The Full Tilt Podcast

Brent Metcalf joins the Full Tilt Podcast for a deep dive into one of wrestling’s most respected minds. He walks through the legendary Davidson, Michigan room with Roy Hall, his undefeated high school career and Fargo dominance, the Virginia Tech-to-Iowa transfer storm, Carver-Hawkeye showdowns, wild overseas trips to Russia, Dagestan, and Iran, and why he believes in “chasing losing” to become th...

Jeff McGinness sits down to go full tilt on his journey from Iowa City mat rat to Hawkeye legend, and how that path eventually led him to build a powerhouse women’s program at Simpson College. From brutal 90s Iowa room stories to modern sports science, NIL, and recruiting women in a fast-changing landscape, this is a deep dive into what greatness really looks like in wrestling. Timed highlights: 0...

Olympic gold medalist and three-time Olympian Kenny Monday sits down to go full tilt on a lifetime in wrestling. From getting beat up as the smallest kid in the Tulsa YMCA room to conquering the brutal Tbilisi tournament and winning Olympic gold, Kenny breaks down the mindset, rivalries, and turning points that shaped his career. He shares inside stories on his legendary battles with Nate Carr and...

Barry Davis is a three-time NCAA champion, Olympic silver medalist, and one of the most beloved figures in American wrestling. But before the medals and banners, he was a kid at the YMCA in Cedar Rapids getting hooked on the sport — and grabbing wall charts at youth tournaments. In this episode of the Full Tilt Podcast, Barry and I go back 47 years: from Prairie High School rivalries and the infam...

Jamil Kelly’s wrestling story doesn’t follow the usual script. He wasn’t a blue‑chip recruit. He didn’t win an NCAA title. But he did become an Olympic silver medalist and one of the most respected coaches in the sport. In this episode of the Full Tilt Podcast, we cover Jamil’s entire arc: – Growing up in Atwater, CA and getting pulled into wrestling as a late starter – Learning from VHS tapes, “H...

Three-time NCAA champion and Olympic medalist Nate Carr joins Full Tilt to share how a house of 16 kids, a pastor dad, and a wrestling-obsessed family forged one of the greatest legacies in American wrestling. Nate breaks down his classic battles with Kenny Monday, the influence of Coach Nichols and the Gatsons, and what he learned competing against Soviet greats on the world stage. He also goes d...

World champion, Olympic medalist, and finance executive Bill Scherr joins the show for a deep dive into one of the most fascinating careers in wrestling history. Bill shares how baling hay in rural South Dakota built his strength, why Randy Lewis changed what South Dakota kids believed was possible, and how Nebraska went from “death’s door” to national trophy contender. He breaks down Soviet domin...

UFC Hall of Famer and Olympic Greco-Roman standout Randy “The Natural” Couture sits down for a deep-dive into the journey behind the legend. From wrestling for the U.S. Army in the Cold War era to battling on the NCAA stage, chasing Olympic dreams, and pioneering MMA game-planning, Randy shares the untold stories that shaped his career and life. He talks about discovering Greco by accident, traini...

Doug Schwab joins the Full Tilt Podcast for a deep dive into Iowa wrestling culture, his days under Dan Gable, the brutal “I quit” practices, making World and Olympic teams, and building the Panther Train at UNI. Doug shares real coaching gold on culture, competition, and what it means to raise tough, grounded kids in the sport. From small-town Osage roots and legendary rivalries, to Iowa’s dynast...

Ben Askren sits down in his Wisconsin home to unpack how he reinvented wrestling, from basement mats and reluctant partners to NCAA dominance and world‑level technique. He breaks down scrambling’s evolution, the balance between family and coaching, why passion beats early results in recruiting, and how to keep kids hungry for the sport without burning them out. Chapters 2:00 – The birth of the PNL...

Hatch sits down with Greco-Roman legend Dennis Hall for a raw look at one of the most intense careers in American wrestling. Hall talks about walking away from a full-ride at Wisconsin to chase Greco, going from 0–5 at early World events to World Champion, and the mindset work that helped him handle doubt, pressure, and pain. He opens up about losing his brother and how that tragedy fueled his run...

In this episode of the Full Tilt podcast, Hatch sits down with Iowa State head coach Kevin Dresser for a deep dive into old-school Iowa wrestling culture, program building at every level, and how the sport has evolved from the 1980s to the NIL era. Dresser shares raw stories from the legendary Iowa room under Dan Gable, from three-a-days and brutal live wrestling to work-hard-play-hard social life...

On this episode of the Full Tilt Podcast, Hatch sits down with heavyweight legend Steve Mocco for a deep dive into one of the most unique careers in American wrestling. From judo roots and Blair Academy super-teams to wrestling under the lights in Carver-Hawkeye and Gallagher-Iba, Steve shares the stories, rivalries, and training methods that shaped a generational heavyweight. They cover his trans...

On this episode of The Full Tilt Podcast Hatch sits down with the Olympic gold medalist and legendary Iowa coach Dan Gable for a long-form conversation about wrestling, life, and legacy in his fabled cabin. His personal home wrestling room used for training. They go deep on: Growing up under West Waterloo’s Coach Siddens Building dynasties at Iowa State and Iowa Losing to Larry Owings and how that...

Hatch sits down with wrestling legend Lee Kemp to unpack his journey from adopted kid and benched basketball player to three-time NCAA champion and three-time World Champion. Lee tells how he discovered wrestling almost by accident, became obsessed with Dan Gable at a 1972 camp, and then shocked the sport by beating Gable at 18 years old. He shares stories of turning Wisconsin into a national powe...

Four-time All-American and two-time NCAA champion Mark Ironside sits down with longtime friend and former roommate Mike Hatcher to go deep on legendary Cedar Rapids rivalries, wild college house stories, brutal Iowa wrestling room battles, and what it was really like under Dan Gable and Tom and Terry Brands. From packed Prairie–Jefferson duals to Olympic memories in Atlanta, this episode is a mast...

Former CBU All-American and alum Nolan Kessler joins the Full Tilt Podcast to break down the decision by California Baptist University to cut its Division I wrestling program along with two other men’s sports. Nolan explains why this is more than just one team being dropped: it’s part of a national trend threatening Olympic sports and first-generation college opportunities. He shares powerful stor...

NCAA champion and former Army officer Derek Moore joins the Full Tilt Podcast to walk through his unlikely rise from undersized, lightly recruited California kid to 2007 NCAA Champion and OW at 141 lbs, his time in the Army World Class Athlete Program (WCAP), and his current role building a faith-centered Division I program at CBU. In this episode, Derek and Hatch dig into: Growing up in small-tow...

On this episode of The Full Tilt, Hatch sits down with two-time NCAA champion and Olympic gold medalist Randy Lewis for a storytelling masterclass. From his first day on the mat in fifth grade to setting a national record with 45 straight pins, Randy breaks down the mindset that made him, as he says, the toughest kid on the block. He shares how a pull-up contest gave him the confidence to win his...

In the debut episode of the Full Tilt Podcast, Hatch sits down with legendary “Fall Guy” Royce Alger – two-time NCAA champion, world silver medalist, and head coach of Titan Mercury Wrestling Club. Royce unleashes a barrage of stories from Iowa wrestling rooms, brutal Gable workouts, Foxcatcher days with Dave Schultz, and the infamous “Heisman House” of legends he lives with today. From 4.2-mile “...