1972 NCAA Champions

[jerseywrestling 51]

1972 NCAA Champions

A look back on the NCAA champions and medalists from 1972!

This class includes six wrestlers who won at least two NCAA titles in their career, like Jersey legend Andy Matter who won a title at 167 pounds for Penn State!

NCAA Champions

118 - Greg Johnson, Michigan State
126 - Pat Milkovich, Michigan State
134 - Gary Barton, Clarion
142 - Tom Milkovich, Michigan State
150 - Wade Schalles, Clarion
158 - Carl Adams, Iowa State
167 - Andy Matter, Penn State
177 - Bill Murdock, Washington
190 - Ben Peterson, Iowa State
UNL - Chris Taylor, Iowa State

Check out all the medalists!

https://www.jerseywrestling.com/ncaa_medalists.php?year=1972

If anyone has the champions picture from another year, you can email it to support@jerseywrestling.com, and it will be added to the website!

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Edited November 26, 2019 by jerseywrestling

[Gambatte 46]

Curious about the caption. I count six wrestlers who won two or more  NCAA D1 titles, but not six who “more than two.”

Greg Johnson 3x

Pat Milkovich 2x

Wade Schalles 2x D1, plus probably multiple DII titles

Carl Adams 2x

Andy Matter 2x

Chris Taylor 2x

Also, Andy Matter from Upper Darby, PA, is a Jersey legend??? Did he have a legendary coaching career in NJ?

[jerseywrestling 51]

Thanks, @Gambatte! It should have been "at least" not "more than".

The Matters - Andy Matter included - are Jersey legends!

His two sons wrestled for Delran High School in NJ.

"Clinton compiled a 96-19 career record, while Brett amassed a phenomenal 125-9 record."

https://www.thedp.com/article/1996/02/wrestling_a_family_matter

[okwrestle 18]

Gary Barton looks like a cast member for the Walking Dead

[Gambatte 46]

Gary Barton had a legendary title run. Unseeded, he knocked off the 5th, 4th, 2nd, and 1st seeded wrestlers on the way to the title. 

[KTG119 816]

2 minutes ago, Gambatte said:

Gary Barton had a legendary title run. Unseeded, he knocked off the 5th, 4th, 2nd, and 1st seeded wrestlers on the way to the title. 

that's crazy! and from the photo looks like he def earned every one of those. 

[jchapman 854]

Peterson is the stud of them all

[HokieHWT 398]

Gary Barton demonstrated how to get out from a leg rider when I attended my first wrestling camp at Clarion in the late 90s. He had me put a leg in, he sat to his hip then drove his pointy elbow into the center of my inner thigh. He picked me because I was the biggest kid in camp. Still makes me cringe thinking about that type of pain.

[Fletcher 539]

Is Carl Adams holding a "How to Wrestle" chart?

[Marcus Cisero 241]

I REALLY like threads like this! 

[Gambatte 46]

Likewise, I enjoy these jerseywrestling posts and this one in particular. I qualified and competed in this tournament. Like Gary Barton I was unseeded but unlike him I wrestled to my seed.

[Gantry 1,448]

That's awesome Gambatte!  How many matches did you get? 

[Gambatte 46]

Weight class 142. I was 1-1 and done. Lost to 2x College Division Champ from Cal Poly, Glen Anderson. In those days you had to lose to a semi finalist to qualify for consolations.

[silverback 37]

Who was coaching at Michigan State at the time?  I don't believe they won the title in 72, despite having 3 champions, but my memory could be wrong.  

[Gambatte 46]

I'm pretty sure Grady Penninger was still head coach at MSU. Doug Blubaugh, long time assistant, had moved on to Indiana State by then. From memory.

Edited November 26, 2019 by Gambatte

[HurricaneWrestling2 504]

1 hour ago, Fletcher said:

Is Carl Adams holding a "How to Wrestle" chart?

No, he's holding a copy of "Wrestling: The Making of a Champion - The Takedown" by Bob Douglas. 

 

[KTG119 816]

14 minutes ago, silverback said:

Who was coaching at Michigan State at the time?  I don't believe they won the title in 72, despite having 3 champions, but my memory could be wrong.  

Mich St was 2nd that year to Iowa St who also had 3 champs. Mich St won their only team title in '67 

[silverback 37]

Thanks.  Do you recall which team won?  I would guess Iowa State.

 

[KTG119 816]

yep

[silverback 37]

Thanks.  

[olddirty 267]

I have seen this picture a bunch of times and never knew the dudes name was Gary Barton.  It always struck me how much he looked like a zombie.  After that run, I can see why.

[patmilkovich 99]

I believe Barton qualified as a wildcard from DII. And Barton took out the 5,4,1,and 2 in that order...He won is first match 11-5, then 6-6, 4-3OT (2-3-3, 1min rest, then 1-1-1), then 8-5, then 5-3 in the semi's, then 8-6 in the finals.... I'm pretty sure they took the 1 & 2 and several wild cards in DII and all the DIII champs plus a few wilds...I could be wrong on the exact numbers....Also, Hvywt Chris Taylor, Iowa St., weighed 400+.  I wish they would reinstate the "unlimited" weight class again.  Having the 118 and UNL truly gave a lot of guys a chance to compete at the college level, reinforcing the concept that virtually any one, any size, could get a scholarship and compete collegiately in sport... like wrestling.  Back then there was no 9.9 limit on scholarships or how many could be in the room...And Doug Blubaugh was Grady's asst at MSU until 1973, then he left for Indiana.

[Peso 292]

Were you (patmilkovich) the first guy to win it as a freshman?  Man, you guys were animals.  I was a freshman in high school that year, and this was the 3rd NCAA Championship I followed, as well as you could back in those days.  

[gimpeltf 1,031]

34 minutes ago, Peso said:

Were you (patmilkovich) the first guy to win it as a freshman?  Man, you guys were animals.  I was a freshman in high school that year, and this was the 3rd NCAA Championship I followed, as well as you could back in those days.  

Pat can speak for himself but he was the first of that era.  Dick Hutton won in '47,'48,'50 2nd in '49. Not sure about before the war but for a while after they were eligible. I imagine some of them were much older than traditional freshmen though.

[TobusRex 1,546]

Kind of shocking to see how good MSU used to be on the mat. What happened to them? Did they get an AD that just didn't give a damn about wrestling or something?

Edited November 27, 2019 by TobusRex