Legitimate Mark Perry Question

[Mat_Mopper 0]

Why does he get so much hype from flo? I only watched him at the end of his iowa career but how does he stand out amongst other 4x AAs and 2x NCAA champs? Or more to the point, amongst coaches? This is a genuinely curious question and not a judgment...

[OtisCampbell 94]

He is a great story.

Perry going to Iowa was like if Tom Brands had a nephew and him going to Penn State.

He beat a guy that had beat him like 7 times in a row for a title, the guy that basically made him choose a different school other than the one he probably dreamed of wrestling for his whole life.

As a senior he was part of a team that brought back a team title to Iowa City.

He is a likable guy.

He was a tough SOB.

He won matches that it looked like he had no business winning.

He was coached by or had access to the best of the best coaches in the sport. Gable, Brands, Zalesky, His Uncles, and his dad.

And probably most important he gave them access to a great story that had not been told to the public before and they are milking like they should.

[madcat11 402]

It's an epic story. They should do one on BubbaJ next.

[gowrestle 633]

He was coached by or had access to the best of the best coaches in the sport. Gable, Brands, Zalesky, His Uncles, and his dad.

And probably most important he gave them access to a great story that had not been told to the public before and they are milking like they should.

 

 

Mark Perry was also coached by Jeff Buxton, arguably one of the best coaches at any level!

[Mat_Mopper 0]

Ok thanks that's a big help. He seems like a real good guy to wrestle for. Just wasn't sure about coaching credentials or influence. Fascinating to hear about the iowa choice. Thanks for the info!

[VQLSWAIN 2]

Ok thanks that's a big help. He seems like a real good guy to wrestle for. Just wasn't sure about coaching credentials or influence. Fascinating to hear about the iowa choice. Thanks for the info!

 

Watch some footage from when he competed. Jesse Delgado and Mark Perry move very similarly, though Delgado is much quicker, and has more funk defense to the takedown. To Perry's defense, he competed at a much heavier weight. Even their hand movements are the same!

[Tony_Rotundo 31]

And let's not forget his Karate Kid performance to win his second NCAA title against MU Eric Tannenbaum. All guts.

 

http://tech-fall.com/2008CLG/08NCAA72.html

[JohnnyThompsonnum1 97]

Anyone else feel that he may have been afraid to be himself while he was at Iowa? I mean observing him as a coach he's very talkative, outgoing and rather comical. While at Iowa he was rather quiet, keep to himself and almost appeared standoffish. I've noticed over the years that the atmosphere at Iowa in general has changed from being 100% serious 100% of the time to more of an environment of being serious when it's time to be serious and being relaxed when it's time to relax. When he was their the environment never seemed relaxed and I wonder if he kind of kept from being himself, to fit in to his environment.

 

Either that or he has changed a lot over the years. I'm not sure. He just seems personality wise like a completely different person as a Cal Poly/Illinois coach than he did as a wrestler. More so than any one else I can ever remember.

[stp 542]

Anyone else feel that he may have been afraid to be himself while he was at Iowa? I mean observing him as a coach he's very talkative, outgoing and rather comical. While at Iowa he was rather quiet, keep to himself and almost appeared standoffish.

 

Most wrestlers keep to themselves, seem grumpy (whatever) when cutting a lot of weight.

[headshuck 2,170]

He must have had some charm to get into a private school across the nation without his families involvement.

[Ace 2]

Anyone else feel that he may have been afraid to be himself while he was at Iowa? I mean observing him as a coach he's very talkative, outgoing and rather comical. While at Iowa he was rather quiet, keep to himself and almost appeared standoffish. I've noticed over the years that the atmosphere at Iowa in general has changed from being 100% serious 100% of the time to more of an environment of being serious when it's time to be serious and being relaxed when it's time to relax. When he was their the environment never seemed relaxed and I wonder if he kind of kept from being himself, to fit in to his environment.

 

Either that or he has changed a lot over the years. I'm not sure. He just seems personality wise like a completely different person as a Cal Poly/Illinois coach than he did as a wrestler. More so than any one else I can ever remember.

 

You obviously never followed Mark Perry when he was competing at Iowa. Reporters couldn't wait to get a microphone in front of his face and one could classify him as outspoken. And at the time during the end of the Zalesky era, Perry was one of the few bright spots in the Iowa lineup.

[Ace 2]

Anyone else feel that he may have been afraid to be himself while he was at Iowa? I mean observing him as a coach he's very talkative, outgoing and rather comical. While at Iowa he was rather quiet, keep to himself and almost appeared standoffish. I've noticed over the years that the atmosphere at Iowa in general has changed from being 100% serious 100% of the time to more of an environment of being serious when it's time to be serious and being relaxed when it's time to relax. When he was their the environment never seemed relaxed and I wonder if he kind of kept from being himself, to fit in to his environment.

 

Either that or he has changed a lot over the years. I'm not sure. He just seems personality wise like a completely different person as a Cal Poly/Illinois coach than he did as a wrestler. More so than any one else I can ever remember.

 

You obviously never followed Mark Perry when he was competing at Iowa. Reporters couldn't wait to get a microphone in front of his face and one could classify him as outspoken. And at the time during the end of the Zalesky era, Perry was one of the few bright spots in the Iowa lineup.

[BobDole 967]

Must have forgotten the time as a freshman that he called out the seniors for not being tough enough or working hard.

[GranbyTroll 430]

He must have had some charm to get into a private school across the nation without his families involvement.

 

To me, this is the interesting part of his story. He essentially moved out (seemingly with mixed parental consent?) at 15. Moved out, flew across the country, and never went home again. I haven't met a single 15 year old with that kind of focus and drive.

[GranbyTroll 430]

Why does he get so much hype from flo?

 

Personally, I'm glad that they took a break from beating the same ole Kid Dynamite drum for once.

[DocRevue 0]

Anyone else feel that he may have been afraid to be himself while he was at Iowa? I mean observing him as a coach he's very talkative, outgoing and rather comical. While at Iowa he was rather quiet, keep to himself and almost appeared standoffish. I've noticed over the years that the atmosphere at Iowa in general has changed from being 100% serious 100% of the time to more of an environment of being serious when it's time to be serious and being relaxed when it's time to relax. When he was their the environment never seemed relaxed and I wonder if he kind of kept from being himself, to fit in to his environment.

 

Either that or he has changed a lot over the years. I'm not sure. He just seems personality wise like a completely different person as a Cal Poly/Illinois coach than he did as a wrestler. More so than any one else I can ever remember.

 

1. Wrong. Perry was very talkative and outgoing at Iowa.

 

2. Cuttin' weight.

 

3. Like his dad and his uncles, Perry has a mean streak a mile wide and that shows a lot more when competing than it does as an assistant coach.

[MSU158 1,504]

Mark Perry had one of, if not the, meanest rides in DI wrestling. He honestly looked like he was trying harder to break the guy on bottom than actually turn him. Saying he had a mean streak is an understatement. He had a few moments where he looked less than motivated, but when he was, he was MEAN.

[wrestlingnerd 2,585]

Mark Perry had one of, if not the, meanest rides in DI wrestling. He honestly looked like he was trying harder to break the guy on bottom than actually turn him. Saying he had a mean streak is an understatement. He had a few moments where he looked less than motivated, but when he was, he was MEAN.

 

True. Anyone who doubts this or attributes it to Iowa influence did not see him wrestle at Blair. The best top wrestlers I've seen are content to pin a guy and get it over with, but Perry used to torture kids on top.

[JohnnyThompsonnum1 97]

Anyone else feel that he may have been afraid to be himself while he was at Iowa? I mean observing him as a coach he's very talkative, outgoing and rather comical. While at Iowa he was rather quiet, keep to himself and almost appeared standoffish. I've noticed over the years that the atmosphere at Iowa in general has changed from being 100% serious 100% of the time to more of an environment of being serious when it's time to be serious and being relaxed when it's time to relax. When he was their the environment never seemed relaxed and I wonder if he kind of kept from being himself, to fit in to his environment.

 

Either that or he has changed a lot over the years. I'm not sure. He just seems personality wise like a completely different person as a Cal Poly/Illinois coach than he did as a wrestler. More so than any one else I can ever remember.

 

1. Wrong. Perry was very talkative and outgoing at Iowa.

 

2. Cuttin' weight.

 

3. Like his dad and his uncles, Perry has a mean streak a mile wide and that shows a lot more when competing than it does as an assistant coach.

 

 

I went to every Hawk Club party during the NCAA's for Perry's freshman, sophomore, junior and senior years of college and he wouldn't say jack squat to anyone. Not calling him unfriendly or anything, not saying that at all. I just took him as being shy and untalkative. Nothing wrong with being that way, but that is how he was. I know what you say, and that's fine. I trust what my eyes saw. At the time he wasn't anywhere near as outgoing as what he is now. He's very talkative and says a lot. He didn't then. I know what I saw.

[BobDole 967]

Maybe he didn't talk to you because he feared getting hit with a chair.

[ban_basketball 16]

I always have one or two Hawkeyes that I silently root for each year (I didn't this year though), and Perry was one of them, simply because I loved his style on top.

 

For you folks who described it as "mean," you hit the nail on the head and it was fun to watch.

 

Correction: I rooted for St. John. Can't help but like him.

[Matburn155 3]

"Mean" is a good way to describe Perry on top. Perry was coming through college when I was coaching middle school wrestling, and I remember specifically telling my wrestlers to go watch some Mark Perry, when teaching them how to ride legs. I always taught that it was ok to be mean and aggressive as long as you did it within the rules, and Perry was a good example all around for learning that. (though he did go overboard once...didn't show them that match)

[JohnnyThompsonnum1 97]

Maybe he didn't talk to you because he feared getting hit with a chair.

 

And the reasoning for not talking to anyone else in the room?????

[headshuck 2,170]

He was uncomfortable that you were watching him so closely?

[wrestlingphish 639]

Not sure what JT1 is talking about because I spoke to Perry at one of the parties he's claiming Perry spoke to no one at. Maybe you weren't keeping as close of an eye on him as you thought?

 

Every time I've been around Mark Perry he had been incredibly social and great to talk to.