The Dream Team of 1947 - Hardcover

Niemand, Arno P.

Hardcover

ISBN 10: 0615417035 ISBN 13: 9780615417035

Publisher: Arno P Niemand, 2013

Synopsis

Every once in a while something happens in the world of sports that reminds us all why we care about such things. This book is the remarkable, untold story of the greatest team you’ve never heard of, the wrestling team of Cornell College, a private Methodist liberal arts college with only 415 male students, which won the NCAA wrestling championship in 1947, defeating all the major powers by a substantial margin. This tiny Iowa college thus became the first school outside of the state of Oklahoma ever to win the team championship since teams were officially recognized by the NCAA; no other private school before or since has done so. Not only that, but with the help of the town of Mount Vernon, and a fund-raising drive, the champions traveled to San Francisco and won the equally prestigious National AAU championship two weeks later, thus completing the “grand slam” of amateur wrestling. The Dream Team of 1947 is a classic David and Goliath story that transcends the sport.

About this title

About the Author

Arno P. Niemand was introduced to wrestling at Mercersburg Academy in Mercersburg, Pennsylvania, and then wrestled for Phillips Academy in Andover, Massachusetts, where he captained the team in his senior year. He was a varsity starter at Cornell University, from which he graduated in 1956. He earned his MBA at the Darden School of Business at the University of Virginia. He is the retired founder of Body Bar Systems, a fitness products company that sponsors USA Wrestling’s women’s national team. He contributed a feature article on Lowell Lange, one of the wrestlers in this story, to The History of Collegiate Wrestling by Jairus K. Hammond. Niemand has been honored by the National Wrestling Hall of Fame for significant contributions to the sport. He was made an honorary alumnus of Cornell College in 2011. Besides wrestling, running has been a concurrent passion of the author, who was for years a competitive distance runner. He resides in Boulder, Colorado, with his wife, Brenda, and two cats.

Review

“This inspirational book is about a small private college in Iowa that, overcoming tremendous odds, succeeded in dismantling the traditional major college wrestling powers in the United States following World War II. It’s a story about a clever coach who utilized his many talents to assemble the studs that could get the job done on the mat and in the classroom.”
--Lee Roy Smith, Executive Director, National Wrestling Hall of Fame and Museum

“When I first read that Cornell College of Iowa won the NCAA team title in 1947, I thought it must be a misprint. I was further dumbfounded to learn that Cornell shut out Lehigh 36–­0 in a dual meet on its home mat that same year. This interesting book tells those stories and much more. It describes one of the most improbable and heart-warming sagas in the annals of collegiate wrestling.”
--Jay Hammond, Historian, National Wrestling Hall of Fame and Museum

“In 1947, tiny Cornell College of Mount Vernon, Iowa, recorded one of the greatest seasons in collegiate sports history. The story of this remarkable wrestling team and its legendary coach had been largely forgotten until Arno Niemand brought it back into focus. The Dream Team is a fascinating book about a remarkable era and people, and I highly recommend it to one and all.”
--Mike Chapman, Author of 21 books, founder of W.I.N. magazine, and five-time National Wrestling Writer of the Year

“This wrestling history is so enjoyable to read that I wonder why it took so long to be written. Thanks for giving me and others another reason to love the sport.”
--Dan Gable, NCAA, World and Olympic Champion, legendary coach of the Iowa Hawkeyes

“Arno gives us the details—and they are fascinating. He tells how Scott lured three kids from Waterloo West—Hauser, Lange and Leo Thomsen—away from Iowa State Teacher’s College. It’s also a story of the role played by American history in this feat. I most enjoyed Niemand’s analysis of how the post-war rivalry between ISTC and Cornell changed the face of college wrestling. Thirty years before the Iowa State/Iowa wrestling rivalry heated up, the “70 mile rivalry” was the most influential in wrestling. The book gripped me and I read it in a single sitting yesterday. I highly recommend it.”
--Jim Brown, From his wrestling blog, "The View from Section GG," on Monday, October 18, 2010

About this edition

• Publisher: Arno P Niemand
• Publication date: 2013
• ISBN 10: 0615417035
• ISBN 13: 9780615417035
• Binding: Hardcover
• Language: English
• Edition number: 1
• Number of pages: 141