To say someone is the best pure athlete in history is a pretty bold statement just because it is pretty difficult to compare talents that range from sport to sport. The thing that is so different and unique about wrestling is that it is an individual sport that is not only very physically demanding, but also requires much mental discipline as well. It is just my opinion that wrestling is the toughest all-around sport in our culture, and to excel at it at a level of perfection as Sanderson has is the highest accolade an athlete can reach in their career (in my opinion).
This post won't be on the sport of wrestling itself, but on the career of the greatest wrestler in our time, Cael Sanderson.
High School: Being a high school wrestler for most is a fun opportunity to learn a new sport and to build your character while working as a team. For experienced wrestlers like Sanderson, high school was a chance for greatness. And greatness is what he achieves. In his Herber City, UT high school, Cael held an incredible 127-3 record in his time there, capturing 4 state titles in the process! That means he won states every year as a high school wrestler! he attributes much of his early success to his 3 brothers who also won state championships, and his father Steve for coaching him along the way.
College: After graduating from a very successful high school career at Wasatch HS, Sanderson wrestled for Iowa State and and during the 1997-98 season won all 39 matches in his second redshirt freshman year and his first NCAA championship title at 184 lbs. It was then that he would become the first freshman to be named the NCAA team Wrestling's Most Outstanding Wrestler.
In the 1999-00 season, as well as his junior year, Sanderson also went undefeated at 40-0 in both seasons, raising his unblemished college record to an impressive 119-0, winning additional NCAA championships.
Sanderson's senior year was a compilation of four years of dedication and various accomplishments that solidified him as the best college wrestler of all time. He again went undefeated at 40-0, won his third Dan Hodge trophy as outstanding wrestler, set an NCAA record at 159 straight wins, and even managed to bring attention to the sport from non-wrestling fans.
His credentials for his time in college include:
- Going undefeated at 159-0
- 4 NCAA titles
- 3 Dan Hodge Trophy award
- 4-time NCAA Outstanding Wrestler Award
- 4-time Big 12 Conference Champion
- World University Title in Tokyo, Japan in off-season
- Featured on Wheaties cereal box for his achievements
(I am in awe every time I tune into the NCAA championships and hear the announcers speak about his college career although he is there coaching PSU!)
Freestyle/Olympics: Once a wrestler reaches the unimaginable success of going undefeated in college, unfortunately, the ONLY place that is left to dominate is the Olympics. In the Olympic games, competition from all over the world gather in the name of sport and try to demonstrate that they are the best in the world in the sport they compete in, and that is just what Cael Sanderson did in the 2004 Olympics in Athens. Sanderson won gold for the USA in 84 kg (184 lbs) weight class, after defeating Eui Jae Moon of Korea in the finals. In preparation for the 2004 Olympics, the 4-time NCAA champion was also an assistant coach for Iowa State, and was the 2003 silver medalist and a 3-time national freestyle champion.
Coaching Career: With a good amount of time of being an assistant coach at Iowa State, Sanderson eventually became head coach and won won the NCAA's coach of the year award in his rookie season. He then led the program for another 3 years before accepting the head coach position at Penn State University in 2009. He successfully lead Penn State to their first Big Ten wrestling championship in the school's history and their first NCAA team title since 1953! This guy is even a legendary coach! The biggest accomplishment as a coach for Sanderson would have to be leading PSU to 4 STRAIGHT NCAA TITLES from 2011-2014.
Perhaps the most successful wrestler and coach the world has ever seen.
No comments:
Post a Comment