Best No Redshirt performances

[MSU158 1,982]

With all the talk about Dake not redshirting I would like to see how many 4x AA's there have been who did not redshirt. Did they do it wrestling 4 years in a row starting immediately after graduating High School without deferring a year or "Greyshirting"? In addition, did they do the youth redshirting? I am very impressed with Logan Storley coming out as a True Freshman and now as a True Sophomore. However, I noticed he is born in September of 1992. So he essentially did the youth redshirt. Does that tarnish anything? How about Megaludis? Does he fit all the criteria?

 

Knowing how hard it is to walk into a DI room as a true freshman, to actually be one of the best in the Nation that quickly at 18 years of age amazes me.

[MA_Wrestler 169]

Lance Palmer never redshirted, 4x AA, 1x finalist, 1 of only 2 collegiate wrestlers to have a win over Metcalf.

[Fishbane 170]

Steve Mocco, Cary Kolat, Lincoln McIlravy, Darryl Burley, and Pat Smith all didn't redshirt as freshman. I realize they don't exactly fit your criteria as they each ended up using one at some point in their career, but those are 5 of the best careers in history.

 

Steve Mocco 137-6 2-1-redshirt-1-2

Cary Kolat 111-7 2-3-redshirt-1-1

Darryl Burley 94-5-1 1-2-2-redshirt-1

Pat Smith 121-5-2 1-1-1-redshirt-1

Lincoln McIlravy 96-3 1-1-2-redshirt-1

[hammer 13]

Lee Kemp never wore a Red Shirt... 2/1/1/1

[madcat11 434]

Tessari - 4th

H. Stieber - 6th

 

Tessari is a youth RS, but I don't believe that is the case for H. Stieber (though Logan was). He certainly never looked more mature than anyone he ever wrestled.

[SP103 0]

Eric Guerrero 4x AA 3 x Champ

 

Randy Lewis 4x AA 2 x Champ

 

Neither redshirted at any point

[LtWtLooker 0]

The evidence seems to suggest a RS is the best plan since in the case of those you selected the worst performance, of each, although stellar, came in the Fr. campaign.

[BigApple 86]

Gary Breece OU 118 pounder never redshirted. He finished 3, 2, 6, and 1. The year he finished 6th he lost a close match to Dan Sherman who won the 118 pound championship. Gary lost to Greg Johnson from Michigan State in the semifinals his freshman year and in the finals in his sophomore year. Johnson was a 3-time champion. Gary beat Jack Spates in the finals his senior year.

 

His teammate Rod Kilgore didn't redshirt until after his junior year. The 1977 NCAA championships were held in Norman, and Rod wanted to win his 2nd title in Oklahoma. He took 3rd as a freshman losing to Wade Schalles in the semis. His sophomore year he beat Larry Zilverberg in the finals. He lost a split decision to Dan Holm in the semis, wound up 4th. In 1977 he beat Mark Lieberman from Lehigh, despite separating a shoulder a month before the finals. When the doctor told him he needed surgery he walked over to the calendar and pointed at the Monday after the NCAA championship. The doctor said that was okay, but why? Rod said because i'll win my 2nd NCAA title on the Saturday night before.

 

I didn't look up. Gary's and Rod's careeer records, but i'd guess both had less than 10 losses each over their 4-year careers.

 

I would pick Lee Kemp as the best who never redshirted.

[KingK0ng 175]

While technically Logan Stieber was a "true" freshman last year, didn't he wrestle a few matches the year before until a early season injury?

 

Teyon Ware never redshirted, going 1-6-1-2, though he should have his sophmore year when he was hurt.

[Alwayswrestling 227]

Mark Churella 3.1.1.1 never took a RS either.

[OCGrappler 44]

Travis Lee @ Cornell: 4x AA, 2x champ

[Alwayswrestling 227]

I think back before the eighties wrestlers did not use the RS year like they do now not sure if the rules were different or what.

[dsnc471 25]

Dustin Schlatter was only a 3x AA, and ended up using a redshirt later, but wrestled as a true freshman and won NCAAs. A pretty amazing feat. It puts Dake's record in perspective though, because even if you win as a true freshman, the odds of being a 4 timer are against you.

[uronurback 0]

Coleman Scott (8-5-2-1) was redshirting as a freshman but was pulled out, so technically never got a redshirt season. No youth redshirt either.

[lurshy92 28]

gregor gillespie (7-1-5-4), troy nickerson same case as stieber (2-3-x-1-4) got a medical note that year

[wrestlingnerd 2,999]

Jesse Jantzen of Harvard did not redshirt or greyshirt and was 22 years old (appropriate age for a college senior without a redshirt) when he beat Zach Esposito for his NCAA title in 2004. He was only the second Ivy 3x AA in history that year and went DNP-3-3-1 throughout his four years. His freshman year, even though he did not AA, he was runner-up at the EIWAs and was voted the Ivy League rookie of the year and made 1st team All-Ivy. I consider him one of the five best guys on top ever in college wrestling.

[MSU158 1,982]

Thank you for all the responses. As a fan of Michigan products first and foremost this topic really reinforces my feeling that UofM is making a big mistake with not shirting their freshman. Especially Taylor Massa. It seems, which makes perfect sense, that all the best of the best that managed great careers struggled the most as true freshman. I really think Massa had the skillset coming out of high school to be a 4x AA multi-finalist. A year in the room with guys like Pritzlaff sure seemed like a perfect preparation to make that a reality. I am now worried he can get discouraged and go the way of Alex Tsirtsis.

[HurricaneWrestling 1,123]

Lee Kemp never wore a Red Shirt... 2/1/1/1

In addition to not red-shirting, Kemp was only 17 when he entered college. So, although Kemp finished second as a freshman (on a split referee's decision), both he and Dake were the same age when they won their first NCAA titles (19 years old).

 

And, by the same age Dake is today, Kemp had already graduated and won his first world championship.

[gg121and2 0]

Lowell Lange of Cornell College did not redshirt and was a 3X NCAA champ. His only collegiate loss was when he went up a weight and wrestled Keith Young from Iowa State Teachers College, who was also a 3X champ. Lange missed his entire sophomore season due to a car accident, so he wrestled just 3 seasons in 4 years of eligibility.

[Alwayswrestling 227]

Steve Mocco, Cary Kolat, Lincoln McIlravy, Darryl Burley, and Pat Smith all didn't redshirt as freshman. I realize they don't exactly fit your criteria as they each ended up using one at some point in their career, but those are 5 of the best careers in history.

 

Steve Mocco 137-6 2-1-redshirt-1-2

Cary Kolat 111-7 2-3-redshirt-1-1

Darryl Burley 94-5-1 1-2-2-redshirt-1

Pat Smith 121-5-2 1-1-1-redshirt-1

Lincoln McIlravy 96-3 1-1-2-redshirt-1

 

 

They don't fit the criteria at all.

[Alwayswrestling 227]

Lowell Lange of Cornell College did not redshirt and was a 3X NCAA champ. His only collegiate loss was when he went up a weight and wrestled Keith Young from Iowa State Teachers College, who was also a 3X champ. Lange missed his entire sophomore season due to a car accident, so he wrestled just 3 seasons in 4 years of eligibility.

 

Very good point on Lange I love hearing and reading stories about Lange and the Cornell team of the late 40's.

[Fishbane 170]

Troy Nickerson didn't redshirt. 97-8 NCAA Placement 2-3-1-4

[lu_alum 920]

While technically Logan Stieber was a "true" freshman last year, didn't he wrestle a few matches the year before until a early season injury?

 

Teyon Ware never redshirted, going 1-6-1-2, though he should have his sophmore year when he was hurt.

Logan Steiber was a RS Frosh when he won his title last year. See Ohio State's website:

 

http://www.ohiostatebuckeyes.com/sports/m-wrestl/mtt/logan_stieber_753012.html

 

And yes, he did wrestle a few matches in his true frosh season, finishing with a 5-3 record after dropping three straight to place 6th in Vegas. Interesting... Steiber will have an opportunity to become a rare 5-time place-winner at the Vegas Invitational.

 

http://www.theopenmat.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/12/2010_CKLV.pdf

[xander 346]

Worst non red shirt performance is being completed currently by ISU's Meeks (KJ threw him out to the wolves too young)

[MA_Wrestler 169]

Troy Nickerson didn't redshirt. 97-8 NCAA Placement 2-3-1-4

 

 

Nickerson redshirted between his 3rd and 1st place finish.