On The Mat

1984 Olympic champion wrestling Randy Lewis and veteran wrestling announcer Sandy Stevens will be radio show guests this week.

“On the Mat" is a presentation of the National Wrestling Hall of Fame Dan Gable Museum and can be heard live on the Internet at www.kcnzam.com or locally in Northeast Iowa each Wednesday from 5:00 - 6:00 PM Central time on AM 1650, The Fan. Feel free to e-mail [email protected] with any questions or comments about the show.

Randy Lewis was a two-time NCAA champion and four-time All-American at the University of Iowa. He won the freestyle gold medal at 136.5 pounds at the Los Angeles Olympics.

Sandy Stevens is a journalist by trade. However, most people in the wrestling world know her from her over 40 years of announcing high school, collegiate and international wrestling dual meets and tournaments.

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USA Wrestling executive director Rich Bender and WIN Magazine editor Mike Finn will be radio show guests this week.

"On the Mat" is a presentation of the National Wrestling Hall of Fame Dan Gable Museum and can be heard live on the Internet at www.kcnzam.com or locally in Northeast Iowa each Wednesday from 5:00 - 6:00 PM Central time on AM 1650, The Fan. Feel free to e-mail [email protected] with any questions or comments about the show.

Bender has served with USA Wrestling for over 20 years and has been the executive director since 2000.

Finn is the editor of WIN Magazine and is one of the most respected wrestling journalists in the nation.

Lowell Lange, of the famed 1947 Cornell College NCAA championship team, and Steve Knipp, retired high school coach at East Waterloo High School, will be radio show guests this week.

"On the Mat" is a presentation of the National Wrestling Hall of Fame Dan Gable Museum and can be heard live on the Internet at www.kcnzam.com or locally in Northeast Iowa each Wednesday from 5:00 - 6:00 PM Central time on AM 1650, The Fan.

Lowell Lange compiled a career record of 140-2 and was a three-time NCAA champion at Cornell College in Mount Vernon, Iowa. His first title came as a freshman in 1947 at 136 pounds when Cornell won team titles at the NCAA tournament and the AAU Nationals. The 1947 Cornell College wrestling team will be inducted into the Glen Brand Wrestling Hall of Fame of Iowa in Waterloo on Saturday.

Waterloo native Steve Knipp taught and coached at East Waterloo High School for over 30 years. Knipp led the Trojans to the 1983 Class 3A state championship and has done tremendous volunteer work in Waterloo and Cedar Falls; ensuring tournaments in the area are well run and properly staffed. Knipp will be receiving the Russ Smith Community Impact Award at the Glen Brand Hall of Fame ceremony.

Kent Sesker of the National Wrestling Hall of Fame's Dan Gable Museum talks Northern Iowa head coach Doug Schwab and Division III National Champion Dan Twito of the U.S. Merchant Marine Academy. On The Mat can be heard live on the Internet at www.kcnzam.com or locally in Northeast Iowa each Wednesday from 5:00 - 6:00 PM CST on AM 1650, The Fan.

Jim Miller, head wrestling coach at Wartburg College, and Mark Cody, head wrestling coach at American University, will go “On the Mat” this Wednesday, March 23.

“On the Mat" is a presentation of the National Wrestling Hall of Fame Dan Gable Museum. The show can be heard live on the Internet at www.kcnzam.com or locally in Northeast Iowa each Wednesday from 5:05 - 6:00 PM CST on AM 1650, The Fan.

E-mail [email protected] with any questions or comments about the show.

Miller is the head wrestling coach at Wartburg College. His team won the eighth NCAA Division III team title in program history earlier this month. Miller was a two-time Division II champion and a two-time Division I All-American for Northern Iowa.

Cody is the head wrestling coach at American University. His team placed fifth at the NCAA Division I tournament with three All-Americans. Cody was voted coach of the year at the conclusion of the NCAA tournament.

NCAA wrestling officials Kevin Tann, Rick Stahl and Curt Frost will be the radio show guests on March 14.

"On the Mat" is a presentation of the National Wrestling Hall of Fame Dan Gable Museum and can be heard live on the Internet at www.kcnzam.com or locally in Northeast Iowa each Wednesday (Monday only this week) from 5:00 - 6:00 PM Central time on AM 1650, The Fan.

Iowans Kevin Tann (Cedar Rapids), Rick Stahl (Marion), and Curt Frost (Gilbertville) will be officiating at the NCAA Division I Wrestling Championships March 17 - 19 in Philadelphia. This trio also is officiating at the NCAA Division III Wrestling Championships March 11 - 12 at University of Wisconsin La Crosse.

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Minot State University (N.D.) wrestler Deon Buhl will be the radio show guest this week.

“On the Mat" is a presentation of the National Wrestling Hall of Fame Dan Gable Museum and can be heard live on the Internet at www.kcnzam.com or locally in Northeast Iowa each Wednesday (Tuesday only this week) from 5:00 - 6:00 PM Central time on AM 1650, The Fan. 

Deon Buhl is not your ordinary 141 pound college wrestler. He is a 37-year old father of six who has qualified for the NAIA National Championships that will be wrestled in Cedar Rapids, Iowa on March 3-5. Buhl was an NJCAA All-American at Yakima Valley Community College (WA) and won All-American honors at Briar Cliff University (IA) in the 1990s.

Buhl’s son, Sean, a high school junior, recently won a North Dakota state championship at 140 pounds.

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Jack Spates, head wrestling coach at the University of Oklahoma, and his son, Jeremy Spates, an assistant coach at Cornell University, will go “On the Mat” this Wednesday, February 23.

“On the Mat" is a presentation of the National Wrestling Hall of Fame Dan Gable Museum. The show can be heard live on the Internet at www.kcnzam.com or locally in Northeast Iowa each Wednesday from 5:05 - 6:00 PM CST on AM 1650, The Fan. 

Spates is in his 14th season as the head wrestling coach at the University of Oklahoma and will retire after this season. His Sooner teams have compiled a 243-77-12 dual meet record.

Jeremy Spates, his son, is an assistant coach at Cornell University. Jack was an NCAA Division I All-American for Slippery Rock in 1974 and Jeremy was an All-American for Missouri in 2004.

The National Wrestling Hall of Fame has a new exhibit and book coming out in March called Family Ties. Jack and Jeremy Spates will be on the program as a celebration of family traditions within the sport.

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Craig Sesker, director of communications at USA Wrestling, and Bobby Douglas, hall of fame wrestler and coach, will go “On the Mat” this Wednesday, February 9.

“On the Mat” is a presentation of the National Wrestling Hall of Fame Dan Gable Museum. The show can be heard live on the Internet at www.kcnzam.com (http://www.kcnzam.com/) or locally in Northeast Iowa each Wednesday from 5:05 – 6:00 PM CST on AM 1650, The Fan.

Sesker is the director of communications at USA Wrestling and is the author a new book called “Bobby Douglas: Life and Legacy of an American Wrestling Legend.” Both Sesker and Douglas will be on the program to discuss the book.

Douglas was a two-time Olympian and head coach at both Arizona State and Iowa State . Douglas led Arizona State to an NCAA team championship in 1988.

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Boise State University head wrestling coach Greg Randall and Hector Gomez, founder of Gomez Wrestling Academy, will be radio show guests this week.

"On the Mat" is a presentation of the National Wrestling Hall of Fame Dan Gable Museum and can be heard live on the Internet at www.kcnzam.com or locally in Northeast Iowa each Wednesday from 5:00 - 6:00 PM Central time on AM 1650, The Fan.

Greg Randall is his 9th season leading the Boise State wrestling program. The Broncos have been ranked in the top 5 all season and currently have a dual meet record of 8-2-1. A native of Mount Vernon, Iowa, Randall was a four-time high school state champion and three-time All-American as an Iowa Hawkeye.

Hector Gomez began Gomez Wrestling Academy in 2004. His 7,300 square foot facility in Carol Stream, Illinois, serves wrestlers in the Chicago area. GWA recently crowned three champions at the Cliff Keen Tulsa Nationals.