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Wrestling Almanac
Steve Blackford
Wrestling / 1998-2001 / Inducted 2012
Blackford is just the eighth wrestler in ASU history to be a three time all-American. He was also a two-time Pac-10 champion in 2000 and 2001, and his 138 victories rank second on ASU's all-time list. In 1999, Blackford finished in fourth place at the NCAA Championships in the 165 pound weight class, and in 2000, he went one better, finishing in third place. He finished in fifth place in 2001 as a senior. During the 1999-2000 season, Blackford had one of the best seasons ever as a Sun Devil wrestler with a record of 43-4, which tied him for the second-most victories in a single season by an ASU wrestler. He finished as the Pac-10 runner-up his first two years at ASU before being the Pac-10 champion in his junior and senior years, and ended his ASU career with a record of 138-30. Blackford died in a tragic automobile accident on Sept. 3, 2004.
Curley Culp
Football & Wrestling / 1964-1968/ Inducted 1975
First-team football All-America by Time Magazine and Sporting News, Culp was also the NCAA heavyweight wrestling champion in 1967. He also played professional football with the Kansas City Chiefs and the Houston Oilers as an all-pro defensive tackle.
Shawn Charles
Wrestling/1989-1992/ Inducted 2010
Charles was Arizona State's first four-time wrestling All-American and was a two-time Pac-10 individual champion (1992 and 1993) at 126 pounds. A two-time NCAA finalist, Charles helped the Sun Devils to a second-place finish at the 1990 NCAA Championships as well as three Pac-10 titles (1990, 1991, 1993). He collected 103 victories in his collegiate career, ranking him tied for 19th on the program's all-time wins list at Arizona State. He also ranks 19th in career dual-match victories after he posted a 44-15-5 record in those matches. Charles also was a two-time competitor in the East-West All-Star Dual and captured the Las Vegas Invitational twice while also finishing second at the prestigious Midlands Championships once during his Sun Devil career. After several coaching stops in wrestling powerhouses like Iowa State and Oklahoma, Charles was named head coach of the Sun Devils in 2009.
Mike Davies
Wrestling / 1984-88/ Inducted 2003
Two-time All-American at 190 pounds and third on the ASU all-time victory list at the time of his induction to the Hall of Fame . He was a four-time conference finalist, winning three Pac-10 titles. Mike was named the Pac-10 and ASU wrestler of the year in both his junior and senior seasons. He was 40-3 and team captain of the 1988 NCAA National Championship team and was ASU's highest place winner that year, being the NCAA runner-up. During that banner season, he became ASU's all-time victory leader with 136 career wins. Mike placed third at the 1987 NCAA Championships. He was named as a First-Team Wrestler on the All Star Freshman Team for the 1983-84 season. In the summer of 1984, he was the World Espoir silver medalist. Mike graduated in May of 1988 with a B.S. in physical education.
Bobby Douglas
Wrestling / 1975-92 / Inducted 1999
One of the most prominent figures in team history, Bobby Douglas served as the Sun Devils' head coach for 18 years, leading the team to the 1988 NCAA Championship, the only title in team history. He steered ASU to nine Pac-10 Championships, as ASU finished top-3 in 17 of the 18 conference tournaments he coached. Douglas was an 8-time Pac-10 Coach of the Year, as his wrestlers earned 11 individual WAC titles and 53 Pac-10 crowns while also accumulating 59 total All-America honors and three individual NCAA titles. Under his guidance, the Sun Devils accumulated a 229-95-6 record across his 18 seasons of work.
Buzz Hayes
Wrestling / 1962-1965/ Inducted 1995
A three-time conference champ and 1965 All-American, Buzz Hayes was elected into the Arizona State Hall of Fame in 1995. In the 1963-1964 wrestling season, Hayes set the Sun Devil record for consecutive victories with 41 in a row. At 147 pounds, Hayes became the winningest ASU wrestler with 102 wins. He was one of three All-Americans for the Sun Devils in 1965.
Zeke Jones
Wrestling/ 1987-90/ Inducted 2004
Zeke Jones earned three All-America honors and was a national runner-up in his senior campaign with the Sun Devils. A member of the 1988 NCAA Championship wrestling team, Jones also collected four Pac-10 crowns at 118 pounds while the team won the conference crown all four years and finished as national runners-up twice. As a post-collegiate wrestler, Jones excelled on the international scene, winning silver at the 1992 Olympics. He also won the 1991 World Championships along with five other World appearances and six US Open titles. Jones won gold at the Pan-Am and Goodwill Games before entering the coaching ranks. An Assistant Coach with the Sun Devils from 1993-1998, Jones has been a member of the Team USA Freestyle coaching staff for the past three Olympic Games (2004, 2000 and 1996) and currently is an Assistant Coach at West Virginia. A member of seven national teams, Jones earned his bachelor's degree in finance 1990.
Eric Larkin
Wrestling/ 1999-2003/ Inducted 2013
Larkin, the 2003 NCAA Division I National Champion at 149 pounds, is the only Sun Devil in school history to receive the Dan Hodge Award recognizing him as the NCAA's top wrestler. It remains the most prestigious award in the sport. He was a four-time All-American and a four-time Pac-10 champion in his weight class, earning Pac-10 Wrestler of the Year honors in three consecutive seasons from 2001-03. He received the Pac-10 Medal of Honor in 2003 and was nominated for the 2003 ESPY Award for Best Collegiate Male Athlete. Larkin finished in the top four at the NCAA tournament four times - fourth as a freshman at 133 pounds, third as a sophomore at 141 pounds, second as a junior at 141 pounds and first as a senior at 149 pounds. During Larkin's senior season in 2003, he posted a perfect 34-0 record and won the NCAA Division I title at 149 pounds. He recorded 123 career victories (tied for sixth all-time at ASU), 72 bonus point victories (third all-time at ASU) and 30 major decision wins (tied for second all-time at ASU). He is one of just three Sun Devils to win four individual conference titles and earned his bachelor's degree in business information systems in 2003.
Glenn McMinn Sr.
Wrestling / 1965-1967/ Inducted 1986
Sun Devil wrestling's first All-American, McMinn earned an NCAA record for most wins in three years of competition, while compiling a record of 104-11-1, with 23 tournament victories. Glenn was a two-time member of the East-West All-Star team (1965-66). While posting a 35-3-0 record in career dual meets, he won two Western Athletic Conference Championships (1965-66) and once was runner-up (1967). McMinn placed second and third in the NCAA Championships in 1965 and 1967, with his only losses coming from wrestlers who went on to win World Championships. He was also second in the USA-AAU National Championships in 1967. McMinn was selected to the Arizona Wrestling Hall of Fame in 1976.
Raymond Miller
Wrestling / 1990-1993/ Inducted 2006
won the 1993 NCAA championship at 167 pounds...a four-time first-team All-American (1990-92 at 158, 1993 at 167)...one of only 12 three-time Pac-10 champions in ASU history (1991-93)...recorded the tenth most victories (115) and ninth-most falls (24) in Sun Devil history...was a member of three Pac-10 Championship squads, including the 1990 team that showcased an ASU record eight All-Americans.
Markus Mollica
Wrestling/ 1993-96/ Inducted 2008
Markus Mollica is one of the most decorated wrestlers in ASU history. He is one of only two wrestlers in the program's history to win multiple national championships, winning the title at 158 pounds in 1993, becoming the first freshman in school history to win a national championship, and he then captured the title at 167 pounds as a junior in 1995. He was also the first wrestler in school history to be both a four-time Pac-10 champion and four-time All-American.
Roye Oliver
Wrestling / 1975-1979/ Inducted 1981
Oliver was a three-time All-America in 1976-77 and in 1979, as well as the Western Athletic Conference champion at 150 pounds in 1976-1977. He won the 150-pound title at the 1977 East-West All-Star Classic. Oliver compiled a four-year record of 81-21-1 and finished in the NCAA top eight his last three seasons.
Thom Ortiz
Wrestling / 1987-90 / Inducted 2016
Thom Ortiz is one of the most impactful figures in the history of the Sun Devil Wrestling program. As an athlete he was a three-time all-American, twice at 142-pounds (1988 &1990) and once at 150-pounds (1989). In 1988, as a member of the national title team, Ortiz won his second of three Pac-10 titles and earned All-America honors when he finished fourth at the NCAA Championships. During his senior year in 1990, Ortiz had his best finish at the NCAA Championships when he finished as the national runner-up at 142-pounds. Helped ASU finish as the national runner-up in each of his last two years. Two-time Pac-10 champion at 142-pounds as well as a conference champion at 150-pounds. Finished his career with a 118-34-2 record. Immediately after his collegiate career came to an end, Ortiz joined fellow Sun Devil Hall of Famer Bobby Douglas' staff as a graduate assistant. Ortiz went on to become an assistant coach at Iowa State where he recruited and mentored perhaps one of the greatest wrestlers of all time, Cael Sanderson. Under Ortiz's tutelage, Sanderson dominated the collegiate wrestling scene en route to a perfect 159-0 collegiate record and four individual NCAA titles. Ortiz, from Tucson, returned to his alma mater to take the reins of the Sun Devil wrestling program in April of 2001. During his tenure at Arizona State, Ortiz (2002-2009) coached 14 All-Americans with 21 total honors. Some of the all-time greats that Ortiz mentored at ASU include 2012 Sun Devil Hall of Fame inductee Steve Blackford, UFC standouts Cain Velasquez and Ryan Bader, Hodge Award winner Eric Larkin, and the freshman season of 2011 NCAA Champion Anthony Robles. Ortiz was the recipient of the 2003, 2005, and 2006 Pac-10 Coach of the Year awards, and finished his coaching career at ASU with a dual match record of 79-60-1.
Anthony Robles
Wrestling / 2007-11 / Inducted 2022
Anthony Robles established himself as one of the top collegiate wrestlers in the country while at Arizona State University and to this day remains one of the best wrestlers to wear the Maroon and Gold. A three-time All-American from 2008-2011,Robles advanced to the NCAA Championships four times in his career, falling one win shy as a redshirt freshman of becoming a four-time All-American. He capped off his final season in Tempe as the 2011 NCAA Champion at 125 pounds, going a perfect 36-0. He was one of the most prolific point-scorers in ASU history, winning 75-percent of his career matches (92 of 122) with bonus points, including a school-record 47 technical falls. He was a two-time ESPY Award recipient while being chosen for the prestigious Jimmy V Award for Perseverance. He also set the single-season records for bonus-point wins (31) and technical falls (24) in his final season. Following his collegiate career, Robles was a 2012 inductee into the National Wrestling Hall of Fame, as well as a 2017 inductee into the Arizona Sports Hall of Fame. He's been the lead wrestling analyst for ESPN for the past nine years, and he joined the Pac-12 Network in 2015. Robles set the world record for most pull ups in one minute in 2018, and in 2022 he became the head wrestling coach at Mesa High in Mesa, Arizona.
Robles ASU Coaching & Player Bio
Billy Rosado
Wrestling / 1976-1978/ Inducted 1987
Rosado is one of Arizona State University's all-time wrestling greats. He competed at ASU from 1976-78, and was a member of the 1976 Olympic Wrestling Team. He was an NCAA All-American in 1976, finishing fifth at the NCAA championships. Rosado was a two-time United States freestyle champion, wrestling primarily in the 118-pound class, and was the first Arizonan to make the U.S. Olympic freestyle wrestling team. He also won the 1976 AAU national championship wrestling at 105 pounds. In 1980, he wrestled in a "Super Champion" title match, competing against the world's best wrestlers, among them the gold and silver medallists from the 1980 Olympics of the USA Junior World Team in 1974, and finished fifth in Greco-Roman freestyle. He was 5-0 as a member of the 1975 Junior World Team that toured West Germany and Bulgaria, and placed 3rd at the 1976 World Cup in Toledo, Ohio. He compiled a high school record of 66-4-1 (1971-74), won the Arizona Community College wrestling title in 1975, and compiled a 36-8 record in two years at Arizona State.
Dan Severn
Wrestling / 1977-1980/ Inducted 1984
The Sun Devils' all-time victory leader with 127 wins, Severn finished second at 190 pounds in the 1980 NCAA meet and fourth in 1981 as a heavyweight. A two-time All-America selection, he led ASU to a fifth place NCAA finish in 1980. He won two Pac-10 championships and finished his career with a 58-1 dual meet mark.
Dan St. John
Wrestling / 1987-90/ Inducted 2001
St. John competed at ASU from 1987-1990 and became the first Sun Devil wrestler to win NCAA titles in consecutive seasons. ASU's school record holder for career wins (147), career dual wins (71) and single-season wins (45), St. John also set a school best with an unbeaten streak of 75-matches. He was a three-time Pac-10 champion from 1988-90 and a three-time All-American, he was twice selected as the league's Most Outstanding Wrestler and winner of the Pac-10 1990 Medalist Award as ASU's top senior athlete. He finished his career with an overall mark of 147-17-3 and was 71-7-3 in career dual action.
Townsend Saunders
Wrestling/1989-1990/ Inducted 2011
During his two years at ASU, Saunders was a two time Pac-10 champion and two time all-American with a career record of 77-9. In 1989, Saunders finished second at the national championships to earn his first all-American honors in a Sun Devil uniform. He moved up from the 142-weight class to the 150-weight class the next year, and he finished third at the national championships.
Charlie Tribble
Wrestling / 1965/ Inducted 1993
Tribble wrestled at ASU for one year. In 1965, Tribble recorded the highest winning percentage of any Sun Devil wrestler with fewer than 50 victories with a 32-2-2 (.917) record and was a conference champion. At 177 pounds, Tribble was one of three All-Americans from the 1965 Sun Devil wrestling team. Including Tribble, these three wrestling All-Americans were the first in school history. Tribble also earned the Gorrarian Award for most pins in the least amount of time at the NCAA Championships.
Eddie Urbano
Wrestling / 1983-1985/ Inducted 1999
The second Sun Devil ever to win a NCAA Individual Title, he won the 150-pound weight class in 1985. He was named the Pac-10's Most Outstanding Wrestler, with his second successive 150-pound Conference Championship in 1985. As a junior, he won the Pac-10 title, finished third at the NCAAs, and posted a 41-4 record. His Sun Devil career record was 105-17-1.
Cain Velasquez
Wrestling / 2003-05 / Inducted 2018
Transferred to ASU after one year at Iowa Central Community College where he won the NJCAA Heavyweight National Championship. At ASU, he earned All-America honors by placing fifth at the 2005 NCAA Championships. Captured the 2005 Pac-10 conference title and was named Pac-10 Wrestler of the Year. Won 21 consecutive matches in 2005 before falling in the NCAA semifinals. Following his time at ASU, Velasquez became a heavyweight superstar in MMA and UFC. His fighting style of relentlessness and one-punch strength has helped him become a fan favorite. He won 13 of 15 fights to begin his career, all but two were KOs and eight of them were first round KOs. Velasquez was the first Mexican-American to win a heavyweight title in MMA or boxing history. Has the ninth longest combined reign as champion. Having won four title fights, when he was inducted, he had been the reigning champ for a total of 1,281 days.