Penn State Nittany Lions wrestling

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]

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]

Penn State's 1921 National Inter-Collegiate Wrestling Champion team

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]

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.[22] Wilson would fall in the first round to Iowa State's Richard Cole.[23] The following year, Penn State was selected to host the 1930 NCAA Wrestling Championships which took place at Rec Hall.[24][25] 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.[26]

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.[27] Hall wrestled in high school and was the team captain at Philadelphia's Overbrook School for the Blind.[28] Teammate and fraternity brother Charlie Ridenour was instrumental in developing Hall's wrestling ability while at Penn State.[29] Hall's father was a member of the 1909 wrestling club team that debuted the sport at the University.[30]

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

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. 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. 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]

Currently the team is coached by Olympic Champion Cael Sanderson (Athens 2004) and have maintained status as one of the top collegiate wrestling programs in the country, with a four-year NCAA Team Championship streak from 2011-2014, and an additional four-year NCAA Team Championship streak from 2016-2019. From February 22, 2015 to November 22, 2019, the team achieved a 60 dual meet win streak.

Penn State Wrestling's match against Ohio State on Saturday, Feb. 15, 2020 at the Bryce Jordan Center, in State College, Pa.

The Lorenzo Wrestling Complex, widely considered among the best in the nation, gives Penn State athletes a world-class facility for training. The facility encompasses over 24,000 square feet and includes the practice room, weight room, locker room, and academic support space. Home dual meets are held in the main gym at Rec Hall and on occasion at the Bryce Jordan Center.

Rec Hall during an NCAA wrestling dual between No. 1 Penn State and No. 8 Nebraska on Sunday, Feb. 6, 2022 in University Park, Pa.

(The Lorenzo Wrestling Complex also serves as the training facility for the Nittany Lion Wrestling Club, a designated U.S. Olympic Regional Training Center.)

Hodge Trophy Recipients, from left, Bo Nickal, Zain Retherford, David Taylor and Kerry McCoy are honored during Penn State Wrestling's match against Ohio State on Saturday, Feb. 15, 2020 at the Bryce Jordan Center, in State College, Pa.

• Sanshiro Abe – represented Japan at 1996 Summer Olympics in freestyle wrestling, NCAA National Champion and four-time All-American
• Roman Bravo-Young – two-time NCAA National Champion
• Aaron Brooks – three-time NCAA National Champion, Cadet World Champion and Junior World silver medalist in freestyle wrestling
• Anthony Cassar – NCAA National Champion
• Ken Chertow – Olympian in freestyle wrestling at 1988 Summer Olympics, three-time NCAA All-American
• Patrick Cummins – former UFC fighter, NCAA runner-up and two-time All-American
• Phil Davis – former UFC fighter and Bellator Light Heavyweight World Champion, NCAA National Champion and four-time All-American
• Mark Hall – 2021 US Open National Champion, one-time Cadet and two-time Junior World Champion in freestyle wrestling, NCAA National Champion and three-time finalist
• Kerry McCoy – two-time Olympian in freestyle wrestling at 2000 and 2004 Summer Olympics, World silver medalist in 2003, two-time NCAA National Champion and three-time All-American
• Frank Molinaro – Olympian at 2016 Summer Olympics in freestyle wrestling, NCAA National Champion, two-time finalist and four-time All-American
• Bo Nickal – UFC fighter, gold medalist at U23 World Wrestling Championships in freestyle wrestling, three-time NCAA National Champion and four-time finalist
• Jason Nolf – gold medalist at 2020 Pan American Wrestling Championships, three-time NCAA National Champion and four-time finalist
• Zain Retherford – two-time US World Team member in freestyle wrestling, Cadet World Champion, three-time NCAA National Champion and four-time All-American
• Ed Ruth – MMA fighter, three-time NCAA National Champion and four-time All-American
• David Taylor – Olympic gold medalist at 2020 Summer Olympics in freestyle wrestling, two-time World Champion, two-time NCAA National Champion and four-time finalist

• Iowa-Penn State rivalry
• Penn State Wrestling Club
• Nittany Lion Wrestling Club

• Official website