Many special events took place in 1962. John F. Kennedy was the 35th president. The Berlin Wall was under construction. John Glenn, Jr. was the first American to orbit the earth. Algeria won independence from France. The Supreme Court ruled that prayer and Bible readings in public schools were unconstitutional. The Telstar I satellite was launched by the United States. The Beatles became a legendary band. And a new team sport was introduced to Oshkosh State College: men's wrestling. At the same time the mat-men were fighting on the floors of Oshkosh State College, the U.S. ground forces were fighting the Viet Cong on the soils of Vietnam. The war ended with South Vietnam surrendering, but the UW-Oshkosh wrestlers will never give up.

Mr. Ralph Erdman was the very first wrestling coach. His coaching experience ranged from 3 years in high school, 2 years at Ripon College, and he also wrestled in the service. Oshkosh's first wrestling match was in Stevens Point where they participated in a quadrangular meet. This included Stevens Point, Oshkosh State College (OSC), Stout, and UW Junior Varsity teams. OSC placed fourth with a total of only four points. This was due to the late start of wrestling here the university. The second OSC wrestling meet was held on a Saturday, December 15, 1962 at Eau Claire. "No home meets are scheduled but it is possible there will be some," stated Coach Erdman (The Advanced, 1962, p. 6).

In 1963, wrestling was slowly becoming popular. That year, the team finished eighth in the state, with 10 teams in the conference. Mr. John Martinson coached the team. One of the main reasons the team finished in eighth place was that there were no entries in the heavyweight divisions or the 123, 130, 177, or the 191-pound divisions.

1962-1963 wrestling team members show their stuff while Manager R. Budecki sports a cardigan.

In 1964, under Head Coach Ed Brown, the wrestling team finished 4 - 4, with a third-place finish in the conference tournament. The conference consisted of Superior, Stevens Point, La Crosse, Oshkosh, Platteville, Stout, River Falls, Whitewater, and Eau Claire. Coach Brown also coached in 1965 and held the best record to date in wrestling history, winning seven straight dual meets and finishing second in the conference finals. Nine lettermen returned for the 1966 wrestling team. In 1966, Mr. Pete Samuels took over as head wrestling coach and led the wrestlers to a 5 - 7 record.

As wrestling was becoming more and more popular, new coaches continued to step up. From 1967 to 1969, Pat O'Helloran became the next coach. In 1967, he coached the mat-men to eighth place at the state meet and fourth place at the North Central Tournament. In 1968, the wrestlers’ record was 3 - 4. In 1969, they took sixth place at the conference championship at Platteville. Duane Kleven took over in 1970 and held a 9 - 7 record with a third-place finish in the conference.

In 1971, Dr. Alex Inciong and Jerry Rosonke took over and brought the mat-men to second place at the conference. Inciong and Mr. Tom Eitter coached in 1972 and led the Titan Rapplers to fourth place at conference. In 1973, under head coach Tom Eitter, the wrestlers took third in conference.

In 1974, the wrestlers had a difficult schedule ahead of them, yet they were a very experienced team. In 1982, the UW-Oshkosh wrestlers began to show their stuff. Under head coach Mr. John T. Barth, the wrestlers won the conference and captured first place. That was the only time the wrestlers won a first at conference and that record remains today. Mr. Todd Eide took over as head coach, and in February 1991, the wrestlers earned a spot at the championships, but fell short to Stevens Point. Phil Du Bois became the head coach in 1998 with a dual meet record of 5-5 in 1999.

1998 NCAA Wrestling Rule Changes

1. Guideline on hypohydration.

2. 7-pound weigh allowance added to each weight class.

3. All weigh-ins will be two hours before the competition.

4. Prohibited use of rehydration technique.

The Quiver. (1963). College Yearbook.

Oshkosh's Newest. (1962, December 16). The Advanced. p. A6

Barth, John. (1999, February 20). Personal Interview on the history of wrestling at the University of Wisconsin Oshkosh.

Du Bois, John. (1999, March 2). Personal Interview on the history of wrestling at the University of Wisconsin Oshkosh.