Oklahoma State University Athletics
John Smith’s Top 25 Moments: 20-16
November 06, 2015 | Cowboy Wrestling
In this series, Oklahoma State's wrestling coach John Smith, who enters his 25th year at the helm of the program, reflects on some of his top moments during his coaching career. Here are moments 20-16.
20: The Cowboys' winning streak from 1996-2000
"The winning streak that we had in dual meets, they always come to an end. They don't have to, but they do most of the time. It was a very competitive time. Having several teams over several years made it a lot of fun. We didn't put a lot of emphasis on the streak at the time, it just materialized because our guys took a lot of pride in winning dual meets."
19:Johny Hendricks winning NCAA title in 2006
"He was wrestling Ryan Churella from Michigan in the finals. He was behind going into the third period, and there was just a flurry of action, where Johny came out on top. It was just an exciting match from the standpoint of the techniques and the fight that both athletes had. It was a really special moment in Oklahoma City."
18: Jake Rosholt winning three national championships
"You could use any of those three titles as exciting moments. He was a young student-athlete who struggled a lot of times during the season and had a lot of losses during the season, but, man, when it came to the NCAA Championships, he lit it up. Watching him compete in the NCAA Championships as compared to the season, it was two different people. He always came alive at the right time. And he's a great guy that we've used as an example for a lot of our athletes because his experience is like a lot of theirs."
17: Alan Fried choosing to stay at Oklahoma State
"In 1993, Alan gave up a year after probation to stay with OSU, and he was ranked No. 1 in the country at the time. He did not wrestle in the NCAA Championships due to our probation. Seeing him decide to come back when he had an opportunity to leave the program and transfer anywhere he wanted was really exciting for Oklahoma State. His decision ultimately gave us the chance to win the NCAA Championships in 1994. Just a lot of satisfaction for him to finally get his championship in a tough career."
16: Coleman Scott winning an NCAA title by fall in 2008
"It was a first-period fall in 50 seconds. It was a textbook high-crotch to a cradle. Coleman came up just short in other NCAA Championships but he progressed. He finished eighth, fifth, second and got the title in 2008. He never redshirted and was a four-time All-American. What a way to end a career."
20: The Cowboys' winning streak from 1996-2000
"The winning streak that we had in dual meets, they always come to an end. They don't have to, but they do most of the time. It was a very competitive time. Having several teams over several years made it a lot of fun. We didn't put a lot of emphasis on the streak at the time, it just materialized because our guys took a lot of pride in winning dual meets."
19:Johny Hendricks winning NCAA title in 2006
"He was wrestling Ryan Churella from Michigan in the finals. He was behind going into the third period, and there was just a flurry of action, where Johny came out on top. It was just an exciting match from the standpoint of the techniques and the fight that both athletes had. It was a really special moment in Oklahoma City."
18: Jake Rosholt winning three national championships
"You could use any of those three titles as exciting moments. He was a young student-athlete who struggled a lot of times during the season and had a lot of losses during the season, but, man, when it came to the NCAA Championships, he lit it up. Watching him compete in the NCAA Championships as compared to the season, it was two different people. He always came alive at the right time. And he's a great guy that we've used as an example for a lot of our athletes because his experience is like a lot of theirs."
17: Alan Fried choosing to stay at Oklahoma State
"In 1993, Alan gave up a year after probation to stay with OSU, and he was ranked No. 1 in the country at the time. He did not wrestle in the NCAA Championships due to our probation. Seeing him decide to come back when he had an opportunity to leave the program and transfer anywhere he wanted was really exciting for Oklahoma State. His decision ultimately gave us the chance to win the NCAA Championships in 1994. Just a lot of satisfaction for him to finally get his championship in a tough career."
16: Coleman Scott winning an NCAA title by fall in 2008
"It was a first-period fall in 50 seconds. It was a textbook high-crotch to a cradle. Coleman came up just short in other NCAA Championships but he progressed. He finished eighth, fifth, second and got the title in 2008. He never redshirted and was a four-time All-American. What a way to end a career."
Friday, June 05
Friday, May 29
Wednesday, May 27
Monday, May 18
