Post by willyman57 on Apr 17, 2011 9:31:17 GMT -5
The truth comes out about Cael Sanderson At ISU:
It turns out, it was Cael that got Bobby Douglas fired at ISU back in 2006!
Book presents an interesting look at Douglas' life
A story from the Cedar Rapids Gazett this morning (4/17/11):
by jr.ogden@sourcemedia.net
Bobby Douglas was an interesting character while coaching at Arizona State and Iowa State.
He's even more interesting in Craig Sesker's new book, 'Bobby Douglas: Life and Legacy of an American Wrestling Legend.' Douglas' coaching resume is well-established, starting with one year at California-Santa Barbara, followed by 18 at ASU (including the 1988 NCAA title) and 14 in Ames.
What you might not know about Douglas is the odds he overcame to become the first African American state champion in Ohio high school history, an NAIA national champion at West Liberty (W.Va.), an All-American at Oklahoma State and, finally, an Olympian. After his mother was brutally attacked and left for dead (while Douglas watched), he grew up in poverty with his grandparents at 'Stop 32' in Blaine, Ohio.
You also may not have known Douglas grew up around baseball greats Phil and Joe Niekro and basketball star John Havlicek. As a matter of fact, Sesker writes, 'Phil Niekro Highway now runs by the Bobby Douglas Bridge on the way to John Havlicek Gymnasium at Bridgeport High School.' All three are Hall of Famers in their respec≠tive sports.
'I could hit Joe, but I couldn't hit Phil,' Douglas, a standout baseball and football player during his younger days, told Sesker.
There's also an interesting segment about his firing at Iowa State - al≠though athletics director Jamie Pollard never called it that at the time - and the role his star pupil, Cael Sanderson, played in that firing.
'The Ohio State job had come open and we couldn't risk losing Cael,' Pollard told Sesker. ' ...
Cael told me 'I'm either the head coach at Iowa State or I leave.' ' ISU didn't want to lose Sanderson as it lost Dan Gable to Iowa so many years earlier. Douglas was given the option to stay one more year, but didn't want to work under that cloud, knowing he wouldn't be coming back.
Douglas has never blamed Sanderson, then or now in this book, but his wife, Jackie, told Sesker 'I have a hard time forgiving Cael for what he did.' And Pollard now told Sesker if he knew Sanderson would pack up and leave for Penn State, he never would have made the change.
Hindsight.
Covering Douglas and the Cyclones for The Gazette from afar for all his years in Ames, I thought I knew the man pretty well. Sesker's book tells me differently. If you're a Cyclone wrestling fan, this is a must-read. Even if you're not an ISU booster or you're just a wrestling fan, it's worth your time.
us2.newsmemory.com/ee/cedarrapidsgazette/default_open.php
It turns out, it was Cael that got Bobby Douglas fired at ISU back in 2006!
Book presents an interesting look at Douglas' life
A story from the Cedar Rapids Gazett this morning (4/17/11):
by jr.ogden@sourcemedia.net
Bobby Douglas was an interesting character while coaching at Arizona State and Iowa State.
He's even more interesting in Craig Sesker's new book, 'Bobby Douglas: Life and Legacy of an American Wrestling Legend.' Douglas' coaching resume is well-established, starting with one year at California-Santa Barbara, followed by 18 at ASU (including the 1988 NCAA title) and 14 in Ames.
What you might not know about Douglas is the odds he overcame to become the first African American state champion in Ohio high school history, an NAIA national champion at West Liberty (W.Va.), an All-American at Oklahoma State and, finally, an Olympian. After his mother was brutally attacked and left for dead (while Douglas watched), he grew up in poverty with his grandparents at 'Stop 32' in Blaine, Ohio.
You also may not have known Douglas grew up around baseball greats Phil and Joe Niekro and basketball star John Havlicek. As a matter of fact, Sesker writes, 'Phil Niekro Highway now runs by the Bobby Douglas Bridge on the way to John Havlicek Gymnasium at Bridgeport High School.' All three are Hall of Famers in their respec≠tive sports.
'I could hit Joe, but I couldn't hit Phil,' Douglas, a standout baseball and football player during his younger days, told Sesker.
There's also an interesting segment about his firing at Iowa State - al≠though athletics director Jamie Pollard never called it that at the time - and the role his star pupil, Cael Sanderson, played in that firing.
'The Ohio State job had come open and we couldn't risk losing Cael,' Pollard told Sesker. ' ...
Cael told me 'I'm either the head coach at Iowa State or I leave.' ' ISU didn't want to lose Sanderson as it lost Dan Gable to Iowa so many years earlier. Douglas was given the option to stay one more year, but didn't want to work under that cloud, knowing he wouldn't be coming back.
Douglas has never blamed Sanderson, then or now in this book, but his wife, Jackie, told Sesker 'I have a hard time forgiving Cael for what he did.' And Pollard now told Sesker if he knew Sanderson would pack up and leave for Penn State, he never would have made the change.
Hindsight.
Covering Douglas and the Cyclones for The Gazette from afar for all his years in Ames, I thought I knew the man pretty well. Sesker's book tells me differently. If you're a Cyclone wrestling fan, this is a must-read. Even if you're not an ISU booster or you're just a wrestling fan, it's worth your time.
us2.newsmemory.com/ee/cedarrapidsgazette/default_open.php