Stanford Cutting Wrestling Program

[stuclone]

Stanford is discontinuing their wrestling program after the 2020-2021 season. Heartbreaking and hate to see it for the sport, but I'm afraid it won't be the last school to cut wrestling.

They do have a stud at 165 (Shane Griffith) that would fit our lineup very nicely...

 

[cycloneman003]

Wow. That is a shocker... I didn't think wrestling would be on the block at a program like that. They have some studs on that roster... Real Woods, Shane Griffith, Jaden Abas.

That sucks for the wrestling community. I would also guess Oregon State would have the leg up on those transfers with Engel just moving there to work under Pendleton.

 

[csteve]

Wow. That is a shocker... I didn't think wrestling would be on the block at a program like that. They have some studs on that roster... Real Woods, Shane Griffith, Jaden Abas.

That sucks for the wrestling community. I would also guess Oregon State would have the leg up on those transfers with Engel just moving there to work under Pendleton.

Not much of a shock to me. COVID continues to cost sports programs across the country and I'm sure there will be more cuts. Stanford is cutting 11 sports..men’s and women’s fencing, field hockey, lightweight rowing, men’s rowing, co-ed and women’s sailing, squash, synchronized swimming, men’s volleyball and wrestling.

https://247sports.com/college/iowa-...8_bbSPenhpQwO-p2EDzbzRAVNQHuHeA1q8fgG6CAdcyNo

 

[cycloneman003]

Not much of a shock to me. COVID continues to cost sports programs across the country and I'm sure there will be more cuts. Stanford is cutting 11 sports..men’s and women’s fencing, field hockey, lightweight rowing, men’s rowing, co-ed and women’s sailing, squash, synchronized swimming, men’s volleyball and wrestling.

https://247sports.com/college/iowa-...8_bbSPenhpQwO-p2EDzbzRAVNQHuHeA1q8fgG6CAdcyNo

Not a shock that we are losing wrestling programs, but I figured a university like Stanford would be more likely to have these type of programs survive compared to some other schools. I wouldn't have guessed their AD would be strapped for cash to this level.

 

[jbhtexas]

Some of those sports are not like the others though. There are still 75 D1 wrestling teams and 77 D1 women's field hockey teams. Those other sports have very low team numbers. The Pac-12 has a "large" wrestling conference, as they, like the Big 12, have non Pac-12 schools that have joined for wrestling.

 

[theshadow]

The Pac-12 has a "large" wrestling conference, as they, like the Big 12, have non Pac-12 schools that have joined for wrestling.

Large in terms of geography, but not in number. When Stanford is gone, they'll be down to 5 -- only 2 of which are actual Pac-12 schools.

Arizona State
Oregon State
Cal Poly (associate)
Cal State Bakersfield (associate)
Little Rock (associate)

 

[ISUTex]

I honestly didn't know Stanford had a wrestling team. They also cut men's volleyball, which is pretty popular on the West Coast.

 

[jmb1498]

Lets get the following Fr & So’s
Desario
Woods
Abas
Eischens
Griffith

This is the all star recruiting class we have been waiting for!

 

[buf87]

Griffith is the only one that fits immediately.
Woods is at 141 and has used his redshirt
Abas is at 157 and has used redshirt, I believe. (This is assuming Carr stays at 157)
Not sure on Desario or Eischens.

Now things change if they complete this next season at Stanford and then transfer

 

[MilehighClone]

Because it would be a shame if Stanford had to tap their $27 billion endowment fund...

 

[theshadow]

Because it would be a shame if Stanford had to tap their $27 billion endowment fund...

That's not how university endowments work.

 

[ForbinsAscynt]

Is there concern this will trickle down to high schools? I would think the less opportunities at the next level, the more people (incl. parents) would opt to not participate.

 

[Drew0311]

I see a lot of sports getting dropped because of this. Let’s be honest. Sports like golf at Iowa State and basketball at Iowa are sports and teams nobody cares to see anyway

 

[Tornado man]

I see a lot of sports getting dropped because of this. Let’s be honest. Sports like golf at Iowa State and basketball at Iowa are sports and teams nobody cares to see anyway

Golf probably would have been axed at Stanford if not for the fact that Tom Watson and Tiger Woods played there...

 

[Macloney]

That's not how university endowments work.

You know for a fact that the endowment at Stanford doesn't have any unrestricted funds available?

Out of $27 billion?

Come on, man. You know they could fund those sports for a couple million dollars and that they obviously have that much in unrestricted funds. They are choosing to get rid of those sports and COVID is the perfect excuse to do it.

 

[Tornado man]

That's not how university endowments work.

Yes, lots of the funds are usually restricted for use by donors, along with much of the interest income already spoken for.
So how about Stanford picks up the phone, calls a few donors and say, "hey, we'd like to not cut men's volleyball, wrestling," and so on.
Stanford is really good at fundraising, as their $28 billion endowment shows.

They wanted to cut these sports.

 

[enisthemenace]

As Poindexter once wondered...”would you rather live during the ascendancy of a civilization, or during it’s decline”?

 

[condor]

Part of me wonders if this isn't the most effective fund raiser of all time. Big time donors step up and foot the bill for their favorite sports, or they don't and the university saves money anyway. It's a win-win for Stanford.

 

[BoxsterCy]

Stanford is discontinuing their wrestling program after the 2020-2021 season. Heartbreaking and hate to see it for the sport, but I'm afraid it won't be the last school to cut wrestling.

They do have a stud at 165 (Shane Griffith) that would fit our lineup very nicely...

Just saw this in a Mpls article, mostly about a Twin Cities wrestler on the Stanford team, and see we have a thread on it. Stanford was carrying a crazy number of sports, 36, and cut 11. They pretty much won the Directors Cup every years because they had a team in EVERYTHING and also good teams. Even in good times I had wondered how they supported all of the those teams. Locally I am interested in the impact to the Gophers, who also support a pretty huge number of sports at 24.

 

[BoxsterCy]

They wanted to cut these sports.

Can't really disagree with that. They didn't need those sports. Even after cutting them they still have more sports than most schools. Stanfords an elite school that might not actually need ANY sports. Hell, even some of the student athletes recognize and pick Stanford because of the status of a degree from there versus an academically average ranked school.