College wrestler goes 4 years undefeated. The best single athletic accomplishment ever?

[swayinOtis]

Collegiate wrestler Cael Sanderson of Iowa State went his entire 4 year career undefeated. He won 4 national titles. He pinned 70% of his opponents.

This has to be the singest greatest individual sports accomplishment ever.

I am just floored.

Discuss

p.s. his record was 159-0

 

[minendo]

That is amazing. Congrats to him. I wonder if he plans to compete in the Olympics.

 

[Tung]

He'll do very well competing in the Olympics

 

<< This has to be the singest greatest individual sports accomplishment ever. >>


I would not go that far.
Definatly impressive.

 

[StageLeft]

Hell no there have been better! That big guy who lost in the summer olympics last time as a wrestler went many more years for example undefeated.

 

[SubZeroX]

Skoorb, you are talking about Alexander Karelin, the heavy weight Russian wrestler. Yeah, that guy was nearly invincible until he lost to Gardener in 2000. I think he was undefeated from 1988 - 1996 and was going for his 4th straight gold medal. That has to one of the biggest upsets in all of sports history.

 

[pyonir]

i would say it is the single greatest in COLLEGE sports. 159-0. amazing.

 

[Nemesis77]

<< Hell no there have been better! That big guy who lost in the summer olympics last time as a wrestler went many more years for example undefeated. >>



Alexander Karelin if I remember correctly. He was unstoppable.

 

[joe678]

so is he going to the wwf or something?

 

[Howard]

LOL

 

[Piano Man]

Its gotta be the corn.

 

[swayinOtis]

btw, the ncaa wrestling championships are on ESPN2 tonight at 7:30. you can see him wrestle his last match. check it out.

 

[toant103]

btw, the ncaa wrestling championships are on ESPN2 tonight at 7:30. you can see him wrestle his last match. check it out.

what time zone?

 

[HamSupLo]

Kurt Angle is a better wrestler!

 

[SinNisTeR]

<< btw, the ncaa wrestling championships are on ESPN2 tonight at 7:30. you can see him wrestle his last match. check it out.

what time zone? >>



what he said... hope i didnt miss it!

 

[BuckleDownBen]

Edwin Moses went a lot of years without losing a hurdles race. I'd say its up there with collegiate athletic accomplishments, but who really cares about collegiate sports that aren't football and basketball?

 

[ABErickson]

The Russian wrestler was nicknamed "The Experiment". Roulan Gardener was very lucky.

 

[EXman]

Yea for him... Now does he go #1 in the Pro draft?

 

[Joyride]

<< Yea for him... Now does he go #1 in the Pro draft? >>



You retard

I hate Iowa State with a passion (Iowa Hawk fan) but I take my hat off to the great Cael Sanderson

Here is a link to one of many Cael Sanderson Bobbleheads going on Ebay



<< Kurt Angle is a better wrestler! >>



I sure hope you are making reference to his Olympic and amateur accomplishments and not his "professional wrestling" job.
I admit you have to be a very good athlete (just to take the falls and other occupational hazards) to be in pro wrestling but this is completely different.

 

[GhettoFob]

<< Yea for him... Now does he go #1 in the Pro draft? >>


Yeah, there's actually a draft this monday, he sounds like a first rounder for sure.

 

[Don Vito Corleone]

This is impressive but I have a hard time calling this the greatest athletic accomplishment ever. My nomination goes to Lance Armstrong, whose testicular cancer metastisized to fill 70% of his lungs and spread to his brain (his doctor said he was being optimistic when he gave him a 20% chance of survival), and who went on to win three straight Tours de France. The Tour is the most fitness-intensive athletic event in the world, and Lance is probably the fittest man alive.

 

[Joyride]

Yes Lance's was a great accomplishment

But going 159-0 I doubt there has ever been that long a winning streak for any person or team.

It would be tough to decide between Lance or Cael as the greater

 

[Lucky]

<< This is impressive but I have a hard time calling this the greatest athletic accomplishment ever. My nomination goes to Lance Armstrong, whose testicular cancer metastisized to fill 70% of his lungs and spread to his brain (his doctor said he was being optimistic when he gave him a 20% chance of survival), and who went on to win three straight Tours de France. The Tour is the most fitness-intensive athletic event in the world, and Lance is probably the fittest man alive. >>




Interesting but armstrong was not mentioned in the Latest SI issue, which contains their idea of the top 10 accomplishments of all time. Sanderson was #2 on the list, but its unknown whether the list was "in order" or not.

edit: corrected, see below post.

 

[pyonir]

i still say that it was the best college athletic accomplishment...however i wouldn't say the best overall althletic accomplishment.

 

[Lucky]

OOPS! The list was for the top 10 COLLEGE sports feats ever. My bad.

1. Jesse Owens 4 world record day in '35.
2. Sanderson's career
3. Barry Sander's '88 season
4. Jim Brown's senior year in '56
5. Oscar robertson's career double double
6. Tracy Caulkin's 12 swimming titles
7. Ventura's 58 game hitting streak
8. Red Grange's '24 performance against michigan
9. bill Walton's 21 for 22 performance in the '73 NCAA finals
10. Ken Dryden's goaltending career