Hey Ironbird

[WSC72]

Who do you consider the top 3 wrestlers of all time at Iowa?

Open for everyone and anyone. Would also be interested in how long each poster had been following Hawkeye Wrestling.

 

[Hawky42]

Since I have something in common with iron bird, I have been banned from penn states forum--- and after last weekend I'm on wrestling crack. I'll post mine

If you have to narrow it down to 3 my personal opinion is

Randy Lewis
Tom Brands
Spencer Lee

In that order.
I almost picked another legend over Spencer Lee and have no strong opinion on it. All legends doesn't matter

Randy gets a pass for me on his results as he didn't take a redshirt, lost to Mike Land atleast 3 times atleast that year. Cruises next two years. Was gonna win again wrecks his elbow.
If he took a redshirt. Stays healthy, and never gets to crazy and gets caught guy could of been unbeaten 4 timer.

Tom did do real well as a fr. 0-2-1 vs very good Jim Martin and close matches. cross squeaks by him.
Soph year. Outstanding again. Lost twice iirc to Fried in an open tournamment and Zuniga, his one head scratcher. Avenges it.
45-0 Jr 1991
41-1 Sr. Inside trip swarm pin by fried.
But his great results vs Fried impress me.

Others for 3rd

You can say McIlravy absolutely. But A finals loss is a black mark if you narrow down the best.
Barry Davis up there. Fr. Year 7th but also beat many great wrestlers
Ed Banach also. Schultz was a monster, and Sr. year Ed lost to Mike Mann 3 times before the overtime win in finals.

Brent Metcalf. But lost in finals and also tried to injure Palmers knee...not my thing...

Jim Zalesky also. But had some close matches in the winning streak.

Terry Brands as well. 1991 tough loss Kelber wasn't just a moster where everything went right for him in the match. He was good. Cross vs Kelber was always hard for Cross

 

[WSC72]

If you have to narrow it down to 3 my personal opinion is

Randy Lewis
Tom Brands
Spencer Lee

In that order

Randy gets a pass or special excuses for me as he didn't take a redshirt, lost to Mike Land atleast 3 times atleast that year. Cruises next two years. Was gonna win again wrecks his elbow.
If he took a redshirt. Stays healthy, and never gets to crazy and gets caught guy could of been unbeaten 4 timer.

Tom did do real well as a fr. 0-2-1 vs very good Jim Martin and close matched. cross squeaks by him.
Soph year. Outstanding again. Lost twice iirc to Fried in an open tournamment and Zuniga, his one head scratcher. Avenges it.
45-0 Jr 1991
41-1 Sr. Inside trip swarm pin by fried.
But his great results vs Fried impress me because I think highly of Fried.

I picked Spencer. We know how his career was.

If not Spencer

You can say McIlravy absolutely. But A finals loss is a black mark if you narrow down the best.
Barry Davis up there.

Ed Banach also. Schultz was a monster, and Sr. year Ed lost to Mike Mann 3 times before the overtime win in finals.

Brent Metcalf. But lost in finals and also tried to injure Palmers knee...not my thing...

Jim Zalesky also. But had some close matches in the winning streak.

Terry Brands as well. 1991 tough loss Kelber wasn't just a moster where everything went right for him in the match. He was just good. Cross vs Kelber was always hard for Crosd

Thanks, been a pretty consistent follower since mid 70’s. So many good memories watching the Hawks on IPTV way back then. Well thought out and informative post!

 

[Fan In Black]

Mine are:
Tom
Spencer
Lincoln

 

[The-Dude-Abides]

Since I have something in common with iron bird, have been banned from penn states forum--- and after last weekend I'm on wrestling crack. I'll post mine

If you have to narrow it down to 3 my personal opinion is

Randy Lewis
Tom Brands
Spencer Lee

In that order.
I almost picked another legend over Spencer Lee and have no strong opinion on it. All legends doesn't matter

Randy gets a pass or special excuses for me as he didn't take a redshirt, lost to Mike Land atleast 3 times atleast that year. Cruises next two years. Was gonna win again wrecks his elbow.
If he took a redshirt. Stays healthy, and never gets to crazy and gets caught guy could of been unbeaten 4 timer.

Tom did do real well as a fr. 0-2-1 vs very good Jim Martin and close matched. cross squeaks by him.
Soph year. Outstanding again. Lost twice iirc to Fried in an open tournamment and Zuniga, his one head scratcher. Avenges it.
45-0 Jr 1991
41-1 Sr. Inside trip swarm pin by fried.
But his great results vs Fried impress me because I think highly of Fried.

I picked Spencer because recency bias.We know how his career was.

You can say McIlravy absolutely. But A finals loss is a black mark if you narrow down the best.
Barry Davis up there.
Ed Banach also. Schultz was a monster, and Sr. year Ed lost to Mike Mann 3 times before the overtime win in finals.

Brent Metcalf. But lost in finals and also tried to injure Palmers knee...not my thing...

Jim Zalesky also. But had some close matches in the winning streak.

Terry Brands as well. 1991 tough loss Kelber wasn't just a moster where everything went right for him in the match. He was just good. Cross vs Kelber was always hard for Cross

I am pretty close to your thoughts. Going by nothing objectively measurable as the definition of "top," just my view of the guys who had some undefinable x-factor: I'd say Tom, Spencer, and Chris Campbell, in no particular order. Just something different about those three that sets them apart in addition to their medals. Top honorable mentions for me would be LewBoo, both Banachs, Lincoln Mac, Jimmy Z, Barry, Terry, Ironside, Metcalf, and Terry McCann.

Edit to add Joe W!

Been following pretty closely since the early-mid 90s when it was a grainy IPTV signal or the next day's paper.

 

[cidhawkeye]

No Williams?

 

[The-Dude-Abides]

No Williams?

Shit, absolutely. Can't believe I left him out.

 

[HawkAlum2002]

Probably about 1990-91 as my start point as the Brands and Steiners were both there. I remember wondering if Troy and Terry Steiner were related to Rick and Scott Steiner from WCW before I found out their real last name was Rechsteiner (from an issue of Voice of the Hawkeyes incidentally). So Tom Brands, McIlravey, and Spencer are my top 3. Joe Williams and Ironside would be my 4 and 5.

 

[Boomhawk52]

Something I think, my thoughts.. someone else look it up but Joe was content at times. But some others always looked for bonus. Please you nerds (I am slightly one, no bias) prove me wrong. I remember him being content. ironside was one that always imposed his will. Same with TnT. Lewis obviously. Banachs are cool. Hard convo

 

[Hawky42]

So many great ones i forgot. it's neat how many there are.

Reason why I fanboyd and gave Randy and Tom lots of facts and my vote is I have thought of them somewhat this winter

Randy has been a guest on Flo, telling stories that are crazy and funny, you can find them on YouTube. Glad his health is ok.

Chris Pendleton, after the dual in November, gave Tom a lot credit and said he's one of the best. Pendleton is my one and only Okl State wrestler I've really liked. Pendleton was aggressive man, anti cowboy style

Randy was an instructor at a youth camp i was at, first gold medalist I ever saw.

I always thought people, not that it matters again, don't put Randy at the top because of either
True Freshman lopsided losses to Land
People have all seen the 1980 dual match vs Jim Gibbons where he got taken down three times and reversed.

But he was neck and neck with John Smith in 1988. Winning a few of those matches. Some say John is the goat, so then...

 

[WSC72]

Another Williams was pretty good too. TJ.

 

[diverman]

Randy Lewis
Chris Campbell
ANGELO

 

[WSC72]

@Iron Doc would love to hear your take

 

[Bones Malone]

Can’t get it to three:

Randy Lewis - most talent/pins
Spencer Lee - tech falls
Ed Banach - most pins
Chris Campbell -best athlete

Honorable mention:
Tom Brands
Lincoln McIIravy
Joe Williams

Hawkeye fan forever.
Dad wrestled for the program briefly in late 50’s.
Been watching since inception of wrestling on IPTV. In our home it was a family affair. We had little money but mom wrote annual letters of thanks to Friends of IPTV to encourage them to keep wrestling on the air. In her mind, it remained on the air because of those letters...

Attended 1st NCAA tournament in Ames as a kid back around 79-80 thanks to friend of Dad’s nicknamed Crusher who was an ISU booster.

 

[shobart]

Another Williams was pretty good too. TJ.

3 years in the program, 98-1, 1, 3, 1. Not too shabby lol. He was a stud…..just like his brother.

 

[Bones Malone]

Loved TJ.
Had Joe Williams “just let it fly”, nobody could have hung with him😊. Off the charts explosive but just not his style.

 

[HawkeyePA]

Top 3 is super tough to pick... But Joe Williams was so slick and so powerful and his brother TJ was right there with him... I loved watching BOTH of the Brands brothers and We loved watching the Banach brothers being the beasts on the mat as well. My favorite Hawkeye to watch and just appreciate his technique and style was Spencer But I have to admit... Watching Brinzer and DeSanto is the best entertainment I could ever ask for... Not the all-time greatest wrestlers but DAMN they made it fun to watch and NEVER a dull moment when they took to the mat.

 

[Bones Malone]

Yes, thanks for reminding me about Brinz. I couldn't agree more regarding Brinzer and ADS for entertainment value. Rico Chiapparelli was another favorite of mine as a youngster.

Oddly, when Brinzer wrestled for Oklahoma State, I remember thinking "where did they get this guy". I was clearly not aware of his accolades coming out of HS in PA. Dude comes to Iowa and is immediately a fan favorite. Thanks for the reminder!

 

[sdvike]

Tom Brands
Spencer Lee
Austin Desanto

My personal favorites to watch wrestle. There are many more than three but tried to pick just 3 under the cesspool rules.

 

[shobart]

Top 3 is super tough to pick... But Joe Williams was so slick and so powerful and his brother TJ was right there with him... I loved watching BOTH of the Brands brothers and We loved watching the Banach brothers being the beasts on the mat as well. My favorite Hawkeye to watch and just appreciate his technique and style was Spencer But I have to admit... Watching Brinzer and DeSanto is the best entertainment I could ever ask for... Not the all-time greatest wrestlers but DAMN they made it fun to watch and NEVER a dull moment when they took to the mat.

Brinzer! Yes, that dude was one of a kind, and yes, was time to "get out the popcorn and a soda" each time he was on the mat. Entertaining as hell....and his interviews of the mat were as well lol. Wonder where life took him.

Another note on TJ. Few years back, I recall seeing an article on TJ. He spoke at length about his time at Iowa and how wrestling taught him so much and was a gift. One of the reasons he started his wrestling academy was to pass that gift on to youth wrestlers. I have no idea how successful his academy has been, but regardless, it was a great read. I do know Joe personally, but I just don't remember TJ and what he was like off the mat. I found his interview to be very thoughtful and reflective of an individual with high character and a good human being.

 

[WSC72]

Brinzer! Yes, that dude was one of a kind, and yes, was time to "get out the popcorn and a soda" each time he was on the mat. Entertaining as hell....and his interviews of the mat were as well lol. Wonder where life took him.

Another note on TJ. Few years back, I recall seeing an article on TJ. He spoke at length about his time at Iowa and how wrestling taught him so much and was a gift. One of the reasons he started his wrestling academy was to pass that gift on to youth wrestlers. I have no idea how successful his academy has been, but regardless, it was a great read. I do know Joe personally, but I just don't remember TJ and what he was like off the mat. I found his interview to be very thoughtful and reflective of an individual with high character and a good human being.

North Allegheny wrestling great Ray Brinzer to join WPIAL Hall of Fame | Trib HSSN

Ray Brinzer writes software and manages databases as a computer programmer, which seems a world away from a wrestling mat for one of the WPIAL’s all-time greats, but the former North Allegheny star can see similarities.

tribhssn.triblive.com

 

[shobart]

North Allegheny wrestling great Ray Brinzer to join WPIAL Hall of Fame | Trib HSSN

Ray Brinzer writes software and manages databases as a computer programmer, which seems a world away from a wrestling mat for one of the WPIAL’s all-time greats, but the former North Allegheny star can see similarities.

tribhssn.triblive.com

Thanks! That doesn't surprise me. Ray was quite a character, but it was plainly obvious that his IQ was "off the charts".

 

[WhiteDog125]

Barry Davis is definitely in the conversation.

 

[HawkeyePA]

I would see Brinzer at Freestyle summer tournaments and he was just " Out There" I mean in a good way but his mental game was the best... he would sit that Gumby doll in the corner chair and talk to it between periods and then the best was when he argued with the damn doll and for a minute you thought he was actually believing the doll would argue back.

 

[IRONBIRD]

Been an IOWA fan since learning about GABLE from my first JR High coach back in like 76-77. You know you first start wrestling and you don't know anything but certain things stick with you and a film he showed us always did for me.

I got to meet GABLE several times the first one at a camp in PA I guess in 83. Following any wrestling was not like today obviously. I remember my coach getting MAT SLAP and we could see rankings and some news etc..... Then in college mid to late 80s IOWA was pretty dominate, I guess more so early 80s but always in the mix.

So while competing I think you are always looking to see who is on top if you know what I mean. The goal or dream was always to win the D2s and get to the D1s something like Carlton Haselrig use to do every year out of our Regionals. Then started coaching in 1990 right after college and you try to instill everything you learned!!!

I am to this day still talking about different LEGENDS such as GABLE!!! Moving forward I did meet TnT very briefly at a HOFSTRA clinic. They were there because TOM RYAN who I know from HS was coach at Hofstra then. I guess you love them or hate them do to their TREMENDOUS FIRE/DRIVE/PASSION!!!

I guess you would say, they are my kind of people!!! Long story short, I study WRESTLING and STRENGTH TRAINING like no ones business!!! I can not get enough of it and honestly, it drives me to the brink of INSANITY sometimes!!!! I am NOT from IOWA but I know a TON of history going back to FARMER BURNS and FRANK GOTCH.

I do not want to drag this out TWOOOO long but as I have said. I ENVY WRESTLE TOWN USA!!! I wished I was at that last DAUL!!! I really do not follow any thing but wrestling and local HS sports these days(maybe college Football also). Watching on TV was great but I could almost feel what it must be like with 16K WRESTLING fans going crazy!!!

In any case, as far as TOP guys. AS you know I am a HUGE SUPERMAN LEE fan!!! I think what he did boarder lines impossible! For me he is in the top 3 and I think ED BANACH. Then flip a coin?????

But ANGELO and BASSETT(others) I hope, will be re-writing this list soon!!!!

 

[Iron Doc]

@Iron Doc would love to hear your take

Joe Williams
Spencer Lee
Tom Brands

------------"Top 3" is an almost unanswerable question.