Stanford Cutting Wrestling Program

  • After Iowa State won the Big 12, a Cyclone made a wonderful offer to We Will that now increases our match. Now all gifts up to $400,000 between now and the Final 4 will be matched. Please consider giving at We Will Collective.
    This notice can be dismissed using the upper right corner X button.

stuclone

Well-Known Member
SuperFanatic
SuperFanatic T2
Oct 5, 2013
3,245
8,739
113
Ames, IA
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

Well-Known Member
SuperFanatic
SuperFanatic T2
Jan 14, 2008
4,047
1,798
113
Madison, WI
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

Well-Known Member
Feb 11, 2011
524
473
63
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

Well-Known Member
SuperFanatic
SuperFanatic T2
Jan 14, 2008
4,047
1,798
113
Madison, WI
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

Well-Known Member
Oct 20, 2006
14,124
4,075
113
Arlington, TX
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

Well-Known Member
Apr 19, 2006
17,273
15,332
113
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

Well-Known Member
May 25, 2012
8,422
7,923
113
Rural U.S.A.
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

New Member
Dec 13, 2014
22
21
3
Raleigh NC
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

Well-Known Member
Dec 15, 2010
11,133
10,256
113
Iowa
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

Well-Known Member
Sep 14, 2007
1,736
324
83
Because it would be a shame if Stanford had to tap their $27 billion endowment fund...
 

ForbinsAscynt

Well-Known Member
SuperFanatic
SuperFanatic T2
Dec 8, 2014
4,704
5,800
113
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.
 

Tornado man

Well-Known Member
Sep 16, 2007
11,765
-77
113
61
Ames, IA
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

Well-Known Member
Feb 28, 2014
5,194
5,667
113
Up Nort
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

Well-Known Member
Sep 16, 2007
11,765
-77
113
61
Ames, IA
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.
 

condor

Well-Known Member
Feb 2, 2018
182
406
63
49
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

Moderator
Staff member
Sep 14, 2009
43,613
40,123
113
Minnesota
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

Moderator
Staff member
Sep 14, 2009
43,613
40,123
113
Minnesota
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.