Oklahoma State University Athletics
A Century of Cowboy Wrestling: 2000s
November 04, 2015 | Cowboy Wrestling
In the 1990s, Randy Couture opened the door for Oklahoma State wrestlers to take part in Mixed Martial Arts.
Today, there are four former Cowboys competing in MMA's top company, Ultimate Fighting Championship.
Mark Munoz was a two-time All-American and the 2001 197-pound national champion for the Cowboys. During his time in Stillwater, Munoz compiled a record of 111-27 and developed the skills he would later use to find success in MMA.
After leaving OSU, Munoz competed in MMA professionally from 2007 until May of this year. In his final fight, he defeated Luke Barnatt at UFC Fight Night 66 by unanimous decision.
Daniel Cormier competed for the Cowboys for two seasons. During his time at OSU, Cormier was an All-American as he placed second in the 184-pound division in 2001. He finished with a record of 52-10 – 36 of those wins resulted in bonus points.
Cormier then took his talents on the mat to the international arena. He was the senior U.S. national champion every year from 2003–2008, and represented team USA at the world level for each of those years as well. At the 2004 Olympics he took 4th place after losing to Khadzhimurat Gatsalov in the semi-finals.
Cormier was also a member of the 2008 Olympic wrestling team for the USA, where he was named team captain, but did not compete due to injury. At the conclusion of the Olympics, Cormier began his career as a mixed martial artist.
After competing in smaller promotions such as Strikeforce, Cormier made his UFC debut in April 2013, defeating Frank Mir by unanimous decision. Today, Cormier holds a professional record of 17-1 and is the current UFC Light Heavyweight Champion.
Jared Rosholt wrestled at OSU and competed in MMA. Rosholt was a three-time All-American at OSU and has compiled a 14-2 professional record. On Nov. 14, Rosholt is scheduled to fight Stefan Struve at UFC 193 in Melbourne, Australia.
His brother, Jake Rosholt, wrestled at OSU from 2003-2006 and after he left Stillwater, Jake took those skills to the octagon. He finished with a professional record of 6-2 (2-2 UFC).
Johny Hendricks is another Cowboy that has taken the MMA world by storm.
"Big Rigg" holds a professional record of 17-3 and is ranked as the No. 3 Welterweight in the UFC. He is also the former UFC Welterweight Champion – one of three former Cowboys to ever win a UFC title.
Jake and Hendricks were both part of one of the most successful eras in OSU wrestling history.
In 2003, Jake became the fourth OSU wrestler to win a national championship as a freshman as he led the Cowboys to their first national title in nine years. His teammate, Johnny Thompson, earned his third All-America honor and second consecutive national championship.
The following season, Thompson and Rosholt returned to help the Cowboys win a second-consecutive title.
In his final NCAA Tournament, Thompson fell just short of a third-consecutive national championship as he placed third. He finished his career as a four-time All-American, a two-time national champion and posted a career record of 125-14.
The 2004 season was Hendricks' first as a Cowboy. In his first NCAA Championships, he placed fifth at 157 pounds to be one of the seven Cowboys to earn All-America honors. The only wrestler to win an individual title that season was Chris Pendleton.
In 2005, OSU had arguably the most successful season in its storied history.
The Cowboys posted a perfect 21-0 dual record during the regular season. At the Big 12 tournament, OSU had seven wrestlers win conference championships – tying the program record set in 1971.
OSU then took its dominance on the mat to the NCAA Championships, where seven wrestlers earned All-America honors – which included a NCAA Division I-record five national champions.
Pendleton, Rosholt, Hendricks, Zack Esposito and Steve Mocco were the five Cowboys that won national titles in 2005.
Mocco was also awarded the Dan Hodge Trophy for his dominance on the mat during the 2005 season as he wrestled a perfect season, finishing with a record of 37-0 - 17 of which came by fall.
Mocco is the only Cowboy to ever be awarded the Dan Hodge Trophy.
The 2005 NCAA Championships saw Pendleton earn his second individual title as he ended his collegiate career on top. To go along with his two national titles, Pendleton earned All-America honors three times and finished with a career record of 118-12.
The other four national champions would return to OSU the following season.
Mocco and Esposito fell short in their quests to repeat as national champions, but both earned All-America honors, finishing third and second respectively.
Mocco only wrestled at OSU for two seasons, but during that time he earned All-America honors twice and posted a record of 63-3, with 45 of those victories resulting in bonus points.
Esposito posted a collegiate record of 120-12 to go along with his three All-America honors and three Big 12 titles. Today, Esposito is entering his fifth season as an assistant coach on John Smith's staff here at OSU.
The other two defending champions, Hendricks and Rosholt, captured national titles once again.
For Rosholt, the 2006 NCAA Championships marked the end of his OSU career. He finished his career as one of the truly great Cowboy wrestlers of all-time. A three-time national champion and a four-time All-American on four national championship teams, Rosholt finished his collegiate career with a record of 104-21.
Hendricks would return for his senior season in 2007, and like Mocco and Esposito the year prior, he fell just short of a third national title, finishing as the runner-up in the 165-pound division. He finished his collegiate career as a two-time national champion, four-time All-American and three-time Big 12 champion as he posted a record of 126-13.
OSU placed fifth in the team standings at the 2007 NCAA Championships, ending its streak of four-consecutive national championships.
The following season, with all five of the 2005 national champions having completed their careers, the Cowboys now looked to Coleman Scott as their leader on the mat.
Scott earned All-America honors as a freshman during the 2005 NCAA Championships as he placed eighth. In the two years that followed, Scott improved his finish, placing fifth in 2006 and second in 2007, but a national title still eluded him.
In his final NCAA Tournament, Scott pinned Iowa's Joey Slaton in 49 seconds to capture the national title that had eluded him throughout his career.
Scott concluded his collegiate career with a record of 120-24, which included the one national title, four All-America honors and two Big 12 championships.
One other notable member of the 2000s' teams is Tyrone Lewis.
A national championship evaded Lewis during his time in Stillwater as the Cowboy's best finish came during his senior season when he lost in the national finals, finishing as the runner-up in the 165-pound division.
But even without a national title to his credit, Lewis had an impressive career in Stillwater. The runner-up finish in his senior season made him one of the 13 Cowboys to earn All-America honors four times, and just the second Cowboy to accomplish the feat without winning a national title (Kirk Mammen, 1989-92).
Lewis finished his OSU career with a record of 120-15.
OSU also had four wrestlers compete in the Olympic Games throughout the decade.
Jamill Kelly won the silver medal in the 145.5-pound division at the the 2004 games in Athens. Cormier placed fourth in the 211.5-pound division that year, and Eric Guerrero fell short of the podium in the 132-pound division.
In the 2008 Beijing Games, Mocco placed seventh in the 264.5-pound division, while Cormier didn't compete due to injury.
During the 2000s, OSU captured six Big 12 conference titles, four national championships, won 13 individual titles and had 49 wrestlers earn All-America honors. The Cowboys posted a record of 165-28-2 in what was one of the most successful decades in program history.
Today, there are four former Cowboys competing in MMA's top company, Ultimate Fighting Championship.
Mark Munoz was a two-time All-American and the 2001 197-pound national champion for the Cowboys. During his time in Stillwater, Munoz compiled a record of 111-27 and developed the skills he would later use to find success in MMA.
After leaving OSU, Munoz competed in MMA professionally from 2007 until May of this year. In his final fight, he defeated Luke Barnatt at UFC Fight Night 66 by unanimous decision.
Daniel Cormier competed for the Cowboys for two seasons. During his time at OSU, Cormier was an All-American as he placed second in the 184-pound division in 2001. He finished with a record of 52-10 – 36 of those wins resulted in bonus points.
Cormier then took his talents on the mat to the international arena. He was the senior U.S. national champion every year from 2003–2008, and represented team USA at the world level for each of those years as well. At the 2004 Olympics he took 4th place after losing to Khadzhimurat Gatsalov in the semi-finals.
Cormier was also a member of the 2008 Olympic wrestling team for the USA, where he was named team captain, but did not compete due to injury. At the conclusion of the Olympics, Cormier began his career as a mixed martial artist.
After competing in smaller promotions such as Strikeforce, Cormier made his UFC debut in April 2013, defeating Frank Mir by unanimous decision. Today, Cormier holds a professional record of 17-1 and is the current UFC Light Heavyweight Champion.
Jared Rosholt wrestled at OSU and competed in MMA. Rosholt was a three-time All-American at OSU and has compiled a 14-2 professional record. On Nov. 14, Rosholt is scheduled to fight Stefan Struve at UFC 193 in Melbourne, Australia.
His brother, Jake Rosholt, wrestled at OSU from 2003-2006 and after he left Stillwater, Jake took those skills to the octagon. He finished with a professional record of 6-2 (2-2 UFC).
Johny Hendricks is another Cowboy that has taken the MMA world by storm.
"Big Rigg" holds a professional record of 17-3 and is ranked as the No. 3 Welterweight in the UFC. He is also the former UFC Welterweight Champion – one of three former Cowboys to ever win a UFC title.
Jake and Hendricks were both part of one of the most successful eras in OSU wrestling history.
In 2003, Jake became the fourth OSU wrestler to win a national championship as a freshman as he led the Cowboys to their first national title in nine years. His teammate, Johnny Thompson, earned his third All-America honor and second consecutive national championship.
The following season, Thompson and Rosholt returned to help the Cowboys win a second-consecutive title.
In his final NCAA Tournament, Thompson fell just short of a third-consecutive national championship as he placed third. He finished his career as a four-time All-American, a two-time national champion and posted a career record of 125-14.
The 2004 season was Hendricks' first as a Cowboy. In his first NCAA Championships, he placed fifth at 157 pounds to be one of the seven Cowboys to earn All-America honors. The only wrestler to win an individual title that season was Chris Pendleton.
In 2005, OSU had arguably the most successful season in its storied history.
The Cowboys posted a perfect 21-0 dual record during the regular season. At the Big 12 tournament, OSU had seven wrestlers win conference championships – tying the program record set in 1971.
OSU then took its dominance on the mat to the NCAA Championships, where seven wrestlers earned All-America honors – which included a NCAA Division I-record five national champions.
Pendleton, Rosholt, Hendricks, Zack Esposito and Steve Mocco were the five Cowboys that won national titles in 2005.
Mocco was also awarded the Dan Hodge Trophy for his dominance on the mat during the 2005 season as he wrestled a perfect season, finishing with a record of 37-0 - 17 of which came by fall.
Mocco is the only Cowboy to ever be awarded the Dan Hodge Trophy.
The 2005 NCAA Championships saw Pendleton earn his second individual title as he ended his collegiate career on top. To go along with his two national titles, Pendleton earned All-America honors three times and finished with a career record of 118-12.
The other four national champions would return to OSU the following season.
Mocco and Esposito fell short in their quests to repeat as national champions, but both earned All-America honors, finishing third and second respectively.
Mocco only wrestled at OSU for two seasons, but during that time he earned All-America honors twice and posted a record of 63-3, with 45 of those victories resulting in bonus points.
Esposito posted a collegiate record of 120-12 to go along with his three All-America honors and three Big 12 titles. Today, Esposito is entering his fifth season as an assistant coach on John Smith's staff here at OSU.
The other two defending champions, Hendricks and Rosholt, captured national titles once again.
For Rosholt, the 2006 NCAA Championships marked the end of his OSU career. He finished his career as one of the truly great Cowboy wrestlers of all-time. A three-time national champion and a four-time All-American on four national championship teams, Rosholt finished his collegiate career with a record of 104-21.
Hendricks would return for his senior season in 2007, and like Mocco and Esposito the year prior, he fell just short of a third national title, finishing as the runner-up in the 165-pound division. He finished his collegiate career as a two-time national champion, four-time All-American and three-time Big 12 champion as he posted a record of 126-13.
OSU placed fifth in the team standings at the 2007 NCAA Championships, ending its streak of four-consecutive national championships.
The following season, with all five of the 2005 national champions having completed their careers, the Cowboys now looked to Coleman Scott as their leader on the mat.
Scott earned All-America honors as a freshman during the 2005 NCAA Championships as he placed eighth. In the two years that followed, Scott improved his finish, placing fifth in 2006 and second in 2007, but a national title still eluded him.
In his final NCAA Tournament, Scott pinned Iowa's Joey Slaton in 49 seconds to capture the national title that had eluded him throughout his career.
Scott concluded his collegiate career with a record of 120-24, which included the one national title, four All-America honors and two Big 12 championships.
One other notable member of the 2000s' teams is Tyrone Lewis.
A national championship evaded Lewis during his time in Stillwater as the Cowboy's best finish came during his senior season when he lost in the national finals, finishing as the runner-up in the 165-pound division.
But even without a national title to his credit, Lewis had an impressive career in Stillwater. The runner-up finish in his senior season made him one of the 13 Cowboys to earn All-America honors four times, and just the second Cowboy to accomplish the feat without winning a national title (Kirk Mammen, 1989-92).
Lewis finished his OSU career with a record of 120-15.
OSU also had four wrestlers compete in the Olympic Games throughout the decade.
Jamill Kelly won the silver medal in the 145.5-pound division at the the 2004 games in Athens. Cormier placed fourth in the 211.5-pound division that year, and Eric Guerrero fell short of the podium in the 132-pound division.
In the 2008 Beijing Games, Mocco placed seventh in the 264.5-pound division, while Cormier didn't compete due to injury.
During the 2000s, OSU captured six Big 12 conference titles, four national championships, won 13 individual titles and had 49 wrestlers earn All-America honors. The Cowboys posted a record of 165-28-2 in what was one of the most successful decades in program history.
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