PENN STATE WRESTLING TIMELINE 1909 - Penn State begins intercollegiate wrestling with a loss to Cornell. They post an 0-1 record on the season. It would be one of only 11 losing seasons in the next 92 years of wrestling and the last for 37 seasons. - William E. Lewis is named Penn State’s first head coach. He leads Penn State a total of 10 seasons in three separate stints and posts a 40-7 mark. 1910 - Penn State records its first dual meet wrestling win with a 7-0 decision over the University of Pennsylvania. 1914 - J.H. Shollenberger takes over as head coach for one season and posts a 5-0 mark. 1918 - H.C. Yerger is named Penn State’s third head coach and leads the Nittany Lions for two seasons posting a 7-2 mark. His team claims Penn State’s first Eastern Intercollegiate Wrestling Association title in this year. 1921 - Penn State is declared the National Dual Team champion after defeating Indiana and Iowa State. 1922 - D.D. Detar is named Penn State’s fourth head coach and leads the Nittany Lions for three years posting a 14-4-1 record. 1925 - Ralph G. Leonard is named Penn State’s fifth head coach and leads the Nittany Lions for two years posting a 13-1 record. 1927 - Charlie Speidel is named Penn State’s sixth head coach and begins the longest coaching tenure in the program’s history. He leads the Nittany Lions for 34 seasons over two stints and posts a 191-56-13 record. He goes on to coach until 1964. 1930 - Penn State hosts the NCAA Wrestling Championships for the first-time in Rec Hall. 1935 - Penn State 165-pounder Howard Johnston wins the Nittany Lions first individual national title. 1938 - Penn State hosts the NCAA Wrestling Championships for the second time in Rec Hall. 1943 - Paul Campbell is named Penn State’s seventh head coach as he takes over for four seasons and posts a 12-9-1 record. 1950 - Penn State begins a school record run of 34 consecutive dual meet victories that lasts until 1954. 1951 - Homer Barr grabs his third top four finish at the NCAA tournament as the heavyweight becomes Penn State’s first three-time All-American. 1953 - Penn State claims its first national title in wrestling as the Nittany Lions host the NCAA tournament in Rec Hall for the third time. 1965 - Three-time NCAA Champion Bill Koll takes over for the retiring Charlie Speidel as the Nittany Lion’s eighth head coach. He would go on to coach 14 seasons and lead Penn State to a 127-22-7 mark in one of Penn State’s winningest dual meet eras. 1968 - Penn State hosts the NCAA Champion-ships for the fourth time in Rec Hall. 1969 - Penn State begins a school record 41-match home unbeaten streak that lasts until 1976. 1972 - Andy Matter completes a perfect season with a national title at 167 pounds to become Penn State’s first two-time national champion. 1976 - Penn State joins the Eastern Wrestling League, which it soon dominates. 1979 - Former Nittany Lion All-American Rich Lorenzo is named Penn State’s ninth head coach. He goes on to lead Penn State for 14 seasons and post a 188-64-9 mark. 1981 - Head coach Rich Lorenzo is named the NWCA National Coach-of-theYear, the first such honor for Penn State.
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1987 - Greg Elinsky posts his third top three finish at the NCAA tournament, grabbing third at 167 pounds, to become Penn State’s first 4X All-American. - Penn State shares its second National Dual Team Championship as the Nittany Lions post an 18-18 tie with Oklahoma State in the tournament final. They go on to post an 18-1-1 dual record and earn the No. 1 ranking in the final Amateur Wrestling News poll. 1988 - Ken Chertow is the first Nittany Lion named to the USA Olympic team. 1989 - 1988 NCAA champion Jim Martin (126) ends his career as the all-time leader in victories (155) and dual meet wins (73) and becomes Penn State’s second four-time All-American. He later wins his second-consecutive GTE Academic All-American-of-the-Year award and is named to the NCAA Today’s Top Six. He is presented the award by President Ronald Reagan. 1990 - Penn State hosts the first University Freestyle and Greco-Roman National Championships. 1991 - Penn State jumps to No. 1 in the Amateur Wrestling News Rankings after defeating top ranked and defending national champion Oklahoma State, 21-18, to win the National Dual Team Championship. - Head coach Rich Lorenzo wins his sixth and final EWL Coach-of-theYear award. 1992 - In its last EWL Tournament appearance, Penn State completes a run of 11-straight tournament titles by breaking its own scoring record (165.5) and crowning a record seven individual champions. - Head Coach Rich Lorenzo wins his second NWCA National Coach-ofthe-Year award as Penn State goes 18-4-1 and finishes third at the NCAA Tournament. - Jeff Prescott becomes the second Nittany Lion to win back-to-back NCAA titles as he claims the crown at 118 pounds. 1993 - Three-time Nittany Lion All-American and 1976 NCAA champion John Fritz is named Penn State’s 10th head coach. He goes on to coach six seasons and post an 87-33-2 record. - Fritz makes it back-to-back NWCA Coach-of-the-Year awards for PSU as the Lions post a school record mark of 22-0-1, reach the No. 1 ranking and take second at the NCAA Championships, their highest finish in 39 years. - Penn State joins the Big Ten, the nation’s premier wrestling conference, and posts a second place finish in its first Big Ten Tournament appearance. - Penn State wins the National Dual Team Championship for the fourth time, moves to No. 1 in the Amateur Wrestling News rankings. 1994 - Heavyweight Kerry McCoy posts a Penn State season record 47 wins on his way to the first of his two NCAA titles. Cary Kolat (134) also posts a season record 20 falls. 1996 - NCAA champion Sanshiro Abe becomes the third four-time All-American at Penn State and competes in the Olympics as he takes the mat as a member of the Japanese national team. - Penn State falls to Iowa in the first dual meet held the Bryce Jordan Center. A record crowd of 11,245 turn out to see the action, the largest ever to witness a dual meet East of the Mississippi River. 1997 - Heavyweight Kerry McCoy becomes the third Nittany Lion to claim two national titles and is named W.I.N. Magazine’s “Hodge” award winner as the most dominant collegiate wrestler of the year after posting a 41-0 mark. 1998 - Penn State hosts the Big Ten Wrestling Championships in the Bryce Jordan Center and posts a second place finish as coach John Fritz receives conference Coach-of-the-Year honors. - Three-time Nittany Lion All-American Troy Sunderland takes over as Penn State’s 11th head coach. 1999 - Penn State hosts the NCAA Wrestling Championships for the fifth time, and first in the Bryce Jordan Center. A crowd of 80,654 fans, third all-time, sold-out the arena over six sessions. 2000 - Former Penn State heavyweight Kerry McCoy wins the U.S. Olympic trials and U.S. National Freestlye title and represents the U.S. in the Olympics in Sydney, Australia, placing fifth. 2001 - Heavyweight Kerry McCoy wins his second U.S. National Freestyle title. 2002 - Former walk-on Doc Vecchio becomes Penn State’s 143rd All-American. - Heavyweight Kerry McCoy wins his third U.S. National Freestyle title. 2003 - Heavyweight Kerry McCoy wins a fourth U.S. National Freestyle title and wins a silver medal at the World Championships.
EIWA HISTORY The Eastern Intercollegiate Wrestling Association was founded in 1904 between students from Princeton, Penn, Yale and Columbia for the purpose of fostering the sport of wrestling. It held the first of its annual tournaments in 1905. The oldest intercollegiate wrestling organization, Penn State joined the “The Easterns” in 1918, after applying for membership for eight years. The Nittany Lions quickly proved their value as they became the jewel of the association, which included Cornell, Lehigh, Syracuse, Harvard, Navy, Virginia, and Pittsburgh among others. Penn State won the first four championships it was part of and went on to claim 16 EIWA titles and finish in the top three of the league tournament 40 times in its 56 year affiliation. The Nittany Lions also garnered the league’s only NCAA title in 1953 and produced more E.I.W.A. champions (105) than any other school before leaving the league in 1974. E.I.W.A. TEAM TITLES 1918, 1919, 1920, 1921, 1924, 1925, 1936, 1937, 1942, 1951, 1952, 1953, 1957, 1960 (tied with Pittsburgh), 1971, 1973. THREE-TIME CHAMPIONS Jack Light, ‘35, 36, 37 Charles Ridenour, ‘41, 42, 43 Dick Lemyre, ‘52, 53, 54 John Johnston, ‘56, 57, 58 Clyde Frantz, ‘69, 70, 71 Dave Joyner, ‘70, 71, 72 Andy Matter, ‘70, 71, 72 TWO-TIME CHAMPIONS Ivan Brown, ‘18, 19 Frank Watson, ‘21, 22 Len Cary, ‘24, 25 Bill Black, ‘24, 25 Ted Wilson, ‘28, 29 Bob Ellstrom, ‘33, 34 Sam Harry, ‘42, 46 Howard Johnston, ‘34, 35 Homer Barr, ‘49, 50 Gerry Maurey, ‘53, 54 Marty Strayer, ‘64, 65 Johnston Oberly, ‘60, 61 John Fritz, ‘73, 74 Jerry Villecco, ‘73, 74 OUTSTANDING WRESTLERS Charles Ridenour, ‘42 Sam Harry, ‘46 Rich Lorenzo, ‘68 Clyde Frantz, ‘69 & 70 John Fritz, ‘74 FLETCHER TROPHY (most tournament points scored in career) John Johnston, ‘58 Johnston Oberly, ‘61 Clyde Frantz, ‘71 SHERIDAN TROPHY (most falls in shortest time) Rich Lorenzo, ‘68 RECENT HALL OF FAME Dave Joyner (inducted in 2004) John Fritz (2002) Rich Lemyre (2002) Charles Ridenour (2002) Clyde Frantz (2001) Andy Matter (1999) John Johnston (1996) Charles Speidel (1995) Complete list of EIWA Champions on page 94.
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