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Show The first written account of wrestling at the Uni-versity of Deseret was in 1897 . Accordins to t he Chronicle , a few students \Jere interested, and so one Friday afternoon in December of that year , three ll18.tches were held in the Syt:l!lasium . "Erastus Stringfellow Vias willing to contest against any tnan \lithout reference to weight ; Chase Hotch , against any man under 150 pounds , and WHIten Hardy , against any .man under 1 25 pounds . " Str1ngfellOlI thre'u Luce; Hatch thrS\J Hoffman ; and Rardy These matches attracted e very Sl!lI:IIl number of spectators . They were , however , the begifi11ing of inter-collegiate wrestling at the University . The students tried to get this sport recosnized on the intercollegl-ate program. Interest , hCN/ever , lagged, and it took e quarter of a century before wrestling was acoepted as a .minor intercollegiate sport . ,T , Cliff Dunham, who had held the intercollegiate wrestling championship of Texas , came to the Univer sity in 1921 as an instructor in wrestling . t:r . Dunham aroused a great deal of interest 8.l!1oog the male sudents. Several exhibitions were Biven and "Bach ti.l!1e the per-formers displayed more than ordinary ability . " classes Vlere organized , and twelve registered, . tall and winter quarters ot this year , elementary holdo were givan , and in the wintar quarter , one advanoed olaso was soheduled in whioh speoial attention was paid to the finishing holds tor interoollegiate wrestler~ . .fre8tling enthusiasts among the students petitioned again for the granting of awards for men who excelled in this sport . Their eftorts were succesaful. In faot, the most oor.spiOUOU6 happening ot the 1923 wrestling season at the University of Utah was the establishment of the Greoian Art as a minor sport , and the granting of official Associated Student awards Instructor in the Chemistry Department , Otis A. Barnes , offered ,gratis , his services as wre!;ltling coa "CoBch Barnes took a group of inexperienced men, and tbroUgb peraistent effort rounded them into sbape for the fi r st intercolle'iate wrestlins contest held in Uta The matobes took plooe t;aroh 24 , 1923 at Provo between representatives from the Br ie;h8I:l Young university and the University of Utah. Emil Jorgensen and J . O. Ander-son were tbe first ;yrestlers fr:>m tbe Univera1ty wrowon the right to 'Near the oCficibl a\','ard • .Irestlinp: beca.we firmly established as e minor sport and inoreased activity was shown frOiD. year to ye£:.r. Wrestling teams ooaehed by Otis A . Barnes , Obed Rayoock , Frank Crosby , Sharmnn Couob and KaIiJohleckman have always made oreditable s howings against est oompet it ion , and have brought honor and prest ige to the University. Whether i n competition witb teams trom. tbe Utah State Agrioultural College, the Brigbam. Young University, or the University ot Calitornia, or within the Western Division or the Conference oompetition, Universi ty ot Utah wrestling teams have always held their A tew wrestlers tram the University at Utah JOiD.ed the prot:81Isional ranks, the best known being Dan Savich, Reed and DeaD Detton . Dean Detton, during the years 1931 and 1932, reached the pinnacle at tame. Newepaper write-ups recount his many Friday night sucoesses at the MCCullough arena, hiS tew draws and bis tew losses. By the end ot 1932 he had won the Pacifio oosst l1ghtbeavyweight championship . he had pinned the Dutoh Cb8JD.pion, Speiers; he had gained reoognition in Australia and on the lales at the Paoitic and i n this country as the world's che..m.pion light- heavyweight wrestler.Even in 1940 he was popular as a heavyweight wrestler . Detton made money. he kneY!' how to keep it. and he never torgot the bigh ideals taught hlm by h18 University oosoh, Obed Hayoock. Mr. Karl Schleokman was the most outstanding wrestler to represent the University d'Utah in wrestling competition. Mr. Scbleckman entered the Univeraity in 1935. As a wrestler in his treshman year be won his interoollegiate .IIlatohes, tour in number, two by talls and two by decisions. In his seoond year , 1930, he won tour bouts by talls; in 1937 there were tour talls and one decision, and in 1938 he tinished his wrestling oareer with tour talls. The total wins tor the tour years r1 this interoollegiate wrestling cmmpion were seventeen, thirteen talls, three decisions and one detault, a record never betore or since equa led at the University, a reoord, most outetanding and unusual. Included in the wins of Mr. Schleckmao, wins by talls were trom wrestlers ot the University ot Ca11tornia at Berkeley and tbe san Jose State College at san Jose, Calitornia. The average time required by Mr. Sohlecklll.an in his heavyweight matches towin a t ell was about three and one halt .minutes. At one bout the t1me was not recorded a8 the tall came so quickly. The sbortest recorded time tor a tall is one .minute and one seoond, and the longest recorded time tor a tall seven minutes and thirty seconds. There were other great wrestlers who have represented the Unhersi ty ot Utah in interoolleg iate wrestling competition but Mr. Dean Detton and Mr. Karl Schleckman were tbe most outstanding . Wrestling received otticial reoognition at the University in 1923. The sport proved very- popular and bas always drawn reasonably large orowds. At all bouts, whether in the ladies I gymnasiWl1 or in the mens I gYJllDBsiu. m., ohairs were brought in or bleaohers erected to aooOJD.lDodate the speotators. The Fieldhouse, where some JIl8tohes have taken place, was very satistaotory. This sport was never .meant to be a money maker on the oampus although at times a sm.all admission tee has been amrged tor the down town patrons. Interstate and oonterenoe competition in wrestling has been limited to a very tew m.eets. Montana State College, when in the conterence, was well represented in the division meets by tirst class wrestlers who held their own with wrestlers trom the other institutions Athletic Council ot the University ot Utah sent Phillip Baker and Dean Detton to Greeley, Colorado. These two wrestlers put their team ot two in tourth place in the Rocky Mountain Conterence meet by winning one tirst, two draws and one second place, making a total ot ten points. Mr. Baker and Mr. Detton wrestled to draws in the preliminaries the tirst night. and the seoond nJght Mr. Baker won the tinal match with B tell. and Mr. Det-ton. second place with a tall. Mr. Baker wrestl1nglntb.e 125 pound class and Mr . Detton in the 150 pou.nd olass. In 1957 University wrestlers .met wrestlers trom the University of California at Berkeley. They won by the score of 18 to 16. Later in the same year, the UniVersity wrestling team met a team from the 98JDe institution in Salt Lake City and won by a acore of 26 to 6, both very oreditable showings. While on the western trip to California. the wrestlers from the University met and defeated the te8Jll from San JOBe College by the sizeable soore of 22 to 6. These interstate meets are the only ones i n which University of Utah wrestl ers have participated. Finances made an extensive and varied program imposs ible. |
