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University of Oklahoma Athletics
Six Sooners Named to All-Time Top 100
January 07, 2022 | Wrestling
NORMAN - FloWrestling has selected six Sooner wrestling greats to its Top 100 American Wrestlers of All Time list. Sooner legends Dave Schultz, Mark Schultz, Wayne Wells, Danny Hodge, Melvin Douglas and Andre Metzger found spots inside the top 100.
The Sooners saw five names included in the top 30, more than any other school in the country, with Dave Schultz at No. 12, Mark Schultz at No. 13, Wells at No. 20, Hodge at No. 26 and Douglas at No. 30. The four-time All-American Metzger checked in at 51st.
With six wrestlers appearing on the list, Oklahoma sits third among Division I programs in terms of wrestlers ranked. All six are members of the National Wrestling Hall of Fame and account for 523 wins with 148 falls, winning an impressive .882 percent of their collegiate matches.
One of the greatest to ever do it in Crimson and Cream, Schultz won the 1982 national championship at 167 pounds, was a three-time All-American and held an 88-9-1 career record in college with 20 falls.
His legend grew even more prominent in his time after OU. Schultz won 10 Senior National titles in three weight divisions over 19 years and is a seven-time World and Olympic medalist. He won his first World medal at the 1982 World Championships when he moved up a weight class and claimed bronze at 82 kg. He took gold the following year at his regular 74 kg and then won Olympic gold in 1984.
He and his brother Mark became the first brothers to win gold medals in the same Olympics (they were immediately matched by twins Ed and Lou Banach in those same games). Schultz then helped Team USA win its first World title in 1993 and its second in 1995.
Schultz, tragically, was killed in 1996 at Foxcatcher while training for the 1996 Olympic Games.
He is honored as a Distinguished Member of the National Wrestling Hall of Fame for being "a true champion on and off the mats, and [for being] the most-loved international ambassador for peace and friendship the wrestling world has ever known."
The younger Schultz brother was a two-time all-around gymnastics champion in high school before switching to wrestling and becoming a California state champion. He initially wrestled at UCLA, but his collegiate career boomed once he joined his older brother at Oklahoma.
He won back-to-back-to-back NCAA crowns at two different weight classes with OU from 1981-1983 and went undefeated as a senior at 27-0, setting a school record for most victories in a single season without a loss. He won his second individual championship in an epic match with future gold medal Olympian (and No. 66 on this list) Ed Banach that finished 16-8 in favor of Schultz, blocking Banach from claiming his fourth national title. Schultz was named the tournament's most outstanding wrestler.
On the world stage, Schultz claimed a gold medal alongside his brother in the 1984 Olympic games and would then win World titles in 1985 and 1987. He was the first American to win three NCAA and three World and Olympic titles. He also won four national freestyle titles and a Pan American gold medal.
He became a Distinguished Member of the National Wrestling Hall of Fame in 1995 and was given a Lifetime Service to Wrestling award in 2013.
Wells was a three-time Big 8 champion and a two-time All-American for the Sooners. He finished second at the 1967 NCAA championships before bouncing back and claiming the title in 1968. That same year he took fourth at the Olympics. He completed his collegiate career with a 69-4-2 record with 28 falls in three years of competition.
Immediately following the completion of his undergraduate degree at OU, he enrolled in OU's law school but did not stop wrestling. Following a familiar pattern, Wells earned a silver medal at the 1969 World Championships and then went on to win the gold the following year. He was just the third American to do so.
In 1972, he would finish his final year of law school, pass the bar, and win gold at the summer Olympics in Munich despite a separated rib, an enlarged spleen and an injured knee. He was the first American to win a World title and an Olympic gold medal.
He was a record-breaker off the mats as well, becoming Nike's first-ever signature athlete in any sport and the first to have his own wrestling shoe.
A giant of the program and the sport as a whole, Hodge was the epitome of perfection in his time at Oklahoma. One of the best to ever do it at the collegiate level. The Perry, Okla., native went a flawless 46-0 over three seasons, winning 36 of those matches by fall (78%) and claiming three consecutive NCAA championships (1955, 1956, 1957) along the way. He was the first-ever undefeated college wrestler.
During his junior and senior season, he pinned 22 straight opponents, and he won all three of the finals for his national championships by fall. He even pinned his way through the entirety of the 1956 NCAA Championship. No collegiate foe ever took him to the mat from the standing position.
His performance in the 1957 NCAA Championships earned him Most Outstanding Wrestler honors and assisted the Sooners to their fourth national championship. His success at OU led some to call him the greatest amateur wrestler ever and earned him the right to be the Hodge Trophy's namesake, the Heisman Trophy's wrestling equivalent.
Hodge made his first Olympic team in 1952 at the age of 19 and his second four years later, where he won a silver medal in Melbourne. He also won three national freestyle championships, enjoyed an 18-year run as a professional wrestler, and accrued a 17-0 record as an amateur boxer. He was the first athlete in more than 50 years to win national titles in both wrestling and boxing.
In 2005, Hodge was honored by Oklahoma state lawmakers as an Oklahoma Sports Hero and was invited to the House of Representatives floor to crush an apple with his bare hand, something he had become famous for over the years.
He remains the only wrestler to be featured on the cover of Sports Illustrated for his on-the-mat accomplishments. In addition, he entered the National Wrestling Hall of Fame as a charter member in 1978.
Despite not picking up wrestling until he was 13, Douglas won three Kansas state titles to earn his spot within the Oklahoma wrestling program, where he became one of the best in program history.
He won Big 8 and NCAA titles in his final two years in 1985 and 1986, helping the Sooners to team conference titles and NCAA runner-up finishes both years. He completed his collegiate career with a 109-19-4 record and was a two-time All-American.
He achieved tremendous success on the international stage, acting as a significant figure in freestyle wrestling on the world stage for over 15 years. Douglas took the gold at the 1993 World Championships in Toronto and claimed three other World Championship medals throughout his career. In addition, he won seven national titles and was a member of 11 USA national teams.
He made the Olympic team in 1996 and 2000 and was part of the 1993 and 1995 Team USA World Championship teams alongside Dave Schultz – the first two championship teams in US men's freestyle history.
Douglas was inducted into the National Wrestling Hall of Fame in 2013.
One of only 11 four-time All-Americans in Oklahoma wrestling history, Metzger wasted no time making himself a Sooner legend. He placed fifth and second at the NCAA tournament before winning back-to-back national championships in his junior and senior seasons. He compiled a 114-14-2 record in the Crimson and Cream, with 39 wins coming via fall.
On the international stage, Metzger was only 19 when he earned a bronze and became the youngest American to medal in the World Championships, a record that stood for 36 years until it was broken in 2015. He claimed five World Championship medals in total and two first-place titles in the Pan American Games.
Metzger wrestled an estimated 2,000 matches in all competitions from high school till the end of his career with 1,870 victories to his name (.935 winning percentage). He is also one of the few wrestlers to have a takedown move named after him – The Metzger.
He is the most recent of the six Sooners in the top 100 to be named to the National Wrestling Hall of Fame, being inducted in 2017.
These six Sooner legends are just some of Oklahoma's most excellent wrestlers, as the Sooner wrestling program was named the fourth-greatest wrestling dynasty in history by the NCAA in 2020. Since the inception of collegiate wrestling in 1928, OU has been one of the most dominant wrestling programs in the country. The Sooners have produced seven team national titles, 24 conference championships, 67 individual national champs, 186 individual conference champions and 277 All-America honors.
In addition to the Sooners' seven national championships, Oklahoma has finished as the runner-up at NCAAs 12 times, tied for the second-most in the country. The Sooners' 40 finishes inside the top four are the fourth-most nationally, and OU has grabbed a top-10 spot at NCAAs 64 times (third-most) out of 89 NCAA championships held.
The Sooners saw five names included in the top 30, more than any other school in the country, with Dave Schultz at No. 12, Mark Schultz at No. 13, Wells at No. 20, Hodge at No. 26 and Douglas at No. 30. The four-time All-American Metzger checked in at 51st.
With six wrestlers appearing on the list, Oklahoma sits third among Division I programs in terms of wrestlers ranked. All six are members of the National Wrestling Hall of Fame and account for 523 wins with 148 falls, winning an impressive .882 percent of their collegiate matches.
No. 12 Dave Schultz
One of the greatest to ever do it in Crimson and Cream, Schultz won the 1982 national championship at 167 pounds, was a three-time All-American and held an 88-9-1 career record in college with 20 falls. His legend grew even more prominent in his time after OU. Schultz won 10 Senior National titles in three weight divisions over 19 years and is a seven-time World and Olympic medalist. He won his first World medal at the 1982 World Championships when he moved up a weight class and claimed bronze at 82 kg. He took gold the following year at his regular 74 kg and then won Olympic gold in 1984.
He and his brother Mark became the first brothers to win gold medals in the same Olympics (they were immediately matched by twins Ed and Lou Banach in those same games). Schultz then helped Team USA win its first World title in 1993 and its second in 1995.
Schultz, tragically, was killed in 1996 at Foxcatcher while training for the 1996 Olympic Games.
He is honored as a Distinguished Member of the National Wrestling Hall of Fame for being "a true champion on and off the mats, and [for being] the most-loved international ambassador for peace and friendship the wrestling world has ever known."
No. 13 Mark Schultz
The younger Schultz brother was a two-time all-around gymnastics champion in high school before switching to wrestling and becoming a California state champion. He initially wrestled at UCLA, but his collegiate career boomed once he joined his older brother at Oklahoma. He won back-to-back-to-back NCAA crowns at two different weight classes with OU from 1981-1983 and went undefeated as a senior at 27-0, setting a school record for most victories in a single season without a loss. He won his second individual championship in an epic match with future gold medal Olympian (and No. 66 on this list) Ed Banach that finished 16-8 in favor of Schultz, blocking Banach from claiming his fourth national title. Schultz was named the tournament's most outstanding wrestler.
On the world stage, Schultz claimed a gold medal alongside his brother in the 1984 Olympic games and would then win World titles in 1985 and 1987. He was the first American to win three NCAA and three World and Olympic titles. He also won four national freestyle titles and a Pan American gold medal.
He became a Distinguished Member of the National Wrestling Hall of Fame in 1995 and was given a Lifetime Service to Wrestling award in 2013.
No. 20 Wayne Wells
Wells was a three-time Big 8 champion and a two-time All-American for the Sooners. He finished second at the 1967 NCAA championships before bouncing back and claiming the title in 1968. That same year he took fourth at the Olympics. He completed his collegiate career with a 69-4-2 record with 28 falls in three years of competition. Immediately following the completion of his undergraduate degree at OU, he enrolled in OU's law school but did not stop wrestling. Following a familiar pattern, Wells earned a silver medal at the 1969 World Championships and then went on to win the gold the following year. He was just the third American to do so.
In 1972, he would finish his final year of law school, pass the bar, and win gold at the summer Olympics in Munich despite a separated rib, an enlarged spleen and an injured knee. He was the first American to win a World title and an Olympic gold medal.
He was a record-breaker off the mats as well, becoming Nike's first-ever signature athlete in any sport and the first to have his own wrestling shoe.
No. 26 Danny Hodge
A giant of the program and the sport as a whole, Hodge was the epitome of perfection in his time at Oklahoma. One of the best to ever do it at the collegiate level. The Perry, Okla., native went a flawless 46-0 over three seasons, winning 36 of those matches by fall (78%) and claiming three consecutive NCAA championships (1955, 1956, 1957) along the way. He was the first-ever undefeated college wrestler.During his junior and senior season, he pinned 22 straight opponents, and he won all three of the finals for his national championships by fall. He even pinned his way through the entirety of the 1956 NCAA Championship. No collegiate foe ever took him to the mat from the standing position.
His performance in the 1957 NCAA Championships earned him Most Outstanding Wrestler honors and assisted the Sooners to their fourth national championship. His success at OU led some to call him the greatest amateur wrestler ever and earned him the right to be the Hodge Trophy's namesake, the Heisman Trophy's wrestling equivalent.
Hodge made his first Olympic team in 1952 at the age of 19 and his second four years later, where he won a silver medal in Melbourne. He also won three national freestyle championships, enjoyed an 18-year run as a professional wrestler, and accrued a 17-0 record as an amateur boxer. He was the first athlete in more than 50 years to win national titles in both wrestling and boxing.
In 2005, Hodge was honored by Oklahoma state lawmakers as an Oklahoma Sports Hero and was invited to the House of Representatives floor to crush an apple with his bare hand, something he had become famous for over the years.
He remains the only wrestler to be featured on the cover of Sports Illustrated for his on-the-mat accomplishments. In addition, he entered the National Wrestling Hall of Fame as a charter member in 1978.
No. 30 Melvin Douglas
Despite not picking up wrestling until he was 13, Douglas won three Kansas state titles to earn his spot within the Oklahoma wrestling program, where he became one of the best in program history.He won Big 8 and NCAA titles in his final two years in 1985 and 1986, helping the Sooners to team conference titles and NCAA runner-up finishes both years. He completed his collegiate career with a 109-19-4 record and was a two-time All-American.
He achieved tremendous success on the international stage, acting as a significant figure in freestyle wrestling on the world stage for over 15 years. Douglas took the gold at the 1993 World Championships in Toronto and claimed three other World Championship medals throughout his career. In addition, he won seven national titles and was a member of 11 USA national teams.
He made the Olympic team in 1996 and 2000 and was part of the 1993 and 1995 Team USA World Championship teams alongside Dave Schultz – the first two championship teams in US men's freestyle history.
Douglas was inducted into the National Wrestling Hall of Fame in 2013.
No. 51 Andre Metzger
One of only 11 four-time All-Americans in Oklahoma wrestling history, Metzger wasted no time making himself a Sooner legend. He placed fifth and second at the NCAA tournament before winning back-to-back national championships in his junior and senior seasons. He compiled a 114-14-2 record in the Crimson and Cream, with 39 wins coming via fall. On the international stage, Metzger was only 19 when he earned a bronze and became the youngest American to medal in the World Championships, a record that stood for 36 years until it was broken in 2015. He claimed five World Championship medals in total and two first-place titles in the Pan American Games.
Metzger wrestled an estimated 2,000 matches in all competitions from high school till the end of his career with 1,870 victories to his name (.935 winning percentage). He is also one of the few wrestlers to have a takedown move named after him – The Metzger.
He is the most recent of the six Sooners in the top 100 to be named to the National Wrestling Hall of Fame, being inducted in 2017.
These six Sooner legends are just some of Oklahoma's most excellent wrestlers, as the Sooner wrestling program was named the fourth-greatest wrestling dynasty in history by the NCAA in 2020. Since the inception of collegiate wrestling in 1928, OU has been one of the most dominant wrestling programs in the country. The Sooners have produced seven team national titles, 24 conference championships, 67 individual national champs, 186 individual conference champions and 277 All-America honors.
In addition to the Sooners' seven national championships, Oklahoma has finished as the runner-up at NCAAs 12 times, tied for the second-most in the country. The Sooners' 40 finishes inside the top four are the fourth-most nationally, and OU has grabbed a top-10 spot at NCAAs 64 times (third-most) out of 89 NCAA championships held.
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