To Tuck or Not to Tuck

Olympic Gold Medalist and three-time World Champion Jordan Burroughs is the most recognizable wrestler in the United States. But even he gets strange looks when he heads out in public wearing his sweatshirt tucked into his sweats and sweats tucked into his socks.

"I'll be with my wife and kids, we'll be going to Whole Foods or a restaurant after a training or lifting session and people will stare at me like ‘What is that guy wearing?!,’” says Burroughs. 

Like most wrestlers, Burroughs takes those glares and stares as a compliment. He tucks in with pride and confidence." As wrestlers, it's part of our culture, part of our style," he says. In his blog post “10 Rules to Wrestling Swag,” Burroughs pointed out that wrestlers are the king of tucking things in—and that "it's the most comfortable feeling ever."

Of course, wrestlers’ tucked-in style is born from practical roots. Tucking prevents fingers from getting caught in loose clothing during practice and keeps the heat in when trying to get warmed up or manage weight. As Randy Rager, head wrestling coach at Rochester Community and Technical College in Rochester, MN, puts it: "Wrestling is a sport of repetition and instinct." So, if you tuck in your sweatshirt inside the training room, you’re more inclined to tuck in your sweatshirt outside of it as well.

Wrestling fashion trends have come and gone over the years. Today’s singlet has been the standard on-the-mat uniform for approximately 45 years. Prior to 1970, wrestlers mostly wore other types of uniforms. Most included close-fitting trunks or shorts, with optional tights or leggings. There was also a geographical aspect to shirt or no-shirt; wrestlers at most high schools and colleges in the East wore them, while many in the Midwest and West wrestled bare-chested. The NCAA started requiring shirts for all wrestlers in the mid-1960s. The singlets of today are made of modern synthetic fabric, but old-school wrestling uniforms were made of cotton, polyester or wool. On the sidelines, wrestlers at many schools used to wear robes. Some were terry cloth, but others were made of silk, much like boxers wear entering the ring.

The newest trend in on-the-mat apparel involves the sublimated process. Anything from singlets to socks and everything in-between are now made this way. The high-compression fabric is more expensive, but lasts longer. Kids clubs, high school teams, and college teams have multiple singlets in their wardrobe, some of which sport dazzling, dynamic designs. But some singlet design traditions still live on—Iowa and Penn State still sport the same solid-colored competition gear that they have wrestled in for decades. And heavy cotton tops and bottoms remain a staple for wrestlers that want to stay warm between matches, get warm quickly, or continue to sweat after matches and workouts.

Josh Alber, a four-time Illinois state champion who now wrestles for the University of Northern Iowa, says that he likes wrestling’s tucked-in look, because it "sets us apart,” style-wise.

"I think that the entire goal of a wrestler is to dress in a way that represents their style," he explains. "Guys who consider themselves tough and rugged may dress like Dan Dennis: thermal socks, long hair, plain shoes. Kind of the 'too busy training to care' look. Other guys who consider themselves slick or flashy wrestlers may wear crisp and clean-looking gear to warm up. They may have on the pricy shoes, tight, brand-name pullovers, fight shorts, and Beats by Dre headphones.”

Joe Russell, head wrestling coach at George Mason University, has noticed other style trends emerge. In the past, wrestlers took their headgear off and held it before getting their hand raised in victory. Today, he says more wrestlers just leave it on and turn it sideways. Also, he sees more wrestlers wear their backpack slung over both shoulders, a fashion no-no back when he was competing. "Wearing it like you were supposed to was not a good look," Russell recalls. “I’m glad it’s now acceptable to put a strap on each shoulder.”

Likewise, full-length spandex pants were once frowned upon, but are now common in most wrestling rooms. "My guys often prefer it," Russell says. "It might be time to bring back the singlet-over-tights look from the ’60s and ‘70s.” Another fashion statement: mismatched socks. "It would have bothered me to have on different socks when I was training," Russell says. "Heck, it bothers me seeing them with mismatched socks as a coach. It doesn’t faze my wrestlers at all. In fact, when I bring it up, they seem to think I am the strange one."

And let’s not forget to talk about shoes. Today's wrestlers own shoes. Lots of shoes.

"When I was wrestling most guys had one pair, maybe two," Rager says. "These days I've had guys on the team with ten or more pairs of wrestling shoes. What can a guy do with that many shoes?"

"I do think young wrestlers follow the trends set by those they look up to," says Megan Ball, a former high school wrestling manager and current mat maid for the Oklahoma State University wrestling team. And "the collegiate wrestlers have developed their own style over the years and stick with it almost out of superstition." At Oklahoma State “all of our wrestlers have great style on and off the mat,” says Ball, adding that OSU wrestlers "all have some great shoe game."

She says she’s noticed that it’s the little things that change the most in terms of the sport’s style. For example: Chin cup or chin strap? Tall socks or short socks? One knee pad or two? Do you pull your singlet high up your legs or down to your knees?

"The singlet and warm ups—tucked in, of course—unite your team and are something to be proud of, so most of the trends focus on the small details of the uniform," Ball explains. She's also seen high school wrestlers who permed their hair to resemble Alex Dieringer, a three-time national champion at Oklahoma State and 2016 Dan Hodge Trophy winner. But she notes that it’s Burroughs who brings a singular style to the mat. "He sports crew socks, one knee pad, and pulling your singlet up mid-thigh.”

But no matter his on or off-the-mat fashion sense, Burroughs is quick to say that ultimately it's not about who is best dressed or has the most expensive gear or owns the most shoes that matters. It's about hard work and determination. That's what ultimately what sets wrestlers a part. "You can look good and wrestle well, but if you don't look good, and you win, that is what people are going to remember most,” Burroughs emphasizes. “Winning is the best fashion statement of them all.”