Oklahoma State University Athletics
Catching Up with Former Cowboy Tyler Caldwell
October 01, 2014 | Cowboy Wrestling
By Brandon Walton, OSU Media Relations
Since 1924 Oklahoma State wrestlers have produced 16 Olympic medals for the U.S. World team, including 12 gold. Recent graduate Tyler Caldwell looks to be the next Cowboy to join that list.
At Goddard High School, Caldwell had a record of 150-4, was a four-time Kansas state champion and owns the Kansas state record for most falls in a career (125).
The Kansas native originally chose to attend the University of Oklahoma, but transferred to Oklahoma State following his sophomore season.
Transferring from the rival school got the media's attention, but he quickly proved that all of the extra attention wouldn't bother him.
In his first year as a Cowboy, he finished with a record of 35-5 including a Big 12 individual title, team-high 17 wins against ranked opponents and a third-place finish at the NCAA Championships.
When his collegiate wrestling career ended in 2014, Caldwell was a four-time All-American, two-time Big 12 Champion, two-time NCAA runner-up and boasted a career record of 126-29.
Caldwell continued his success this summer as he qualified to compete in the University World Championships in Pecs, Hungary, where he took home the gold medal at 74 kilos.
At the event, Caldwell won two matches to earn a spot in the final and defeated Shamil-Imam Osmanov of Russia for the gold, 3-2. The performance at the University World Championships impressed Team USA member Nick Marable.
Marable, who earned a spot on the national team this year, called Caldwell to be his training partner and travel with the Team USA in September to the 2014 World Championships in Uzbekistan.
“I was really excited. It was a good opportunity for me to go over there and train with them and see the level of competition first hand,” Caldwell said.
During his time in Uzbekistan, nothing felt different for Caldwell. He compared the training sessions and practices to Oklahoma State's .
One of the coaches in charge of those morning workouts was Penn State head coach, Cael Sanderson, who was chosen to coach the world team this year, marking his third stint with the team.
“It was a really good experience of getting a mix of everyone's philosophies and styles and seeing how they interact with their athletes,” Caldwell said.
Caldwell got to watch and visit a familiar opponent in Jordan Burroughs. Burroughs is a three-time World Champion, with one of those championships coming at the 2012 Olympic Games in London.
Caldwell and Burroughs have had a long history together, including their most notable match at the 2011 NCAA Championships when Burroughs defeated Caldwell in the 165-pound final.
“It was good getting to see him get ready for his competition. He's the guy in my weight class that I'm trying to beat. So anytime you familiarize yourself with those guys it's always in your benefit,” Caldwell said.
Team USA finished ninth overall in the team standings in Uzbekistan. The U.S. had two bronze medal winners including Tervel Dlagnev at 125 kilos and Burroughs at 163 kilos.
Being able to train with the best coaches and athletes in the sport was something Caldwell will cherish for the rest of his life.
In his eyes, this opportunity gave him even more motivation to be a member of the U.S. world team.
“It was bitter in the sense that as those guys were competing, I was in the background behind the scenes. I wasn't the guy out there competing. That's what really motivated me coming back.” Caldwell said.
Caldwell continues to train at Oklahoma State to prepare himself for international competition and hopes to be a part of the U.S. world team in the near future.
Players Mentioned
