John Fuller/USA Wrestling
None of the three wrestlers nominated for ESPY Awards this year came home with a trophy in hand from Los Angeles, but none of the three were too disappointed either.
Nominated for ESPY Awards were 2004 Olympic gold medalist Cael Sanderson for “Best Male Olympic Performance,” two-time Olympic medalist Rulon Gardner for “Best Comeback” and two-time NCAA heavyweight champion Steve Mocco for “Best Male College Athlete.”
Sanderson, who won an ESPY Award in 2002 for “Best Male College Athlete,” was defeated by Michael Phelps, the Olympic swimmer who shattered numerous records, including winning eight medals in the Athens Olympics.
“Phelps was awesome at the Olympics, “Sanderson said after the award show. “I am very proud to have been able to win a gold medal myself. The nomination for an award such as this is really nice because it validates my achievements, but it is also good to keep the sport of wrestling in the public eye.”
Sanderson captured an Olympic gold medal in Athens, Greece last summer. In college, he made wrestling headlines by becoming the first collegiate wrestler to finish his career with four NCAA titles and an undefeated record (159-0) while at Iowa State Univ. In 2003, he proved to be an international star by winning a silver medal at the World Championships.
Gardner, who had won an ESPY Award in 2001 for “Best Male USA Olympic Athlete,” watched as Mark Fields of the Carolina Panthers won the “Best Comeback” category. Fields, a member of the Carolina Panthers Super Bowl squad two years ago, battled back from cancer to play in the 2005 Pro Bowl. However, his fight is not done, as he is still fighting the cancer.
“How can you argue against a guy such as Mark Fields? You hate to pick any winner out of my category, because I think we have all won something in that we fought against the odds to make a comeback in our sports. Not many people thought any of us could. I congratulate Mark and the other nominees here, “Gardner said.
On Feb. 14, 2002, Gardner had been snowmobiling when he became bogged down in deep snow near his hometown of Afton, Wyo. Gardner braved overnight temperatures minus 10 degrees for nearly 14 hours before being rescued the next morning. He lost a toe to frostbite during a recovery process.
Last year, Gardner completed his comeback by winning a bronze medal at the 2004 Olympic Games. He brought tears to the eyes of millions of Americans by placing his shoes in the middle of the mat to symbolize his retirement.
Mocco, part of the Oklahoma State machine, was defeated by Matt Leinart, the USC quarterback who has led his team to consecutive national titles. This year, Leinart threw for 33 touchdowns against just six interceptions. He had a completion percentage of 65.3.
“This whole experience was great. The cool thing is that three of the guys in my category will be back next year, so maybe we can kind of keep an ESPY watch going all season instead of a Heisman watch. It’s going to be fun, but now it’s time to prepare to help Oklahoma State win a fourth straight title, “Mocco stated.
Mocco finished his junior season at Oklahoma State with a 37-0 record, leading the Cowboys to a third straight NCAA team title. For his dominance this season, Mocco was awarded the Dan Hodge Trophy, given annually to the nation’s top collegiate wrestler.
The ESPY Awards were created by ESPN in 1993 and are given for Excellence in Sports Performance.
To determine the winners, fans voted online at espn.go.com for their favorite athlete in each category.
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