Oklahoma State University Athletics
Wrestling at Gallagher-Iba Arena
Of all the arenas in the country where wrestling is held, none has more tradition than Gallagher-Iba Arena, home of Oklahoma State Wrestling for the past 60 years. In its beginning as Gallagher Hall, the gymnasium was named for Edward Clark Gallagher, the Oklahoma A&M wrestling mentor who never wrestled competitively but became the greatest coach of his time. The 1987-88 season brought a new look and a new name to the hallowed hall. When renovations were completed in January 1988, it was renamed Gallagher-Iba Arena to honor the late Mr. Henry P. Iba, Oklahoma State’s legendary basketball coach.
Gallagher-Iba Arena took on a new look once again in 2001. On Jan. 4, 2001 the OSU wrestling team hosted Oregon in the first match in the newly renovated arena. GIA underwent a $56 million renovation, that increased the seating capacity of Gallagher-Iba Arena to 13,611 seats.
The Pokes set a new wrestling attendance record in the first season, packing in 10,802 for Bedlam on Feb. 18. Previously, the largest crowd was estimated at 8,300. Since wrestling began in Gallagher-Iba Arena, the Cowboys have won 24 NCAA titles and have had 39 unbeaten and untied campaigns at home. One of their longest winning streaks ran with the arena’s opening in 1939 and lasted until Feb. 16, 1951. During that period, O-State won 37 straight home duals, including no ties. From the final dual of 1959 through the first five home duals of the 1967 season, Oklahoma State wrestled 61 duals without a loss, finishing with an impressive 60-0-1 record before the streak was broken by Bedlam rival Oklahoma 19-13. On Feb. 3, 1939, Oklahoma A&M wrestled for the first time inside the arena, defeating Indiana 18-6. On Feb. 3, 1989, the Oklahoma State Cowboys hosted the Hoosiers in a celebration of the 50-year anniversary of the first Gallagher Hall dual. The Cowboys defeated the Hoosiers, 28-6, in the 1989 dual. OSU’s latest home winning streak of 50 consecutive duals was the second-longest such streak without a loss or tie (it began near the end of the 1986 season). That streak came to an end on Jan. 30, 1993, when Penn State handed the Pokes a sound 38-7 defeat, O-State’s worst loss ever on its home mat. In only five seasons have OSU teams lost more than one home dual during the season, including the 1992-93 season when OSU finished below .500 for the first time ever in Gallagher-Iba Arena. In contrast, six Cowboy teams have won at least 10 home duals during a single season.
Season W L T 1938-39 4 0 0 1939-40 4 0 0 1940-41 3 0 0 1941-42 3 0 0 1942-45 No team 1945-46 1 0 0 1946-47 8 0 0 1947-48 4 0 0 1948-49 4 0 0 1949-50 5 0 0 1950-51 4 1 0 1951-52 3 1 0 1952-53 2 2 0 1953-54 4 0 0 1954-55 2 0 1 1955-56 3 0 1 1956-57 3 1 1 1957-58 7 0 0 1958-59 3 1 0 1959-60 9 0 0 1960-61 5 0 0 1961-62 8 0 0 1962-63 7 0 0 1963-64 7 0 0 1964-65 9 0 0 1965-66 8 0 0 1966-67 7 1 1 1967-68 7 1 0 1968-69 9 0 0 1969-70 4 0 0 1970-71 8 1 0 1971-72 8 0 0 1972-73 5 0 0 1973-74 5 1 0 1974-75 8 0 0 1975-76 7 0 0 1976-77 6 1 0 1977-78 8 1 0 1978-79 8 1 0 1979-80 9 1 0 1980-81 10 2 0 1981-82 8 1 0 1982-83 10 0 0 1983-84 11 0 0 1984-85 8 1 0 1985-86 10 1 0 1986-87 8 0 0 1987-88 11 0 0 1988-89 11 0 0 1989-90 8 0 0 1990-91 6 0 0 1991-92 3 0 0 1992-93 3 4 0 1993-94 6 0 0 1994-95 5 1 0 1995-96 5 2 0 1996-97 6 0 0 1997-98 6 0 0 1998-99 7 0 0 1999-00 3 2 1 2000-01 5 0 0 2001-02 5 1 0 2002-03 8 0 0 2003-04 8 1 061 Years 391 30 5 Overall winning percentage: .924
A.M. Colville (1915), 0-1-0, one season
Year Record
1915 0-1-0
Ed Gallagher (1916-40)
138-5-4, 23 seasons
Year Record Conf~ NCAA
1916 0-1-0
1917 2-0-1 1st
1920 3-0-0
1921 3-2-0 1st
1922 5-0-0 1st
1923 5-0-0 1st
1924 4-0-0 1st
1925 5-0-0 1st
1926 6-0-0 1st
1927 9-0-0 1st
1928 6-0-0 1st ^1st
1929 6-0-0 1st
1930 8-0-0 1st
1931 7-0-0 ^1st
1932 7-1-0 2nd
1933 8-0-1 ^T1st
1934 8-0-0 1st
1935 8-0-0 1st
1936 7-0-1 3rd
1937 6-1-1 1st
1938 9-0-0 1st
1939 6-0-0 1st
1940 10-0-0 1st
Art Griffith (1941-56)
78-7-4, 13 seasons
Year Record NCAA
1941 6-0-0 1st
1942 5-0-0 1st
1946 2-0-0 1st
1947 11-0-0 3rd
1948 7-0-0 1st
1949 10-0-0 1st
1950 7-0-0 T4th
1951 7-2-0 2nd
1952 4-2-0 3rd
1953 3-3-0 4th
1954 7-0-0 1st
1955 5-0-2 1st
1956 4-0-2 1st
Myron Roderick (1957-69)
140-10-7, 13 seasons
Year Record Big 8 NCAA
1957 3-2-2 4th
1958 10-0-2 2nd 1st
1959 9-1-0 1st 1st
1960 14-0-0 2nd 5th
1961 8-0-0 1st 1st
1962 12-0-0 1st 1st
1963 11-0-1 1st T4th
1964 10-0-1 1st 1st
1965 14-0-0 1st 2nd
1966 13-1-0 1st 1st
1967 9-2-1 3rd 6th
1968 11-1-0 T1st 1st
1969 16-3-0 1st 6th
Tommy Chesbro (1970-84)
227-26-0, 15 seasons
Year Record Big 8 NCAA
1970 9-0-0 2nd 4th
1971 12-2-0 1st 1st
1972 12-2-0 1st 3rd
1973 11-1-0 1st 5th
1974 11-3-0 1st 3rd
1975 15-1-0 1st 3rd
1976 15-1-0 3rd 3rd
1977 15-2-0 2nd 2nd
1978 16-1-0 1st 3rd
1979 16-3-0 2nd 6th
1980 20-3-0 3rd 2nd
1981 16-4-0 3rd 4th
1982 18-3-0 3rd 4th
1983 22-0-0 1st 2nd
1984 19-0-0 1st 2nd
Joe Seay (1985-1991)
114-18-2, seven seasons
Year Record Big 8 NCAA
1985 13-3-1 2nd 4th
1986 12-6-0 3rd 3rd
1987 18-1-1 T1st 4th
1988 16-2-0 1st 4th
1989 22-2-0 1st 1st
1990 18-1-0 1st 1st
1991 15-3-0 1st 2nd
Smith/Monday (1992)
7-0-0, one season
Year Record Big 8 NCAA
1992 7-0-0 # 2nd
John Smith (1993-present)
229-27-3, 14 seasons
Year Record Big 12* NCAA
1993 4-7-0 * *
1994 13-1-0 1st 1st
1995 13-3-1 2nd 7th
1996 15-3-1 1st 6th
1997 21-0-0 1st 2nd
1998 20-0-0 1st 3rd
1999 23-0-0 2nd 3rd
2000 12-5-1 1st 4th
2001 17-1-0 1st 3rd
2002 20-3-0 2nd 5th
2003 17-0 1st 1st
2004 17-2 1st 1st
2005 21-0 1st 1st
2006 16-2 1st 1st
*The Big 8 became the Big 12 in 1997
85 Years of OSU Wrestling
Overall Record 933-93-20
Note - Oklahoma A&M did not have a team in 1917-19 or 1943-45.
~ Oklahoma A&M was a member of the Southwest Conference from 1917 to 1924, and a member of the Missouri Valley Conference from 1925 to 1928.
^ Denotes years that team points weren't kept; therefore, unofficial championship year.
# OSU won Big Eight title in 1992 but later vacated it.
* Due to NCAA ruling, OSU was not eligible for Big Eight or NCAA postseason in 1993.
