Sudden History | Looking Back At The History Of College Wrestling | Mat Talk Podcast Network

Lehigh's 3x NCAA All-American Cory Cooperman shares his thoughts on "The Art of Wrestling". Cooperman has been praised for his coaching style by past Sudden History guests and speaks of his passion for the sport and passing it along to another generation of wrestlers. Cory gives insight into his experiences on the legendary Blair Academy teams, his love for studying tape, bad experiences with weight cutting, and his short lived career as a reality TV star. Though he may be out of the collegiate limelight, Cooperman along with a few others, are in the process of putting the Baltimore area on the map as a wrestling hotbed. Subscribe to Sudden History iTunes | Stitcher | Spreaker | SoundCloud | Google Play Music | RSS  

Ohio State 4x All-American turned MMA star Lance Palmer talks with Sudden History about his competitive career wrestling, as well as fighting. He walks us through the time period leading up to his last fight, where he lost the World Series of Fighting Featherweight Belt. One of only two wrestlers to defeat Brent Metcalf in collegiate competition, Palmer discusses his victory over Metcalf and also his prior matches with the Iowa 149lber. Lance uses his blend of humor and "in your face" honesty to describe topics such as the origin of his nickname the Party, the tanning habits of Ohio State wrestlers, Bone Thugs N Harmony, and being known in the Smith household as the "Bear Wrestling Guy." Subscribe to Sudden History iTunes | Stitcher | Spreaker | SoundCloud | RSS    

In a break from the normal formal of Sudden History, special guest Kyle Dake stops by to talk about professional wrestling.  Kyle would love to participate in such a league, so we have decided to discuss some of the possibilities for a pro league. Also mentioned are the missteps of prior attempts at professionalizing our sport and how to correct those errors. After talking about pro leagues, the conversation then drifts to the overall health of our sport and the best methods for attracting young wrestlers/fans. Finally, Kyle gives an us an update on his health and a return to the mat. Subscribe to Sudden History iTunes | Stitcher | Spreaker | SoundCloud | RSS  

Terry Brands labeled him "The Toughest 125lber in the Country" and not in those exact words. After a few months Matt McDonough believed it himself and set out to prove it to the rest of the college wrestling world. Two NCAA Championships and three finals appearances later, we were believers. Matt talks to Sudden History about his mentality, the mentality of competing for Iowa and the allure of the Hawkeye wrestling program. He also addresses how it feels to be the guy "on the other side of the Cinderella Story". Among other topics discussed are the delicate subject of his two teammates competing for an Olympic spot this Spring.  Subscribe to Sudden History iTunes | Stitcher | Spreaker | SoundCloud | Google Play Music | RSS    

The undefeated 2011 NCAA Champion Jon Reader brings his brand of energy, intensity and honesty to this episode of Sudden History. Currently an Assistant Coach at South Dakota State University, Reader gives us a look at the state of the Jackrabbit program, in addition to talking about his own wrestling career. Jon emphatically answers a big question about his future as a competitor in the Freestyle ranks. Other topics discussed are Jon's sleeping habits, his relationship with SDSU Head Coach Chris Bono and the feeling of winning an NCAA Title in his last collegiate match.  Subscribe to Sudden History iTunes | Stitcher | Spreaker | SoundCloud | Google Play Music | RSS  

In the almost 100 year history of wrestling at Army West Point only one wrestler has earned All-American honors three times and won three EIWA Championships. That wrestler is Phillip Simpson. Phillip is also the last NCAA Finalist for any of the Service Academies, doing so in 2005. Simpson sits down with Sudden History to recap his wrestling career, his families involvement in the sport and the military, and life at West Point, among other topics.  Subscribe to Sudden History iTunes | Stitcher | Spreaker | SoundCloud | Google Play Music | RSS

Don't look now, but quietly in Central Pennsylvania Scott Mooreis attempting to bring Lock Haven wrestling back to its glory days.The Head Coach of the Bald Eagles, Scott sits down with SuddenHistory to talk about his impressive 2015-16 recruiting class,which is also boosted by some high quality transfers. Moore alsogets into his career competing for Penn State and Virginia. Alongwith twin brother Josh, the Moore's became one of the mostentertaining and physical duos of the mid 2000's, throwing,cradling, pinning their way into the hearts of fans in StateCollege (and Charlottesville). Subscribe to Sudden History iTunes | Stitcher | Spreaker | SoundCloud | RSS

It's that time of the year again. College coaches are finalizing their 2015-16 recruiting classes with late signees and transfers. Sounds like the most appropriate time to talk about previous recruiting classes. Earl talks about previous team recruiting rankings, the rankings for the 2016 NCAA Finalists. Also, a sneak peak into everyone's favorite feature the D1CW Recruiting Rewind, prior to its release.  Subscribe to Sudden History iTunes | Stitcher | Spreaker | SoundCloud | RSS

After a much heralded prep career at powerhouse Blair Academy Mario Mason struggled to find the same level of success competing at Minnesota then Rutgers. Mason is now a coach in New Jersey and is using his collegiate experiences to help mentor and teach young wrestlers. He also gives an exclusive update on his current coaching situation, which may eventually lead to a shake up in training in Jersey and Pennsylvania. Mario also touches topics such as his love for Freestyle wrestling, his opponents who met in the Olympic Trials and how he became known as The Shot Doc. Subscribe to Sudden History iTunes | Stitcher | Spreaker | SoundCloud | RSS

Matt Valenti sits down with Sudden History to discuss his career of twelve years (and counting) with the Penn Quakers. A 2x National Champion wrestler, then coach, turned administrator, Valenti describes the ups and downs of his career as a competitor. He also describes his new life, working in the Athletic Department for the Quakers plus his love and respect for all things Quaker sports. Matt also offers advise for wrestlers seeking a career in administration, as well as administrators that don't understand wrestling or other sports.    Subscribe to Sudden History iTunes | Stitcher | Spreaker | SoundCloud | RSS

In the illustrious history of California wrestling's one class system, only one wrestler has ever won four High School State Championships. His name is Darrell Vasquez. Darrell sits down with Sudden History and describes his path to those history making seasons, as well as his time at Cal Poly where he became a two time All-American. He is also very candid about his collegiate career and the setbacks he encountered during those years. We also get to hear about his current profession as an animator for Reel FX. Join Darrell and Sudden History for an animated trip through his love for wrestling, animation and faith. Subscribe to Sudden History iTunes | Stitcher | Spreaker | SoundCloud | RSS

We briefly mentioned Jon Trenge on Episode 1 of Sudden History when discussing the Best Non-NCAA Champions of the 2000's. Now an in-depth conversation with the 3x All-American and 2x NCAA Runner-Up from Lehigh. Jon goes into great detail reliving his great, yet occasionally heartbreaking career, while wrestling at Lehigh. Go inside his mind as he is very open about the concerns and obstacles he faced during his Senior year in Bethlehem. Currently Jon has found a passion for coaching at the youth and high school level. He shares his thoughts with us on the youth wrestling landscape and his goal to be a mentor for young wrestlers in the District XI area.     Subscribe to Sudden History iTunes | Stitcher | Spreaker | SoundCloud | RSS

A final post NCAA Tournament wrap up full of Earl's usual theme of facts/stats/trends from the 2016 season. Also, commentary on the tournament itself and a way to tinker with the NCAA Finals to make the event even more exciting. A crazy nugget of information courtesy of Virginia Tech Associate Head Coach Tony Robie is shared. Finally, Earl explains the term "Freshman All-Star" and who has earned that title from the 2015-16 season. Subscribe to Sudden History iTunes | Stitcher | Spreaker | SoundCloud | RSS

It's the biggest wrestling week of the year, NCAA Time! Earl has a preview with his typical brand of stats/facts/trends from past tournaments. Need help filling out your brackets? Earl lets know in on who has won in recent history, where the wrestlers came from, what seeds they were and who they wrestled for. Also, he goes out on a limb and walks you through his brackets, picking the 2016 All-American's and forecasts the team race. A must-listen prior to the start of the tournament in New York on Thursday! Subscribe to Sudden History iTunes | Stitcher | Spreaker | SoundCloud | RSS

Instead of looking back years and years at a time, Earl goes through the weekend Conference Championship results. Not your normal recap though. Earl has found trends, stats and facts about the wrestlers and their teams, some of which go back decades. He also offers opinion on some wrestlers who will be seeking At-Large berths to qualify for the NCAA Championships. Before you turn all of your attention to Nationals find some good nuggets of information about your favorite conference or conferences.  Subscribe to Sudden History iTunes | Stitcher | Spreaker | SoundCloud | RSS

You remember it, you loved watching them, you still root for a few of them. Of course we are talking about the best weight class in recent memory, possibly ever. The 149 LB class at the 2008 NCAA Championships featured 6 wrestlers who were or would go on to be NCAA Champions and another 7 All-Americans. Earl breaks down the collegiate, high school and post collegiate careers of some of its participants. Not only the legendary wrestlers, but the other guys at the weight class, who were very good wrestlers in their own right and had the misfortune of being in the wrong weight class at the right (wrong) time.  Subscribe to Sudden History iTunes | Stitcher | Spreaker | SoundCloud | RSS

Former 2x All-American wrestler Conrad Polz joins Sudden History to talk about his wrestling career, as well as his current career, lead vocalist for The Band Avon Dale. Polz talks about battling injuries and his own confidence during his first few seasons in Champaign, before finding his way onto the NCAA podium his final two years. He has transformed a passion for wrestling into a passion for making music. Find out how his if preparing for a wrestling tournament compares to taking the stage with a mic in hand. Subscribe to Sudden History iTunes | Stitcher | Spreaker | SoundCloud | RSS

Legendary 3x NCAA Champion Greg Jones sits down with Sudden History to discuss his wrestling career and his current position, wrestling coach of the Blackzilians, one of the top MMA teams in the world. 126-4 as a colleigate, one of the four wrestlers who beat Greg actually reached out and recommended him for his current position with the Blackzilians. Surprisingly enough, after graduation his hometown Pittsburgh Steelers came calling on this 184lber to get an NFL tryout. Greg talks about his short-lived NFL "career" and also give his opinion about a fantasy matchup between some all-time greats from Pennsylvania. Subscribe to Sudden History iTunes | Stitcher | Spreaker | SoundCloud | RSS

Rollie Peterkin, a 3x NCAA Qualifier and Round of 12 finisher for Penn, joins Sudden History and shares his experiences traveling the world. Once a bond trader on Wall Street, Peterkin left his dream job to dive head first into the world of a professional MMA fighter in Lima, Peru. Rollie actually speaks to us from Madrid, Spain, where he currently resides and teaches English to school children. On top of that, he has documented his trials and tribulations in the MMA world for a soon-to-be released book. 

In the first of Sudden History's interview series, we sit down with Purdue's three-time NCAA All-American Chris Fleeger. Topics of discussion include his wrestling career, as well as his current position, Head Coach of the University of the Cumberlands. Fleeger goes deep into his academic struggles at Purdue, the controversial NCAA Quarter Final match with Mack Reiter and his departure from Purdue. These are subjects which he had rarely addressed publicly until now.  Subscribe to Sudden History iTunes | Stitcher | Spreaker | SoundCloud | RSS