlier Olympics)... and what felt like a hurried-up, put-together-quickly one for Gardner. They probably hadn't even done one on Ru, but thought they better have one for the gold medalist (considering the nearly 24-hour lag between whenthe match happened, and when the US saw it on NBC, the network had time to put something together for the farmer.)

Mark

gg121and2 · 09-11-2007, 07:59 AM

Probably the most famous was the 20 minute Gable biography that Wide World of Sports was going to broadcast after he beat Owings and finished his HS and college careers undefeated.

ideamark · 09-11-2007, 04:43 PM

Originally Posted by gg121and2

Probably the most famous was the 20 minute Gable biography that Wide World of Sports was going to broadcast after he beat Owings and finished his HS and college careers undefeated.

Wow, I had never heard that! It would be interesting to see that biography...*

The story I always heard about the 1970 NCAAs was that ABC had asked Gable to record a promotional bit, saying something like, "See me go for title..." or something similar -- I don't think it was a bragging statement -- and that he kept flubbing the line. I had heard that was one of the lessons he had learned from the 1970 NCAAs and passed on to his own wrestlers: Don't do promotionals/commercials/pre-match interviews... and don't wear contacts. Not sure if any of this is true, or the stuff of legends.

Mark

* Unless it was later used for the 1972 Olympics -- I've seen an extended-length "up close and personal" that ABC showed

gg121and2 · 09-11-2007, 09:37 PM

ideamark - since you posted your comment I've been trying to track down where I read about the Wide World of Sportd bio. It's something that's been in my brain for years, but I can't find the source. I really only try to post things I can verify so this is driving me nuts. I'll keep searching. But - yes - if that video exists somewhere, it would be great to get posted on the internet.

Wrestling "oops!"

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