Football and Wrestling: Two Peas in a Pod

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Football and Wrestling Two Peas in a Pod
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I would have all of my Offensive Lineman
wrestle if I could. - John Madden, Hall of
Fame Football Coach
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What others say about Wrestling

• I love wrestlers, they are tough and they make
  great football players. Mike Stoops, National
  Championship Football Coach - University of
  Oklahoma.
• Wrestlers make coaching football easy, they have
  balance, coordination, and as a coaching staff we
  know theyre tough. - Tom Osborne - College Hall
  of Fame Football Coach - University of Nebraska

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• "You take any athlete at the peak of his
  conditioning and put him on the wrestling mat
  with a wrestler and in two minutes he'll be
  gassed. Its. great preparation both mentally
  and physically."
• Coach Barry Switzer (3 NCAA National
  Championships with Okahoma, Super Bowl
  Championship with Dallas, NCAA Hall of Fame
  Inductee)

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• The best athlete at both
  sports while in
• college may have been Bob
  Golic from
• Notre Dame he was a Stud
  football player
• being 1st Team All American
  twice and leading ND to a National Title. He also
  place 4th and 3rd in NCAA wrestling. The fact
  that he was involved with the football team until
  January 1st every year because of Bowl Games
  makes his wrestling accomplishments that much
  more impressive.

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Ray Lewis Pro Bowl Linebacker for the
Baltimore Ravens

• 2x Florida 4A State Wrestling Champion at 189 lbs

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Roddy White Atlanta Falcons Wide Receiver
Roddys status as a physical and competitive
receiver is indicated by the two state wrestling
titles he won while in high school.

• 2x South Carolina
• State Wrestling Champ

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About Roddy White

• "Well-respected by coaches and teammates for his
  tough, aggressive nature (comes from his prep
  wrestling background)"- NFL Draft Scout

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Stephen Neal New England Patriots Offensive
Lineman 3x Super Bowl Champion

• Was a 4x NCAA All-American and 2x National
  Champion for Cal State Bakersfield
• 1999 World Champion

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About Stephen Neal
"In wrestling, you've got to have self-discipline
and self-motivation. As a lineman, it's the same
thing ... me vs. you. He brought that mentality
to the football field. High School Football
Coach
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David Pollack UGA All-American Defensive
End/Cincinnati Bengals
Georgia Wrestling State Runner-up
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Super Bowl Champion

• Pro Bowl Defensive Tackle Warren Sapp was a
  Florida State Champion wrestler in High School.

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Lorenzo Neal 4x Pro Bowl Fullback for
Baltimore Raven
California State Wrestling Champion
NCAA Division 1 Wrestling All-American

• Wrestling is his indoor sport of choice. An
  All-America wrestler in college, Neal returns to
  Fresno State during the offseason and stays in
  shape by working out with some of the nations
  top collegiate wrestlers.

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• Steve Wisniewski 
• California State Champion

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Davin Joseph Pro Bowl Offensive Lineman

• 2x
• Florida State Wrestling Champion
• Tampa Bay
• Bucs

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• Hall of Fame Running Back from the Miami
  Dolphins, Larry Czonka, pounded opponents on the
  wrestling mat as well as the gridiron.

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• Carelton Haselrig won SIX national titles in
  college (3 in Div II, which back then qualified
  the Div II champs to the Div I tournament and he
  won the Div I title all 3 years as well). He then
  went on to be an all-pro lineman for the
  Pittsburgh Steelers. Now at age of 43 is in the
  UFC.

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Other Notable NFL players that Wrestled

• Ronnie Brown - Dolphins
• Tiki Barber -New York Giants
• Ronnie Lott - 49ers
• Bo Jackson Raiders
• Bruce Smith - Redskins
• Archie Griffin - Bengals
• Ricky Williams - Dolphins
• Eric Rhett - Browns
• Tony Siragusa - Ravens
• Bruce Smith - Bills
• Adam Vinatieri (yes, a kicker) - Indi

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The link cannot be ignored

• Football never made a wrestler a better wrestler,
  BUT Wrestling made every football player a better
  football player!!!
• Influence of Wrestling in the NFL
• 10 Hall of Fame Football Players 43 Multiple
  Pro-Bowlers 60 Individual State Championships
  13 NCAA Wrestling Championships 3 Heisman
  Trophy Winners Wrestled 14 1st Round Draft
  Picks Wrestled 23 RBs / 20 LBs / 2 QBs / 66
  Lineman / 6 DBs / 1 K

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Make your mark

• You have four years of high school to participate
  in sports. Once its over, its overno do overs.
  Make your mark in high school by being the best
  you can be whether thats in one, two or three
  sports!