On this episode of On Deck, Ben Askren is joined by wrestling vigilante Canaan Bower and revered hall-of-fame wrestler and Superbowl Champion, Stephen Neal. Bower, a 16-year-old from Las Cruces, New Mexico recently went viral across the country for a video showing him storming into a gas station and physically taking down an alleged kidnapper, pinning him down until the police arrived. Bower is a district wrestling champion for Mayfield high school. Neal, a 2x NCAA Champion, 1999 Hodge Trophy Winner, World Champion, and 3x Superbowl champion, started his wrestling career relatively late, but that didn’t stop him from becoming one of the most revered athletes in the wrestling community. He and Askren discuss everything from the importance of participating in multiple sports to how he applied what he learned in wrestling to becoming an offensive lineman for the New England Patriots.



Show Notes

0:00 Show Introduction

0:41 Canaan Bower

7:33 Stephen Neal

10:48 Specializing in More Than One Sport

14:54 California High School Career

16:18 Getting to Cal-State Bakersfield

17:17 Winter Sports Played in High School

19:28 Playing Football in College Too?

23:23 Reacting to Tom Brady’s Move

24:52 CSU-Bakersfield Contributing to Success

30:31 NCAA Titles

33:23 Freestyle Career

36:38 Goals for 1999

43:48 Lessons Learned in 2000

46:20 NFL Career