Des Moines Register article on ASU wrestling

[duran]

Wrestlers cry foul because Arizona State drops sport
BY DAN MCCOOL • REGISTER STAFF WRITER • MAY 14, 2008
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Former Iowa State wrestling coach Bobby Douglas mourned Arizona State's decision Tuesday to drop wrestling as a death blow to the sport in the western United States.

The university also announced it was eliminating men's tennis and men's swimming in moves to save more than $1 million annually in operating costs.

Douglas led Arizona State to the 1988 NCAA Division I championship in Ames. It was the only team west of the Rockies to win the title.

"More than anything, if Arizona State goes, the West goes," said Douglas, who was head coach at Arizona State for 18 seasons before going to Iowa State in 1992. "Stanford's hanging on by a Bowlsby, Oregon dropped it (after last season)."

Stanford athletic director Bob Bowlsby was formerly athletic director at Iowa. Stanford coach Kerry McCoy recently left for Maryland.

"Would they be next?" former Iowa coach Dan Gable said about Stanford. "It's pretty much crisis mode in Division I."
The decision by Arizona State reduces the number of NCAA Division I wrestling programs to 87 - 15 of which are west of the state of Iowa.

The Sun Devils' program had several links to the state of Iowa.

- Coach Thom Ortiz was Douglas' assistant at Iowa State for nine seasons. He did not return calls from The Des Moines Register on Tuesday.

Ortiz, a three-time all-America wrestler at Arizona State, compiled a 74-52-1 record in seven seasons. The team was 9-8 in duals last winter, including a 36-3 loss to Iowa and a 32-3 loss to Iowa State. Arizona State tied with Michigan State for 28th place in the NCAA tournament.
- Zach Roberson, a former NCAA champion at Iowa State, was on the staff.

- Former West Des Moines Dowling champions Jeff Theiler and Steve Blackford, and former Iowa Central Community College wrestlers Cain Velasquez and Dana Holland, were all-Americans as Sun Devils.

Iowa State wrestling coach Cael Sanderson, who grew up in Heber City, Utah, said the Arizona State decision was painful. Ortiz helped recruit Sanderson to Ames and coached him during his 159-0, four-NCAA championship career.
"It's not only knowing the coach, but being from the West," Sanderson said. "There are so few wrestling opportunities for the huge number of high school wrestlers that are out there. Man, it's a shame. It hurts."

Arizona State's athletic department annual operating budget is $38 million to $40 million. The department has been slightly in the black in recent years, but faced mounting costs.

"The profile for our operations budget and donation base does not lend itself to the sponsorship of 22 athletic teams," Arizona State vice president for athletics Lisa Love told the Arizona Republic.
"While our revenue streams are achieving a positive trajectory, they are simply not keeping pace with the current size and scope of the department."

Sanderson countered, "Dropping a program cannot be the right decision, regardless of the circumstances. It's a final solution to a short-term problem. I think that's a poor sign of leadership."

Gable said, "We're only responding after the fact too much," he said. "They still aren't looking out for their own youth.
"I was just in Arizona two weeks ago putting a clinic on, and there are plenty of kids wrestling in Arizona. All they did was rob them of an opportunity, and that just doesn't make a lot of sense to me.

"There is an alternative: Go to work and do a little better job and raise more money."

QUOTES

Bobby Douglas, former Iowa State coach

"Wrestling's days were numbered a long, long time ago. Iowa will not be able to keep it alive, the Big Ten will not be able to keep it alive. This snake will swallow its tail."

Dan Gable, former Iowa head coach

"I'm beyond getting sad. I just get mad and say they don't know what they're doing."

Cael Sanderson, Iowa State coach

"The more wrestling programs we lose, the weaker we become as a nation."


The above article is from today's Des Moines Register. This is heartbreaking to me. ASU won the D-I NCAA's a scant 20 years ago. Dan Severn, Don Frye, Dan Henderson, Cain Velazquez, C.B. Dolloway, Ryan Bader, Chance Farrar, Townsend Saunders - any of these names ring a bell? Current or former mixed martial artists who wrestled at Arizona State. Saunders and Hendo were on the U.S Olympic Team for Pete's sake.

Unfortunately there will be some future potential Hendos and Severns who might not get a chance to get a college education because of so few wrestling opportunities at the college level out west.

They launched a website: [Only registered and activated users can see links] to keep supporters updated.

[Boo]

Oh man, that is depressing. It keeps getting worse and worse.

[duran]

Here's the worst of it.

Anthony M. Robles, the 125 pound wrestler for ASU this past season as a redshirt freshman, was a 2-X Arizona State HS wrestling champion. He qualified for the 2008 NCAA Division I Championships in St. Louis by finishing runner-up to a 2-X All-American in the PAC-10 national qualifying tournament. He lost 7-6. Two weeks later in St. Louis, he won his first bout, but then lost to the eventual NCAA Champion by a 4-2 score. Robles was subsequently eliminated in the consies and did not place.

This is a remarkable feat for anyone, but guess what? Anthony Robles was born with just one leg. He does not wear a prosthetic device to wrestle. He adapted his style to his disability. He hops, crawls, and trains his upper body like crazy. Search youtube for vids of him competing.

This kid is an Arizona native (Mesa) and has three years of NCAA eligibility left. They just took away this kid's opportunity to learn and compete at a school that he chose over hundreds of others. I ask you, what other sport can this student-athlete compete in at the college level????
What is the matter with the Administration at Arizona State University??? I am outraged and sickened and they should be effin' ashamed.

[Boo]

Do you know duran if this is due to the Title 6 funding?

[duran]

They are carefully saying that it is not entirely due to that. It is because of "economic realities". Men's swimming and men's tennis were also dropped - all three eff. immediately. Men's diving was retained. The University realeased a quote that "(to field 20 varsity sports instead of 23) is a better fit for our financial profile. " There were several reasons printed, and the last one, almost as if in fine print, was "gender equity".

There are no other Division I programs in Arizona for Anthony Robles to compete in. I'd like to encourage him to file a lawsuit. Some ambulance-chasing Esquire would take this case just to get his face on CNN.

[Nos19]

I'm still trying to get the bad taste out of my mouth. I can't believe ASU would drop that. With all of the money the football team brings in, you would think the Athletic Department would have enough for wrestling.

I'm disgusted and outraged!

[Boo]

I don't know what his chances of getting anywhere with it would be, but it would draw attention to the issue. He would be a sympathetic figure as well.

Universities hate bad publicity. It might not make a difference to ASU, but other Universities may think twice about looking for more creative solutions than slash and burn.

The only thing I be concerned about would be if it kept another University from offering him a scholarship. Really, that sort of thing could go either way. A school could think, "the kid's more trouble than we want to deal with" OR we can look like the big heroes and come to the rescue and get all kinds of great press.

[duran]

05/23/2008

TEMPE, Ariz. - Arizona State University Vice President for Athletics Lisa Love announced Friday that the athletic department is fully reinstating the sport of varsity wrestling, effective immediately, due to financial support from local civic leadership. The reinstatement of wrestling gives ASU 21 sports in its varsity athletic program.

"It is with great pleasure that I announce the reinstatement of the varsity sport of wrestling at ASU," says Love. "The wrestling community, both locally and nationally, accepted this as a challenge to do something wonderful for the sport. ASU is forever grateful for that passion and unwavering support. Something special is happening on our campus thanks to civic leadership that cares deeply about ASU wrestling."

ASU had announced on May 13, 2008 that it was discontinuing the sport of wrestling due to the rising cost of operating a 22-sport varsity program. It was determined at that time that sponsoring a 20-sport program would better fit ASU¹s athletic financial profile. Love indicated at the time that if the wrestling community were able to raise enough financial support the sport could be reinstated. That commitment is there and the sport will continue at Arizona State.

Love said that fundraising for the sport of wrestling will be an ongoing process. The objective is not just to sponsor wrestling as a varsity sport, but to position the sport as one of the top programs in the country.

The Sun Devil wrestling team is a member of the Pacific-10 Conference.

For more information regarding giving to assist the Sun Devil varsity sports programs, visit [Only registered and activated users can see links]

[Boo]

Wow! Way to step up "civic leadership?" That is great news.