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It's Dale's day as Oregon State meets Oregon
and greets alums for OSU Wrestling Homecoming
The full release as a pdf document.
SUNDAY, FEBRUARY 16
Oregon at Gill Coliseum; 2 p.m.
The Civil War, presented by Northwest Dodge Dealers
DALE THOMAS DAY/OREGON STATE WRESTLING HOMECOMING: Legendary coach Dale Thomas will be honored with a permanent banner in Gill Coliseum, and all former Oregon State wrestlers are invited to attend as special guests.
STUDENT-ATHLETE ADVISORY COMMITTEE FOOD DRIVE: Oregon State's Student-Athlete Advisory Committee continues its 2002-03 Food Drive, which has already gathered over 25,000 pounds of food for Linn-Benton Food Share since September. Fans are asked to bring two cans of food or make a minimum donation at the coliseum. As a token of thanks, fans will receive a coupon good for a free small popcorn at the concession stand, courtesy of Sodexho Marriott.
Nearly a century of Oregon State wrestling tradition will be celebrated on Sunday, when the Beavers hold their annual OSU Wrestling Homecoming at Gill Coliseum. Oregon State (9-8 overall, 7-2 Pacific-10) will meet Oregon (7-10, 4-3) at 2 p.m. in the season's second Civil War, sponsored by Northwest Dodge Dealers, with over 100 former Beaver wrestlers expected to be on hand.
At halftime of the meet, Hall of Fame coach Dale Thomas will be honored with the unfurling of a permanent banner in Gill Coliseum bearing the number 616 – his all-time collegiate-record number of dual meet wins. At OSU, the banner is the equivalent for a coach of retiring a jersey number for a player.
"It's wonderful," Oregon State head coach Joe Wells said. "There's so much that he's done, and continues to do. Not just for Oregon State wrestling, but for wrestling in general, that made a huge impact on the sport. He continues to influence - in a positive way - all of wrestling's successes.
"It's wonderful for him to be recognized in a time when you can appreciate it. And it's wonderful that so many of his former athletes will be here to honor him with their presence. It's fitting and, in my opinion, long overdue."
Thomas, 79, coached Oregon State from 1957-90, winning more dual meets than any coach in collegiate wrestling history. In 34 seasons, his teams compiled a dual meet record of 616-168-13.
Thomas' teams won or tied for 22 conference championships, placed in the NCAA's top 10 on 14 occasions and were in the top 5 on 7 occasions, including a runner-up finish in 1973. OSU had 60 All-Americans during Thomas' tenure and 10 NCAA champions.
"Dale Thomas is not only a legend in Oregon State athletics, but in wrestling across the nation and around the world," De Carolis said in announcing the honor for Thomas on Jan. 31. "He took the top wrestling program on the West Coast and turned it into one of the top programs in the country, and he did it in a fashion that was a credit to the University.
"His contributions to both the sport and to Oregon State make him most deserving of this honor, and Beaver fans will be reminded of Dale Thomas' achievements every time they attend an event in Gill Coliseum."
Thomas will be the third Oregon State coach to be recognized with a Gill Coliseum banner. The number 599 hangs in honor of Slats Gill and the number 674 hangs in honor of Ralph Miller; the numbers are the career coaching victories of the two men's basketball coaches.
Oregon State will be out to use the afternoon as not only a celebration of the past, but a stepping stone to the future - the Pacific-10 Championships, which will be held March 2-3 at Boise State. OSU will be looking for some wins that could help the Beavers' seeding at the conference meet.
"No question - it's a big meet," Wells said. "For recruiting, bragging rights in the state, individual seeds for the Pac-10 Championships . . . it's a great opportunity. And I think we've demonstrated in the last half of the season is our improvement. It will be another opportunity to demonstrate that improvement that we've continued to strive for."
The Beavers have a number of wrestlers who look to be peaking for the postseason.
Heavyweight Andy Bowlby has won 12 of his last 14 matches, including five by pin, and 16 of his last 19 matches, including eight by pin. This week, he's ranked 12th nationally by Amateur Wrestling News and 10th by InterMat.
At 165 pounds, Matt Ellis has won 10 of his last 12 matches, scoring team bonus points four times for recording a pin, technical fall or major decision. At 174 pounds, Jake Huffman has won 10 of his last 12 matches, scoring team bonus points six times, and 14 of his last 18 matches, scoring team bonus points eight times. At 197 pounds, Jason Lovell has won five of his last seven matches, with the last two wins coming over nationally-ranked wrestlers.
Since jumping to 184 pounds - and still weighing in at 165 to maintain the chance to return to that weight this season - Jed Pennell has won four of five matches, including a pin and a win over a nationally-ranked wrestler. That's earned him the No. 20 national ranking from AWN.
OSU will be out to avenge an 18-15 loss to Oregon in Eugene in December. In that meet, both teams won 5 matches apiece but Martin Mitchell's pin at 125 pounds proved the difference for the Ducks. OSU's starter at that weight, Michael Delaney, was out of the lineup that night due to injury.
Oregon went 2-2 last week. On Feb. 5, the Ducks beat Cal State-Bakersfield 26-16 and lost to Cal Poly 22-15; on Feb. 7, the Ducks beat Menlo 31-10 and lost to Fresno State 19-12.
Oregon has three nationally-ranked wrestlers. At 133 pounds, Jason Harless is ranked 19th by AWN; at 149 pounds, Tony Overstake is ranked 17th by AWN; and at 174 pounds, Shane Webster is ranked 11th by both AWN and IM.
Oregon State tentative lineup
National rankings: Amateur Wrestling News, InterMat of Feb. 12
- 125 - Michael Delaney, sr. (Tracy, Calif./Brethren Christian HS); 7-12 with 0 pins;
in Pac-10, ranked 5th
- 133 - Tim Norman, so. (Newberg, Ore./Newberg HS); 11-14 with 1 pin
- 141 - Mike Unger, fr. (Turner, Ore./Cascade HS); 8-13 with 1 pin
- 149 - Tony Hook, fr. (Sandpoint, Idaho/Sandpoint HS); 13-10 with 3 pins
- 157 - Jeremy Larson, fr. (Hermiston, Ore./Hermiston HS); 5-8 record with 0 pins
or - Brian Duhrkoop, jr. (Milwaukie, Ore./Milwaukie HS); 3-7 with 0 pins
- 165 - Matt Ellis, so. (Prosser, Wash./Prosser HS, Oklahoma St. U.); 14-8 with 1 pin
or - Anthony Weber, fr. (Newberg, Ore./Newberg HS); 3-5 record with 0 pins
- 174 - Jake Huffman, sr. (Scio, Ore./Scio HS); 20-9 with 3 pins;
in Pac-10, ranked 5th
- 184 - Dan Pitsch, fr. (Tacoma, Wash./Spanaway Lake HS); 15-7 record with 1 pin;
in Pac-10, ranked 5th
or - Jed Pennell, jr. (Cave Junction, Ore./Illinois Valley HS); 7-6 record with 1 pin;
in nation, ranked No. 20 AWN; in Pac-10, ranked 4th at 165
- 197 - Jason Lovell, sr. (Turner, Ore./Cascade HS); 14-9 with 1 pin;
in Pac-10, ranked 2nd
- HWT - Andy Bowlby, sr. (Newberg, Ore./Newberg HS); 22-6 with 10 pins;
in nation, ranked 12th AWN, 10th IM; in Pac-10, ranked 4th
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