July 20, 2007
Coaches dismayed after UO axes wrestling
TOM EGGERS
Greg Strobel and Dan Hicks were among the wrestling coaches across the country who were very disappointed in the University of Oregon’s decision last week to discontinue wrestling after the 2007-08 season.
New UO Athletic Director Pat Kilkenny announced the Ducks will reinstate baseball as an intercollegiate sport (it was dropped in 1981) and add women’s competitive cheer in the 2008-09 academic year.
Strobel and Hicks both have ties to the state — as wrestlers and coaches. They both were prep standouts, Strobel starring at Scappoose and Hicks at Roseburg and North Douglas of Drain.
They each turned in outstanding careers at Oregon State University under Dale Thomas, Strobel winning back-to-back NCAA titles in 1973-74 (190 pounds) and Hicks taking down national championships in 1978-79 (142).
Strobel was Roseburg High’s head coach from 1978-81, and both were assistants for the Beavers before accepting jobs at other Division I schools. Strobel has been the head coach at Lehigh University in Bethlehem, Pa., the past 12 years while Hicks has guided Cal State Fullerton for five seasons.
They enjoyed competing and coaching against the Ducks, and find it hard to believe the Pac-10 Conference will only have three schools (OSU, Arizona State and Stanford) with wrestling programs following next year.
“It’s disheartening ... it’s bad for wrestling and hurts all of us,” Hicks said. “There are more kids than ever in wrestling and they continue to cut wrestling programs. It’s such a great sport and does so much for kids, and this is killing a lot of opportunities for them.”
Strobel pointed out there were 270,000 high school wrestlers this year and wrestling was the sixth-highest participation sport at the prep level.
The ad-hoc Title IX Committee of USA Wrestling notes that over the last 35 years, college wrestling opportunities for men have decreased dramatically. It’s estimated that there were approximately 750 college wrestling teams for men when the law was passed (in 1972), to over 300 programs today. This dramatic loss of wrestling teams has been in spite of growth of wrestling on the youth and high school levels over time.
“From a promotion and participation standpoint, wrestling is very strong,” Strobel said. “The numbers are up.
“There are 85 Division I (wrestling) programs right now, and less than one half of one percent (of the kids) get to go to Division I. You’re seeing a few programs being added once in awhile at the NAIA, Division II and Division IIl levels, but not at Division I.”
Oregon will be the second West Coast D-1 wrestling program in recent history to get the axe; Fresno State eliminated wrestling after the 2005-06 season. UO’s wrestling budget was approximately $629,000 this past season, according to a UO media release.
“From a financial standpoint, wrestling is not that expensive,” Strobel said. “It amazes me that’s what Oregon would do. They made a short-sighted decision.”
When Hicks competed for the Beavers, all but one (USC) of the Pac-10 schools had wrestling programs. How times change.
“The green at Oregon is Nike money,” Hicks said.
Hicks said he has no problem with baseball returning to UO — but not at the expense of wrestling.
“I love baseball,” he said. “But competitive cheer? That’s a joke.”
Strobel said, “It all comes down to money and Title IX. Title IX has provided a lot of opportunities, but it’s also been the demise of a lot of men’s sports.”