A Century of Cowboy Wrestling: 1970s

Under new head coach Tommy Chesbro, Oklahoma State wrestling continued its winning ways.

In Chesbro's inaugural season, the Cowboys recorded the 37th undefeated season in program history. At the NCAA Championships, OSU crowned three national champions and five All-Americans as the Cowboys placed fourth in the team standings.

The three Cowboys to win national championships were Geoff Baum and the Keller Brothers - Dwayne and Darrell.

After winning his first national championship and being named the Outstanding Wrestler of the 1968 tournament, Dwayne won his second title as he led the Cowboys during the transition between Myron Roderick to Chesbro. He was the only OSU wrestler to win a national title under both Roderick and Chesbro.

Darrell and Baum both captured their first career championships at the tournament and they would both repeat that feat the following year.

In 1971, OSU, led by the Keller brothers and Baum, posted a 12-2 record and won its 10th Big Eight title, crowning seven individual conference champions at the tournament. Seven conference champions ranked as the most in a single-season in program history until it was surpassed by the 2013 team.

At the NCAA Tournament, the Cowboys outscored second place Iowa State, 94-66, and captured their first team national championship under Chesbro.

Darrell Keller and Baum led the way for the Cowboys as they both won their second consecutive individual titles.

Baum finished his career as a two-time champion and three-time All-American. Darrell finished his career as a two-time national champion and was named the Outstanding Wrestler of the 1971 tournament.

The third Cowboy to win a national title was Yoshiro Fujita.

Fujita only won that one national championship, but in his collegiate career he wrestled his way to a 48-1 record. His 97.96 winning percentage ranks Fujita third all-time in Cowboy wrestling history, trailing only his teammate Dwayne Keller and two-time Olympic gold medalist Yojiro Uetake-Obata.

Fujita is also one of just four Cowboy wrestlers to finish with a perfect record in regular season dual meets.

Dwayne Keller came close to capturing his third national championship, but was defeated in the national finals by Oregon State's Roger Weigel.

The 1971 national championship was OSU's only team title of the decade, but that didn't stop the Cowboys from producing dominant individuals on the mat.

Jimmy Jackson became a three-time heavyweight national champion, as well as a three-time Big Eight conference champion during his career at OSU. He posted a collegiate record of 87-9-2, which included 44 falls – a mark that ranks as the fourth most in program history.

Jackson's dominance also carried over to his teammates. During his junior season, Jackson led the Cowboys to a 53-0 victory over Nebraska and a 52-0 defeat of UC Santa Barbara.

Those two victories rank as the fourth and fifth most-lopsided dual meet wins in program history. The UC Santa Barbara victory also ranks as OSU's most-lopsided road win.

Despite the success of the Cowboy wrestling program, no wrestlers from the 1970s have been honored as Distinguished Members of the National Wrestling Hall of Fame.

In the 1970s, OSU won its 27th team national championship, crowned 12 individual champions and 49 All-Americans. The Cowboys also won six Big Eight conference championships, including 47 individual conference champions and posted a team record of 132-16-6.

Oklahoma State University Athletics

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