A Wrestling Great Calculates His Next Big Move: Dynasty

By JOE DRAPE

STATE COLLEGE, Pa. — They turn cartwheels and mime acrobatic moves to the techno beat pumping through the sound system until sweat begins to glisten on their bodies. They are muscled and agile and could pass for Cirque du Soleil performers except that most of them have mangled ears, a telltale giveaway that they are wrestlers.

In their midst, rolling his shoulders, stutter-stepping and slapping the neck of an invisible opponent is their coach, Cael Sanderson. He is a youthful 30, with a shaved head that makes him indistinguishable from his Penn State wrestlers.

Except Sanderson is not just a coach; he is the greatest wrestler in N.C.A.A. history — a four-time champion and the only one with a perfect record (159-0). He also won a gold medal at the 2004 Olympics. Last spring, he left his alma mater, Iowa State, where in three years as head coach he sent every one of his wrestlers — 30 in all — to the N.C.A.A. championships.

via N.C.A.A.’s Greatest Wrestler Tries to Build a Dynasty at Penn State – NYTimes.com.

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