On we go .....

Talk about the champions, or the Top 25 nationally-ranked team!
TMH
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Re: On we go .....

Post by TMH » Tue Apr 19, 2022 9:57 pm

LUEngineer wrote: Tue Apr 19, 2022 9:42 pm Good comments from MH & at one time Lehigh dodo the same by promoting Wrestling as their Big Time sport.

Then they began to promote all sports equal such that the freshman weren’t educated to the unique historic tradition that was a nationally competitive wrestling program.

Don’t you remember when we lined up 2 hours before match time to get into Grave Hall? That was because John Steckbeck prepped us during freshman week.

You can bet that Villanova makes sure their students know about their men’s nationally competitive Basketball program while their football team plays in 1AA including against lowly Patriot League teams
That all ended in the mid-80s to mid 90s when Lehigh was pretty dreadful. A generation was lost and never recovered. That is certainly not the only reason but it sure was the biggest one IMO.

Steck BTW was an amazing character who I got to know well during my undergraduate days. Unfortunately, I think he passed away only a few years after my graduation.


Richb-3
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Re: On we go .....

Post by Richb-3 » Wed Apr 20, 2022 9:31 am

A lot of Villanova Basketball success may, ironically. be due to John Dupont's money meant for wrestling.

I suspect Lock Haven wrestling still outdraws BktBall per event. I don't know about the other three PaSSHE schools. F&M use to be a D3 BB power, so they outdrew wrestling. Not so much anymore 300 would likely be a max for either.
gimpeltf
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Re: On we go .....

Post by gimpeltf » Wed Apr 20, 2022 10:15 am

Richb-3 wrote: Wed Apr 20, 2022 9:31 am A lot of Villanova Basketball success may, ironically. be due to John Dupont's money meant for wrestling.

I suspect Lock Haven wrestling still outdraws BktBall per event. I don't know about the other three PaSSHE schools. F&M use to be a D3 BB power, so they outdrew wrestling. Not so much anymore 300 would likely be a max for either.
F&M was also a major D1 wrestling power. But that was over 80 years ago and they hosted the event that year.
mookie
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Re: On we go .....

Post by mookie » Wed Apr 20, 2022 12:36 pm

That all ended in the mid-80s to mid-90s when Lehigh was pretty dreadful.

From 1985 to 1994 Lehigh had one winning season with 53 wins and 98 losses. They finished 8th in the Easterns twice and in 1991 had no NCAA qualifiers.

Dreadful indeed.
Spladle1989
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Re: On we go .....

Post by Spladle1989 » Wed Apr 20, 2022 1:09 pm

I attended Lehigh from 84-88.....other than Yozzo (who alone was worth the price of admission) was not a great time for Lehigh wrestling but still very much got hooked on attending the duals.........that said I was good friends with a couple of the wrestlers and had wrestled in high school and did fraternity intramural wrestling so didn't take much for me to catch the bug.....
Richb-3
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Re: On we go .....

Post by Richb-3 » Wed Apr 20, 2022 5:46 pm

Tom Toggas '88 was a 3 time EIWA champ, I think(?) Blood Round loser at NCAA twice. Never qualified for the PIAA tournaments, although the Toggas name was very important at his HS, West York

Paul Diekel, '86, 3 time EIWA champ, 3 time NCAA place winner.

Bernie Brown two time EIWA champ. Likely better but he was a natural 190, like Diekel

John Epperly '90, 2 time EIWA champ, two time NCAA 8th. Likely the LU record holder for most injuries and injury time

Certainly none had the excitement level of Yoz, but who did.

I think Thad Retired at the end of 87-88.
whiz wit
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Re: On we go .....

Post by whiz wit » Wed Apr 20, 2022 6:03 pm

drd5748
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Re: On we go .....

Post by drd5748 » Wed Apr 20, 2022 6:27 pm

We supported the contras; the contras support us.

Largest-ever LU student turnout in 30 yrs was over 800 for #1 Okla St in Stabler vs #2 LU in 2005. Second-best I recall was between 500-600 for a PSU dual. I asked Iowa that year (all-time crowd avg) what pct of their crowds were students; averaging 6,000 at the time, their answer was "no more than 10%"''

Sure, we probably averaged 1,000-1,500 students in the '60's but we'll never know for sure; crowd estimates back then always ended in a zero; often two zeroes. One news story cited the media asking SID Joe Whritenour "what's the crowd today" ... said how he stuck his head out from press area upstairs while still puffing on his pipe:

"Looks like about 3,400 tonight." Not how it's done of late (pipes outlawed for decades)
drd5748
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Re: On we go .....

Post by drd5748 » Wed Apr 20, 2022 6:45 pm

>>Good comments from MH & at one time Lehigh dodo the same by promoting Wrestling as their Big Time sport>>

... dodo aside, as I recall it, the 1-night Steckbeck rally (before school began) and the incredible Brown & White school paper coverage of wrestling were the only promotion sthat "Lehigh" ever did for the sport, i.e., it was so unique that it sold itself. We got on line early because we HAD to, if we wanted to get in - as students or alumni, with zero single dual tix for sale (until the '70's)... approx 700-800 season tix among avg att of 3,000-4,000. The balance got on line; students had the sprint-in edge not having to buy tix at the window.
... Lehigh didn't advertise -- why waste the money? SRO guaranteed from 1960-70. Our printed programs were cheap with barebone info.
... p.s. the constant dorm floor w-offs (yes, on on hard tile floors) helped sell the sport, plus having Athletics sponsor the nation's largest tourneys at the time (intramurals, two divisions; total 600+ same as PSU) were a product of all the student fever. Let's face it: having no women nor any other reputable sports were also big "selling" factors
It's not like we had much else to do other than house parties and studying. No computers, no cell phones, no ESPN (until it later helped kill student interest)
Oracle
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Re: On we go .....

Post by Oracle » Thu Apr 21, 2022 7:55 am

Ya'll are leaving out the main reason, aside from high level talent, ..... wait for it ----- no women. It was a social event.
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