Wrestling coach Ron Finley has successfully com
pleted his second recruiting season at Oregon.
Finley, entering his third year as head coach, signed
eight state champions and a national champion from
Japan.
Now, after two full recruiting seasons, Finley has
doubled the size of the squad. He expects a turn-out of 40
for the coming 20-dual meet season.
But, for the first time at Oregon, Finley won’t have to
rely on his freshmen recruits for a successful wrestling
season. He did that last year—starting as many as six
freshmen during some meets.
Now they are a year older. Eight starters in ten
weights are returning. Among the returnees is Pacific-8
champion Mark Purkey. He is one of Finley’s out
standing freshmen of last year. Purkey was the first
freshman ever to win the Pac-8 crown.
Also returning is Dave Luke, last year’s team leader in
wins and falls. Luke, along with another returning
sophomore Wes Hines, made the finals of the U.S.
Olympic Trials last summer.
Luke was upset by UCLA’s John Meikle in the final
five seconds to lose the Pac-8 championship last year. In
the Olympic Trials, Luke qualified for the finals in
freestyle, finishing in the top six.
Wrestlers loaded
with talent
Hines was very impressive at the Olympic Trials and
was the only alternate to the U.S. Olympic team invited
to remain at the training site to train with the Olympic
team. The U.S. coaches were obviously impressed with
Hines’ future Olympic possibilities. He competed in
greco-roman.
Mike Oilar will return for his junior year after placing
third in the Pac-8 as a sophomore in a surprise per
formance. Oilar made hearts stop at the Pac-8 tour
nament when he threw indomitable Larry Owings to his
back and nearly beat the former NCAA champion, the
only wrestler to beat Olympic Gold Medalist Dan Gable
in collegiate wrestling.
Dean Dixon will also return for his sophomore season
after spending a year in the National Guard. He won the
1970-71 outstanding freshman award.
Sophomore Duane Stutzman, fourth in the Pac-8 with
Photo by Matt McCormick
There should be more ups than downs this season as coach Ron Finley enters his third year with a
veteran squad and some top talent making their debut.
NCAA tournament experience behind him, returns at 150
pounds.
Don Evans, Tom Persons and Rick Willoughby will
also be back to defend starting spots on last year’s
squad.
At 118 pounds Willoughby will be pressed for his
starting spot by Ralph Davis and five freshman recruits.
At 126 Luke will start his senior season. Already being
groomed for replacement of Luke is transfer standout
Joe Sade. Sade earned a 22-2 freshman record last year
at Michigan after a high school record of 35-0. Sade will
lose a year of eligibility this season but will fill the 126
pound hold Luke leaves next year.
At 134 pounds Oilar will have to battle Japanese
national champion Shuichi Shoji. However Shoji is
recovering from a summer knee operation and may not
recover full strength before the season opens.
Dixon holds down the 142 pound bracket.
At 150 Stutzman will face Oregon state high school
champion Dennis Jossi and John Scott for the top berth.
Don Evans has little competition at 158 pounds.
At 167 Purkey is recovering from a spring term knee
operation but is expected to be ready for the season’s
opener December 2.
At 177 Hines will be down a weight from the 190 pound
class he wrestled at last year to fill the hole left by
gradua'ing Dave DeForest. Hines will face senior Jim
Me Irvin and state greco-roman champ Jim Vasey.
At 190 pounds the battle appears between two fresh
men. State greco-roman champion Butch Hogland and
second placer in the state high school tournament Larry
Ermini are the prime contenders.
At heavyweight Tom Persons returns for his
sophomore season. A foot injury stopped him part of the
season last year. Ric Reitman, a placer in the state high
school tournament, will be Persons’ contender for the
starting berth.
Sorely missed will be Pac-8 Champion Brent Merrill at
134 pounds, but Dean Dixon’s return to the mat at 142 has
enabled Oilar to cut down to replace Merrill at 134.
Finley is pleased with the team’s better balance and
depth this season. Last year injuries greatly depleted the
already thin ranks. This year the squad is double in size
with seven strong weight classes "that we can depend on
rather than five last year,” Finley sjaid. The potentially
weak classes are 118, 190 and heavyweight.
The team is still very young. Over 75 per cent of the
squad is freshmen and sophomores. Only one starter is
expected to be a senior (Luke).
But the squad is undoubtedly long on talent although
short on experience. The potential is there for a great
season. But it’s only potential at this point.
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