Episodes
The undefeated 2011 NCAA Champion Jon Reader brings his brand of energy, intensity and honesty to this episode of Sudden History. Currently an Assistant Coach at South Dakota State University, Reader gives us a look at the state of the Jackrabbit program, in addition to talking about his own wrestling career. Jon emphatically answers a big question about his future as a competitor in the Freestyle ranks. Other topics discussed are Jon's sleeping habits, his relationship with SDSU Head Coach...
Published 05/31/16
In the almost 100 year history of wrestling at Army West Point only one wrestler has earned All-American honors three times and won three EIWA Championships. That wrestler is Phillip Simpson. Phillip is also the last NCAA Finalist for any of the Service Academies, doing so in 2005. Simpson sits down with Sudden History to recap his wrestling career, his families involvement in the sport and the military, and life at West Point, among other topics.  Subscribe to Sudden History iTunes |...
Published 05/25/16
Don't look now, but quietly in Central Pennsylvania Scott Mooreis attempting to bring Lock Haven wrestling back to its glory days.The Head Coach of the Bald Eagles, Scott sits down with SuddenHistory to talk about his impressive 2015-16 recruiting class,which is also boosted by some high quality transfers. Moore alsogets into his career competing for Penn State and Virginia. Alongwith twin brother Josh, the Moore's became one of the mostentertaining and physical duos of the mid 2000's,...
Published 05/03/16
It's that time of the year again. College coaches are finalizing their 2015-16 recruiting classes with late signees and transfers. Sounds like the most appropriate time to talk about previous recruiting classes. Earl talks about previous team recruiting rankings, the rankings for the 2016 NCAA Finalists. Also, a sneak peak into everyone's favorite feature the D1CW Recruiting Rewind, prior to its release.  Subscribe to Sudden History iTunes | Stitcher | Spreaker | SoundCloud | RSS
Published 04/27/16
After a much heralded prep career at powerhouse Blair Academy Mario Mason struggled to find the same level of success competing at Minnesota then Rutgers. Mason is now a coach in New Jersey and is using his collegiate experiences to help mentor and teach young wrestlers. He also gives an exclusive update on his current coaching situation, which may eventually lead to a shake up in training in Jersey and Pennsylvania. Mario also touches topics such as his love for Freestyle wrestling, his...
Published 04/19/16
Matt Valenti sits down with Sudden History to discuss his career of twelve years (and counting) with the Penn Quakers. A 2x National Champion wrestler, then coach, turned administrator, Valenti describes the ups and downs of his career as a competitor. He also describes his new life, working in the Athletic Department for the Quakers plus his love and respect for all things Quaker sports. Matt also offers advise for wrestlers seeking a career in administration, as well as administrators that...
Published 04/12/16
In the illustrious history of California wrestling's one class system, only one wrestler has ever won four High School State Championships. His name is Darrell Vasquez. Darrell sits down with Sudden History and describes his path to those history making seasons, as well as his time at Cal Poly where he became a two time All-American. He is also very candid about his collegiate career and the setbacks he encountered during those years. We also get to hear about his current profession as an...
Published 04/05/16
We briefly mentioned Jon Trenge on Episode 1 of Sudden History when discussing the Best Non-NCAA Champions of the 2000's. Now an in-depth conversation with the 3x All-American and 2x NCAA Runner-Up from Lehigh. Jon goes into great detail reliving his great, yet occasionally heartbreaking career, while wrestling at Lehigh. Go inside his mind as he is very open about the concerns and obstacles he faced during his Senior year in Bethlehem. Currently Jon has found a passion for coaching at the...
Published 03/29/16
A final post NCAA Tournament wrap up full of Earl's usual theme of facts/stats/trends from the 2016 season. Also, commentary on the tournament itself and a way to tinker with the NCAA Finals to make the event even more exciting. A crazy nugget of information courtesy of Virginia Tech Associate Head Coach Tony Robie is shared. Finally, Earl explains the term "Freshman All-Star" and who has earned that title from the 2015-16 season. Subscribe to Sudden History iTunes | Stitcher | Spreaker |...
Published 03/22/16
It's the biggest wrestling week of the year, NCAA Time! Earl has a preview with his typical brand of stats/facts/trends from past tournaments. Need help filling out your brackets? Earl lets know in on who has won in recent history, where the wrestlers came from, what seeds they were and who they wrestled for. Also, he goes out on a limb and walks you through his brackets, picking the 2016 All-American's and forecasts the team race. A must-listen prior to the start of the tournament in New...
Published 03/15/16
Instead of looking back years and years at a time, Earl goes through the weekend Conference Championship results. Not your normal recap though. Earl has found trends, stats and facts about the wrestlers and their teams, some of which go back decades. He also offers opinion on some wrestlers who will be seeking At-Large berths to qualify for the NCAA Championships. Before you turn all of your attention to Nationals find some good nuggets of information about your favorite conference or...
Published 03/08/16
You remember it, you loved watching them, you still root for a few of them. Of course we are talking about the best weight class in recent memory, possibly ever. The 149 LB class at the 2008 NCAA Championships featured 6 wrestlers who were or would go on to be NCAA Champions and another 7 All-Americans. Earl breaks down the collegiate, high school and post collegiate careers of some of its participants. Not only the legendary wrestlers, but the other guys at the weight class, who were very...
Published 03/01/16
Former 2x All-American wrestler Conrad Polz joins Sudden History to talk about his wrestling career, as well as his current career, lead vocalist for The Band Avon Dale. Polz talks about battling injuries and his own confidence during his first few seasons in Champaign, before finding his way onto the NCAA podium his final two years. He has transformed a passion for wrestling into a passion for making music. Find out how his if preparing for a wrestling tournament compares to taking the stage...
Published 02/23/16
Legendary 3x NCAA Champion Greg Jones sits down with Sudden History to discuss his wrestling career and his current position, wrestling coach of the Blackzilians, one of the top MMA teams in the world. 126-4 as a colleigate, one of the four wrestlers who beat Greg actually reached out and recommended him for his current position with the Blackzilians. Surprisingly enough, after graduation his hometown Pittsburgh Steelers came calling on this 184lber to get an NFL tryout. Greg talks about his...
Published 02/16/16
Rollie Peterkin, a 3x NCAA Qualifier and Round of 12 finisher for Penn, joins Sudden History and shares his experiences traveling the world. Once a bond trader on Wall Street, Peterkin left his dream job to dive head first into the world of a professional MMA fighter in Lima, Peru. Rollie actually speaks to us from Madrid, Spain, where he currently resides and teaches English to school children. On top of that, he has documented his trials and tribulations in the MMA world for a soon-to-be...
Published 02/09/16
In the first of Sudden History's interview series, we sit down with Purdue's three-time NCAA All-American Chris Fleeger. Topics of discussion include his wrestling career, as well as his current position, Head Coach of the University of the Cumberlands. Fleeger goes deep into his academic struggles at Purdue, the controversial NCAA Quarter Final match with Mack Reiter and his departure from Purdue. These are subjects which he had rarely addressed publicly until now.  Subscribe to Sudden...
Published 02/02/16
The second half of Sudden History's two-part series exploring the best non-NCAA Division I champions of the 2000's. Earl goes in depth to break down the careers of seven great wrestlers who did not win NCAA Titles. Who makes the cut? Also the origin of the D1CW Video Vault.    Subscribe to Sudden History iTunes | Stitcher | Spreaker | SoundCloud | RSS
Published 01/26/16
Sudden History Episode 1. The Best Non-NCAA Champions of the 2000. Part 1 of 2
Published 01/15/16