Blue White Illustrated

end to the West's domination in that sport... Speidel told the Clearfield high school wrestling squad," the Collegian reporter wrote. "Speidel stressed the influence of high-school wrestling on the collegiate sport by pointing to the successes of Oklahoma's collegiate wrestlers. He said that Oklahoma had sponsored high school wrestling for 20 years." At this juncture, Penn State had never finished in the top 10 in the team standings, and only one individual had reached the NCAA finals: Howard "Red" Johnston, who won the 165pound title in 1935. Speidel was eventually proven right, but not until the early 1950s, when Penn State emerged as a serious national contender from the East, along with several other schools, including Navy and Pitt. That's also when Lion wrestlers began receiving limited financial aid, following the elimination in 1949 of a scholarship ban for all Penn State athletes. In the early and mid-1950s, television was beginning to challenge radio, newspapers and magazines as a prime source of news and entertainment. But only one TV station in Altoona was available in State College, so the local newspapers and radio station WMAJ remained powerful influences on the public. However, television had helped enhance the popularity of professional wrestling nationwide, and collegiate wrestling was benefiting from the reverberation. In 1951, when Penn State won its first EIWA team title since 1942, the Lions had a real shot at the NCAA championship. They got close in the tournament at Northern Iowa, advancing three wrestlers to the individual final. But all three lost, and Penn State finished with 15 points to place third behind Oklahoma (24) and Oklahoma State (23). In 1952, after posting its second consecutive undefeated dual-meet season and winning the EIWA again, Penn State figured to have its best chance ever at the NCAA team title and a couple of individual championships. But a week after the EIWA event, The Daily Collegian startled the growing wrestling fan base with the revelation that the school's Faculty Senate Com- mittee on Athletics had adopted a firsttime policy restricting competition in the NCAA wrestling, boxing and gymnastic tournaments to individual Eastern champions. According to the Collegian's front-page story and accompanying editorial condemning the Senate rule, the policy had been passed seven days earlier and the coaches of the three sports had been notified. But none of the coaches had apparently told their teams, perhaps hoping the rule would be rescinded. The Collegian called the rule "shortsighted," denying the athletes "something they have earned by virtue of their performances all season long." The Senate committee claimed the rule was not instituted for financial reasons but then disingenuously cited the traveling distance to the tournaments as the main reason for the new policy. For wrestling, that meant about 1,555 miles to Fort Collins, Colo., home of Colorado State. "If we judge the temper of the [11,500] student body correctly," the Collegian editorial stated, "this decision does not sit well with them." "Speidel has been pointing to that national title for a long time now and he feels that this could be the year," wrote Collegian sports editor Ernie Moore. "But now someone comes and knocks the props right out from under him." The students had developed into the biggest fans of wrestling, and groups of students began soliciting money at spots on campus and downtown State College with signs saying "Money to Send Wrestlers to NCAA's." Delta Upsilon fraternity offered to pay travel expenses for two of the banned wrestlers who were fraternity brothers. Despite the uproar, only the Lemyre brothers – junior Joe at 167 pounds and sophomore Dick at 130 pounds – and freshman Bob Homan at 123 pounds made the trip to Colorado. Penn State left home 137-pound junior Jerry Maurey, who had lost only one of 24 matches in his career but had been upset that year in the EIWA final. The depleted lineup had no chance at the team championship but still finished fifth with eight points thanks to the Lemyre brothers. Joe Lemyre shocked the tournament by winning all four of his matches by four points or better and brought home Penn State's second individual national championship. Dick Lemyre lost to eventual 130-pound champion Gene Lybbert of Iowa Teachers and finished third. Oklahoma again edged Oklahoma State for the title, 22-21. There were two more surprises emanating from that tournament. Penn State was named host for the 1953 event, causing Speidel to use a twist on an old saying when he told sportswriters, "If Mohammed won't go to the mountain, they will bring the mountain to Mohammed." In addition, the NCAA rules committee issued a policy requiring helmets for all competitions beginning with the 1954 season. So the mountain came to Mohammed, and Mohammed was primed, having extended its dual-meet undefeated streak to 29 and repeated as EIWA champion by edging Cornell, 31-25, with two individual titlists: Dick Leymre and Maurey. A record 167 wrestlers from 57 colleges and 25 states started NCAA competition in 10 weight classes on March 27, and as the Collegian's front-page story reported, Penn State was one of the favorites for the team title: "For the first time since the Nationals were organized in 1918 [before the NCAA tournament began], there is some optimism circling among the wrestling coaches that the East, led by Penn State, had a 'good chance' at winning." Speidel sent nine men into the preliminaries, more than any other school, with two-time defending champion Oklahoma – undefeated in 25 consecutive dual meets – Pitt and Toledo entering eight. This was believed to be a "down year" for Oklahoma, because two of its standouts were injured, and also for perennial champion Oklahoma State, which entered just six wrestlers. Oklahoma State Publicist Otis Wile wrote in a news release, "This might be a good year for the East to break into the king row." Speidel was hyped up, and he told Collegian sports editor Jake Highton that Eastern schools had always been "gracious hosts" but "from now on you can expect the East to be less gracious. ... If the [West] wins, they'll get a black

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