By JOE WALLJASPER Tribune sports editor
AUBURN HILLS, Mich. – The sales pitch that lured Ben Askren from his native Wisconsin to wrestle for Missouri was the offer to build a great program rather than continue one, the opportunity to be the school’s first national champion rather than the next.
Done and done.
Although it was far from a vintage performance – in fact, he expressed disgust afterward about his cautious effort – Askren beat Pittsburgh’s Keith Gavin 8-2 for his second consecutive 174-pound national title.
Askren ended his career at Missouri with his 87th consecutive victory and his second straight national championship. With a big assist from fellow cheesehead Matt Pell, who placed third, Askren led the Tigers to third place in the team standings. Missouri had never finished higher than 10th before.
“We’ve built something great, “Askren said. “I’m so proud of this team.”
Askren’s importance to Missouri’s wrestling program can’t really be measured in the points he scored at four national tournaments, his three Big 12 titles, his 153-8 career record.
He made the sport matter where it didn’t before. Missouri had never been in the top 20 in attendance before he arrived. This season, MU ranked fifth in that category. He was the face of Missouri wrestling, and it was a face you remembered, with sharp angles and a massive cascade of curls.
Missouri Coach Brian Smith said he had an inkling of what Askren might become after he and assistant coach Bart Horton made a recruiting visit to his home.
“I remember telling Bart, ‘This kid is going to be something great for the sport. He’s going to be special,’ ” Smith said.
He wasn’t just a great wrestler, he was a showman and an instigator.
Just before matches, Askren jogged in place and stared right at his opponents with a smirk. They rarely returned his gaze. If the opponent wrestled defensively to keep the match close, Askren didn’t hide his disgust during the match nor hold his tongue afterward.
Apparently, his obsession with the idea of wrestling like a man has always been there. Max Askren recalled that as a middle-schooler, he never wanted to wrestle Ben, who is three years older. So Ben would sequester Max in the basement and guard the door. The only way out was to wrestle past his big brother.
Although not always popular with opposing fans – Iowa supporters were all over him last night after he mercilessly ripped the Hawkeyes’ Eric Luedke for stalling in Friday’s semifinal – he was undeniably fun to watch. Askren’s unorthodox, risky style is known in wrestling circles as funk. A lot of guys wrestle funk, but none are as funky as Askren. He often appears about to be taken down, only to pin his opponent moments later using a move that only he saw “¦ or that he invented.
“He’s the most relaxed kid you’ll ever see in this tournament, just laughing and having a good time, “Smith said.
Except maybe in his final match. Gavin, whom Askren had pinned twice earlier this season, took the action to Askren last night. Gavin got the first takedown. After two periods the score was tied at 2. And Askren was hit with – of all things – a stalling warning in the third period.
But with some of the fans booing Askren and others simply clamoring for an upset, he turned a scramble with Gavin into a takedown and scored three near-fall points by answering a Gavin move that Askren described as “original funk. “Askren knew the counter. You can’t outfunk the master.
Afterward, he took a deep bow and blew kisses toward all corners of The Palace. His one-man crusade to make college wrestling fun and funky was complete.
Wrestling Gear
