Let’s say Penn State wrestling coaches Cael Sanderson, Cody Sanderson and Casey Cunningham have to recruit 10 Civil War-era figures, and they come to me for advice.
(I am currently reading an astounding book called ‘The State of Jones’ about a county in Mississippi that was loyal to the Union in the Civil War, so all this is on my mind.)
The following are major historical figures, but how would they have wrestled? And how would they fit into this program?
That is what inquiring minds want to know.
1) Frederick Douglass
Douglass was a tough, fierce individualist who knew he would help his cause by standing strong. He also said a couple of things about what he was willing to do to be free, things that showed not just his intellect, but also his dependability in a tough match.
“One and God make a majority.”
This means to me I have a recruit who believes in things bigger than himself and understands that something greater than him is needed to make him stronger. However, he still talks about the individual, which shows he is not an “oh well, it’s God’s will” type of person.
“People might not get all they work for in this world, but they must certainly work for all they get.”
Douglass understood that life is not fair, but this does not excuse one from working to put oneself in a position to make the most of it.
“Without a struggle, there can be no progress.”
Wrestling is the very definition of struggle, both against oneself and the opponent. Sounds like this recruit has his head screwed on straight.
2) Abe Lincoln
Someone who thinks of wrestling as recreation would be a great recruit. (Lincoln was reportedly unbeaten in picnics in his county, but we don’t know if he ever tangled with Coach Koll’s or Cael Sanderson’s ancestors.)
I wont spend much time on Lincoln since a lot more is known about him than the Douglass kid, but Lincoln’s statement that one cannot make a weak man strong by making a strong man weak would indicate to me he is willing to work his way into the lineup.
3) Ulysses S. Grant
Grant was Bill Koll’s favorite general. He said Grant was relentless and would give up points to get points, as long as he wound up winning. He wished to exhaust his opponent. Since Coach Koll’s great-grandfather fought under Grant, I would take his word for it and recruit him.
Of course, we would probably have to make sure he was in study hall and not becoming one of these guys downtown getting in trouble for drinking.
4) William Tecumseh Sherman
Sherman would probably have been a (Iowa Head Coach) Tom Brands-like wrestler: out to break his opponent. Sherman once made a comment that summed this up: “War is cruelty. There’s no use trying to reform it. The crueler it is, the sooner it will be over.”
Brands once said, ‘When I come off the mat, I want to feel I got hit by a truck, but I want my opponent to feel like he got run over by one.’
Same thing.
5) George McClellan
McClellan would probably have been the most in-shape recruit of the bunch, as he was a fanatic about training.
Unfortunately, there are some guys that train so hard so they won’t be tested. We would want to look for a guy who trains so hard because he wants to be tested. I get the impression that McClellan would be in shape, but would never shoot. So this would be a risky call in some ways.
6) George Pickett
“Up, men, and to your posts! Don’t forget today that you are from Old Virginia!’
Pickett’s quote indicates that he knows how to say, and then do, the right things to lead against all odds. Though his chance was small, he rallied his men to march into the jaws of hell.
Twenty years ago, I saw the wrestling equivalent of Pickett’s Charge by PSU 118-lber Kenny Chertow in his senior year in the semifinals of the nationals.
He had to take on returning national champ Jack Cuvo at 118. Kenny threw himself at Cuvo with a fury that was hell-bent on knocking down this wall that stood in front of him.
What I saw in Chertow that evening was nothing short of heroic. Fury unleashed in constant pressure on his opponent, and he spent all he had in the loss.
Like Pickett and his men, Chertow never thought he could lose. Looking back at it, it foretold of how he made the Olympic team (another heroic charge, but this time he won).
It is no surprise that he is a household name in wrestling and there are many wrestlers, my nephews included, who have gone to Chertow camps.
Who would not want to have a Ken Chertow on his team? I would recruit Pickett.
7) J.E.B. Stuart
“We gallop toward the enemy, and trot away, always.”
Unlike Pickett, who charged the center of the storm, Stuart would have some tendencies I would have to worry about correcting.
Stuart went on what could be termed an “vainglorious ride” when Lee needed him most, on the evening of the biggest battle of the war.
I am being harsh, but it would worry me that he might take some shortcuts. Still, his attitude was one that looks like he likes to score.
8) Stonewall Jackson
With a name like Stonewall, this recruit would have to be considered. Besides, the following quotes help Jackson to stand out:
“Once you get them running, you stay right on top of them, and that way a small force can defeat a large one every time.”
Now that is someone who would push someone into the ground on the mat! But if that were not good enough, a fearlessness born of a belief in something bigger than himself would make him even tougher on the mat.
“My religious belief teaches me to feel as safe in battle as in bed. God has fixed the time for my death; I do concern myself about that, but to be always ready, no matter when it may overtake me. That is the way all men should live, and then all would be equally brave.”
No brainer. Let’s get him.
9) James Longstreet
Longstreet was not a brilliant general. But his ideas on how to proceed at Gettysburg showed that he became better because of those around him. Had he not been around Robert E. Lee, he may not have ever come up with what proved to be the better idea.
This recruit probably would improve rapidly if he had the people around him to help him develop.
My last column could have had Longstreet as an example of how someone who was not great became great by working hard and using the situation around him to help him become better.
He would have been a great set-up wrestler, one that uses strategic offense and tactical defense, is never out of position and maneuvers his opponent to put him at a disadvantage.
10) Robert E. Lee
I would recruit Lee, even though Coach Koll probably would not.
Coach (again, he loved Grant) was not impressed with Lee. Coach said Lee never won a battle unless he held the high ground, and he thought of Lee as overrated.
Pickett’s Charge was not a favorite of Coach Koll (as he said, there is nothing brave about being stupid), and he believed Lee could have slicked George Meade at Gettysburg and didn’t.
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So there are 10 possible recruits and my ideas on their possible strengths as wrestlers. Some people play fantasy football; I play fantasy wrestling.
