Wrestling Changed My Life (Wrestling Podcast)

ABOUT THIS EPISODE Tom Brands is the head coach of the University of Iowa wrestling team where he’s won 4 NCAA team titles. Tom is a 3x NCAA champ for legendary coach Dan Gable and the 1996 Olympic Gold Medalist. Tom was also the 1993 world champion. This interview was recorded back in October as part of the Hawkeye Wrestling Club Podcast series. You can watch the full video version of the episode...

ABOUT THIS EPISODE Jason Bryant is a hall of fame broadcaster and sports announcer. He’s announced the Olympics, World Championships, NCAAs and countless other events. In the late 1990s he founded Mat Talk and re-launched the company as the Mat Talk Network in 2014. Since, he’s hosted and produced thousands of podcast episodes on the great sport of wrestling. Jason is a pioneer, a mentor and a fri...

ABOUT THIS EPISODE Donnie Vinson is the Associate Head Coach at Cornell. He joined the Big Red this summer after coaching at NC State since 2017. As a wrestler, Donnie is one of the few to beat Kyle Dake in college. At the 2012 NCAAs, Donnie was an All American for Binghamton, placing 3rd at 149. Enjoy! (Photo: Cornell Athletics) * PRESENTED BY SPARTAN COMBAT The Spartan Combat Nationals are retur...

ABOUT THIS EPISODE Joey McKenna is a 3x All American, an NCAA finalist and an Olympic Trials finalist. In college he wrestled for both Stanford and Ohio State. He currently wrestles for the Penn RTC. As a high schooler, Joey wrestled for the legend, Jeff Buxton, at Blair Academy. While at Ohio State, Joey was a part of those legendary Buckey teams, led by Tom Ryan, that challenged Penn State’s dom...

ABOUT THIS EPISODE Quintroy Harrell is the legendary head coach of the Harvey Twisters, one of the most successful wrestling clubs in Illinois history. The Twisters were founded in the early 1980s by Don Whitted and by 1984, Quint was named head coach. The Twisters have achieved unprecedented success, winning 20+ IKWF team state titles, placing numerous wrestlers on Division 1 college programs, wi...

ABOUT THIS EPISODE Brandon Wright is the CEO of Wright Way Wrestling. He was a 2x Indiana State Champ (4x finalist) and a 2x NAIA national champion for Grandview. Brandon was also a Fargo Cadet National Champ as a high schooler. Brandon’s father, Tim Wright, was the first 4x NCAA champ in any sport, when he won four NCAA Division Two wrestling titles in the 1980s. To listen to our interview with T...

ABOUT THIS EPISODE Mike Caruso is a 3x NCAA Champion for Lehigh and is the ‘youngest 3x champ in NCAA history’. Mike lost just one match throughout high school and college, before beginning a successful career in the insurance business. Today, the Lehigh wrestling complex is named in Mike’s honor. Enjoy folks! * PRESENTED BY QUANT This episode is presented by Quant Wrestling, an app that provides...

ABOUT THIS EPISODE Doug Schwab is the head coach at the University of Northern Iowa. He’s led the Panthers since 2010 and before coaching was an Olympian and a NCAA champ for the Hawks. This is Doug’s second time on the show. Check out episode 102 for our first podcast. Enjoy! Photo: Tony Rotundo / Wrestlers are Warriors * PRESENTED BY SPARTAN COMBAT This episode is presented by Spartan Combat. Th...

ABOUT THIS EPISODE John Dergo is a Big 10 champ and All American for the University of Illinois. John was also a 4x NCAA qualifier who never redshirted. In high school, Dergo was a football god. He won the national football player of the year, rushed for 3010 yards and scored 52 touchdowns as the running back for the mighty Morris. There is even a book written about Dergo’s high school heroics: Th...

ABOUT THIS EPISODE Lee Pritts is the assistant coach at Arizona State. Lee has been coaching D1 wrestling for over 19 years. As a wrestler, Lee was an All American for Eastern Michigan in 1996. Really enjoyed this one folks, hope you do as well. Photo: Tony Rotundo / Wrestlers are Warriors * PRESENTED BY SPARTAN COMBAT This episode is presented by Spartan Combat. The Spartan Combat Nationals are r...

ABOUT THIS EPISODE Dan Dennis is the Head Coach for the Hawkeye Wrestling Club. He was a 2x All American for the University of Iowa, wrestling for head coach Tom Brands and Olympic Bronze medalist Terry Brands. During Dennis’ senior year, he placed 2nd at the NCAA Division 1 wrestling tournament. In 2016, Dan became an Olympian, beating former Hawkeye Tony Ramos in the finals of the Olympic Trials...

ABOUT THIS EPISODE Frank Popolizio (@jmenwrestling) is the owner of Journeymen wrestling and the man behind the National Collegiate Duals taking place this December 20 and 21 on Rokfin. Frank is the older brother of Pat Popolizio, who has been on the podcast and currently coaches at NC State. Enjoy folks! Watch the National Collegiate Duals on Rokfin: https://www.rokfin.com/article/5356?utm_medium...

ABOUT THIS EPISODE Bill “Mr. Z” Zimmerman is a legendary Pennsylvania high school wrestling coach. From 1961 - 1994, Mr. Z coached at Harriton High School and was known for his impeccable leadership and competitive spirit. Mr. Z is 90 years old and is joined by three of his former wrestlers: Bill Pincus, Tom Remillard and Mike Gretz. This past spring, Mike started a scholarship in Mr. Z’s legacy w...

ABOUT THIS EPISODE Jon Fitch is an MMA legend, having achieved the #2 world ranking in the UFC and tallying over 32 wins in a career that spanned 18 years inside the cage. Today Jon hosts the podcast Jon Fitch Knows Nothing, and has authored two books: The Weight Cut Bible and Failing Upwards. Enjoy! * PRESENTED BY QUANT WRESTLING This episode is presented by Quant Wrestling, an app that provides...

ABOUT THIS EPISODE Joe Kania is the founder and CEO of Fantasy Fight League. Go to FantasyFightLeague.com to play now! * PRESENTED BY SPARTAN COMBAT This episode is presented by Spartan Combat. Shop Yianni D, Kyle Dake and David Carr gear at SpartanCombat. Com * FANS If you enjoy the podcast, would you please consider leaving a short review on Apple Podcasts/iTunes? It takes less than 60 seconds,...

ABOUT THIS EPISODE Dennis Hall is one of the most decorated American Greco wrestlers of all time. He won a world championship in 1995, beating four former world champions along the way. In 1996, Dennis won a silver medal at the Olympics. Domestically, Hall was a 10x US National Champion. At the 2004 Olympic Trials, he was involved in one of the longest wrestling matches of all time, where he defea...

ABOUT THIS EPISODE Bob Brams is a former highly-successful, world-renowned attorney whose fight against brain cancer was documented in his book ‘Forever Optimistic: Fighting Brain Cancer, Finding Your Best Path, and Leading a Life With Purpose.’ Bob wrestled in high school and college and used the principles distilled through wrestling in his ongoing battle with cancer. I can’t wait for you all to...

ABOUT THIS EPISODE Terry Brands is the associate head coach at the University of Iowa. He’s an Olympic Bronze Medalist (2000 Olympics), 2x NCAA Champion for the Hawks and a 2x World Champion. Terry and I sat down in October at Carver Hawkeye Arena to record this interview as part of the Hawkeye Wrestling Club Podcast. To watch the video portion of this interview, please join the Hawkeye Wrestling...

ABOUT THIS EPISODE TJ Sebolt is the owner and head coach of Sebolt Wrestling Academy (SWA), one of the top wrestling clubs in the country. Sebolt Wrestling Academy has produced the likes of Nathan Jesuroga, Drake Ayala, and Cullen Schriever. As a high schooler, TJ put together one of the most impressive careers in Iowa history, winning four state titles and losing just one match. TJ was the first...

ABOUT THIS EPISODE Oscar Wood is one of the original Kings of Fargo, being the first person to win four junior greco national titles, after Alan Fried won 4 freestyle titles in the 80s. Oscar went on to wrestle at Oregon State where he was a two-time All American. In 2004, Oscar competed in the Olympics in Greco, after he won the 2004 Olympic Team Trials. Enjoy this one folks, as Chael Sonnen has...

ABOUT THIS EPISODE Tony Rotundo is one of the top wrestling photographers in the game, if not the best! He’s photographed the Olympics, World Championships and NCAAs, among many other events. He’s a gem in the wrestling world and we hope you enjoy this episode! (Photo: Tony Rotundo) * PRESENTED BY SPARTAN COMBAT This episode is presented by Spartan Combat. The Spartan Combat Nationals are returnin...

ABOUT THIS EPISODE Lots of passion in this one folks! Rock Harrison (@rockreax) is an ACC and ESPN wrestling analyst. Rock wrestled at the University of Virginia, where he finished 3rd in the ACC. Prior to his time at UVA, Rock was a two-time Maryland state champion. Rock is also a D-1 official. Enjoy! * PRESENTED BY SPARTAN COMBAT This episode is presented by Spartan Combat. The Spartan Combat Na...

ABOUT THIS EPISODE Kyle Evans is a 2x NCAA D2 NCAA champion and 4x All American for Central Oklahoma. He was inducted into the UCO Hall of Fame in 2020. At UCO, Evans was coached by the great David James where his team won the national title during Kyle’s junior year. Please enjoy! * PRESENTED BY SPARTAN COMBAT This episode is presented by Spartan Combat. The Spartan Combat Nationals are returning...

ABOUT THIS EPISODE Jeremy Hunter is the assistant coach for the University of Illinois. He’s been with the Fighting Illini since the early 2000s and has coached the likes of Kyle Ott, Jimmy Kennedy, and Jesse Delgado. Prior to Illinois, Jeremy was an NCAA champion and 3x All American for Penn State. In high school, Jeremy was a Pennsylvania legend, winning four PIAA state titles. Please enjoy! * P...

ABOUT THIS EPISODE Trent and Hayden Hidlay, All Americans for North Carolina State, join the podcast to talk about their journey to Raleigh, Trent’s goals for the 2024 Olympics, Hayden’s sophomore year and how he overcame the ‘yipps’, and much more. Prior to the Hidlay’s arrival at North Carolina State, they were state champions for Mifflin County H.S. Please enjoy! (Photo: Tony Rotundo). * PRESEN...