Takedown Wrestling Radio explores the history and contributions of black athletes in collegiate and international amatuer wrestling
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by Scott Casber
DES MOINES, Iowa - TakeDown Radio, a ten-year-old program on KXNO 1460 AM, Des Moines Sports Station, will celebrate Black History Month by dedicating a special two-hour program exploring the black experience throughout the history of amateur wrestling in America.
The program is set for Saturday, February 16, and will include interviews with many of the athletes, coaches, and officials responsible for advancing the role of African Americans within the sport.
"TakeDown Radio has long been committed to acknowledging and celebrating diversity. We believe this program provides the ideal opportunity to reflect on the rich contributions of African Americans to wrestling, sports in general, and America as a whole", stated Scott Casber, TakeDown Radio founder and on-air commentator.
This is the first time an entire TDR program is dedicated to a single topic. Also, the program is being filmed and will become part of a traveling exhibit with the National Wrestling Hall of Fame, based in Stillwater, OK.
The roster of interviews, conducted in TDR's Des Moines based Clear Channel studio and by phone, is a virtual who's who of the top Black athletes participating in the sport over the past 50 years.
While wrestling is generally considered among the oldest organized sports in the world, African Americans really didn't compete in the sport until nearly the beginning of the 20th century. Restrictions in many high school associations prohibited blacks from wrestling as recent as the 1950's. The advancements made since then are tremendous, and wrestling now ranks second to track and field in terms of the total number of titles held by African Americans.
Some of the personalities on the Saturday, 9:05 AM to 11:00 AM program include:
- Carl Adams - three time NCAA All American, two time national champion, and current coach at Boston University
- Mike Allen - recipient of the Lifetime Achievement Award for Officials from the National Wrestling Hall of Fame, the first Black official to earn the award
- Chris Campbell - two-time NCAA Champion and Olympic bronze medalist
- Bobby Douglas - coaching legend with 429 dual meet wins to his credit, former Iowa State head coach, lead Arizona State to a NCAA title
- Kevin Jackson- Olympic freestyle gold medal winner
- Leroy Kemp - three-time NCAA Champion and three-time World Champion
- Kerry McCoy - two-time NCAA Champion, Olympic bronze medalist, and current coach at Stanford
- Simon Roberts - first black Iowa High School State Champion, also holds Big Ten and NCAA titles.
Wrestling, long a sports mainstay in Iowa, has gained growth and increased interest recently. Arkansas added over 40 high school wrestling programs last year, Grandview College announced the formulation of a new program, and international interest in American wrestling continues to rise.
TakeDown Radio is available throughout the world via the internet through streaming, archived programs, and pod casts. Broadcasts can be found at www.takedownradio.com. TakeDown Radio is also syndicated in Europe and Australia at www.matchannel.com.
Takedown Radio is made possible through corporate and collegiate sponsorships, including over 25 schools and universities, as well as many of the top brand names associated with wrestling.
Visit www.takedownradio.com for complete details.
The program is set for Saturday, February 16, and will include interviews with many of the athletes, coaches, and officials responsible for advancing the role of African Americans within the sport.
"TakeDown Radio has long been committed to acknowledging and celebrating diversity. We believe this program provides the ideal opportunity to reflect on the rich contributions of African Americans to wrestling, sports in general, and America as a whole", stated Scott Casber, TakeDown Radio founder and on-air commentator.
This is the first time an entire TDR program is dedicated to a single topic. Also, the program is being filmed and will become part of a traveling exhibit with the National Wrestling Hall of Fame, based in Stillwater, OK.
The roster of interviews, conducted in TDR's Des Moines based Clear Channel studio and by phone, is a virtual who's who of the top Black athletes participating in the sport over the past 50 years.
While wrestling is generally considered among the oldest organized sports in the world, African Americans really didn't compete in the sport until nearly the beginning of the 20th century. Restrictions in many high school associations prohibited blacks from wrestling as recent as the 1950's. The advancements made since then are tremendous, and wrestling now ranks second to track and field in terms of the total number of titles held by African Americans.
Some of the personalities on the Saturday, 9:05 AM to 11:00 AM program include:
- Carl Adams - three time NCAA All American, two time national champion, and current coach at Boston University
- Mike Allen - recipient of the Lifetime Achievement Award for Officials from the National Wrestling Hall of Fame, the first Black official to earn the award
- Chris Campbell - two-time NCAA Champion and Olympic bronze medalist
- Bobby Douglas - coaching legend with 429 dual meet wins to his credit, former Iowa State head coach, lead Arizona State to a NCAA title
- Kevin Jackson- Olympic freestyle gold medal winner
- Leroy Kemp - three-time NCAA Champion and three-time World Champion
- Kerry McCoy - two-time NCAA Champion, Olympic bronze medalist, and current coach at Stanford
- Simon Roberts - first black Iowa High School State Champion, also holds Big Ten and NCAA titles.
Wrestling, long a sports mainstay in Iowa, has gained growth and increased interest recently. Arkansas added over 40 high school wrestling programs last year, Grandview College announced the formulation of a new program, and international interest in American wrestling continues to rise.
TakeDown Radio is available throughout the world via the internet through streaming, archived programs, and pod casts. Broadcasts can be found at www.takedownradio.com. TakeDown Radio is also syndicated in Europe and Australia at www.matchannel.com.
Takedown Radio is made possible through corporate and collegiate sponsorships, including over 25 schools and universities, as well as many of the top brand names associated with wrestling.
Visit www.takedownradio.com for complete details.
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