I rarely post anymore but since KC Scott ,Mr. Earl and I are going to the Cliff Keen Las Vegas invitational the first of December I felt a need to brush up on just who Cliff Keen was and what he did to make a name in wrestling.I will first apologize the length of this post but what I learned is such an amazing story that I thought younger fans ought to know it. I certainly did not and I have been a fan since 1960. Most of the information comes from Wikipedia so hats off to the contributors and editors of this source of information.
Cliff Keen was born in 1901 near Cheyenne, OK in the Red Moon Ranch but attended High School in Weatherford. He did not wrestle in High School as they had no wrestling team but played football, baseball and basketball.He attended and graduated from Oklahoma A&M from 1920-1924. He had been introduced to wrestling while working out with a wrestler in High School. He went out for the A&M wrestling team under coach Gallagher land was undefeated at 158 pounds. His only loss in college was when Gallagher asked him to wrestle his second match of a dual after winning at 158. He wrestled at 175 in that same dual and suffered his only career loss to Leon Gorman from Texas. In 1924 wrestling had 3 periods of 7 minutes each and some bouts went as long as 30 minutes. There was no scoring in the match which you either won. by
riding time or by pin.The bouts were held in a square with ropes around it like in boxing. Amazingly he was a lineman on our football team even though his wrestling weight was 158. He was named to the 1924 Olympic team but did not wrestle due to a broken rib. He did have wins that year over two other olympic team-mates, Guy Lookabaugh
and Orrion Stuteville.Upon graduation from Oklahoma A&M his first job was at Frederick,OK as a teacher and head football,basetball,baseball and wrestling for which he was paid the princely sum of $175.00 per month. His football team the year out-scored their opponents 350-3. In 1925 he was hired by Fielding Yost the legendary football coach as an assistant football coach and head wrestling coach. He spent the next 45 years (1925-1970) as the wrestling coach while also serving as assistant football coach from 1926-1958. His coaching career in wrestling is the longest of any coach, in any sport in college and his teams had a record of 267-91-10. BTW in 1925 he was hired at Michigan for $3,000 per year. His 1938 wrestling team had a very capable wrestler by the name of Harold Nichols who later became a legendary coach at Iowa State.
He was a charter member of the 1958 college wrestling hall of fame.One of his many innovations to the sport was the circular ring in wrestling as prior to that time it was a "square" ring. He also invented the wrestling head gear that same year. In 1943 while serving in the Navy he was one of the authors of "Championship Wrestling which for
many decades was the "bible" for wrestling techniques.
I failed to mention that while at OK A&M he wrote for the school newspaper where he befriended fellow student and Journalist, Jess Hoke. who founded Amateur Wrestling News 60 years ago. Cliff King was not the only coach and athlete in the family as his brother Paul was elected to the hall of fame in 1958. Paul was the Olympic head wrestling coach in 1940 and also had a stint at coaching wrestling at the.
University of Oklahoma where his team won a National lchampionship. Paul was also 2X mayor of Norman and a third brother Bill was a district Judge in Oklahoma.
Sorry to be so long winded but I thought this was an amazing story and worthy of being shared. He passed away at the age of 90 in 1991.
LETS GO POKES!!!
Cliff Keen was born in 1901 near Cheyenne, OK in the Red Moon Ranch but attended High School in Weatherford. He did not wrestle in High School as they had no wrestling team but played football, baseball and basketball.He attended and graduated from Oklahoma A&M from 1920-1924. He had been introduced to wrestling while working out with a wrestler in High School. He went out for the A&M wrestling team under coach Gallagher land was undefeated at 158 pounds. His only loss in college was when Gallagher asked him to wrestle his second match of a dual after winning at 158. He wrestled at 175 in that same dual and suffered his only career loss to Leon Gorman from Texas. In 1924 wrestling had 3 periods of 7 minutes each and some bouts went as long as 30 minutes. There was no scoring in the match which you either won. by
riding time or by pin.The bouts were held in a square with ropes around it like in boxing. Amazingly he was a lineman on our football team even though his wrestling weight was 158. He was named to the 1924 Olympic team but did not wrestle due to a broken rib. He did have wins that year over two other olympic team-mates, Guy Lookabaugh
and Orrion Stuteville.Upon graduation from Oklahoma A&M his first job was at Frederick,OK as a teacher and head football,basetball,baseball and wrestling for which he was paid the princely sum of $175.00 per month. His football team the year out-scored their opponents 350-3. In 1925 he was hired by Fielding Yost the legendary football coach as an assistant football coach and head wrestling coach. He spent the next 45 years (1925-1970) as the wrestling coach while also serving as assistant football coach from 1926-1958. His coaching career in wrestling is the longest of any coach, in any sport in college and his teams had a record of 267-91-10. BTW in 1925 he was hired at Michigan for $3,000 per year. His 1938 wrestling team had a very capable wrestler by the name of Harold Nichols who later became a legendary coach at Iowa State.
He was a charter member of the 1958 college wrestling hall of fame.One of his many innovations to the sport was the circular ring in wrestling as prior to that time it was a "square" ring. He also invented the wrestling head gear that same year. In 1943 while serving in the Navy he was one of the authors of "Championship Wrestling which for
many decades was the "bible" for wrestling techniques.
I failed to mention that while at OK A&M he wrote for the school newspaper where he befriended fellow student and Journalist, Jess Hoke. who founded Amateur Wrestling News 60 years ago. Cliff King was not the only coach and athlete in the family as his brother Paul was elected to the hall of fame in 1958. Paul was the Olympic head wrestling coach in 1940 and also had a stint at coaching wrestling at the.
University of Oklahoma where his team won a National lchampionship. Paul was also 2X mayor of Norman and a third brother Bill was a district Judge in Oklahoma.
Sorry to be so long winded but I thought this was an amazing story and worthy of being shared. He passed away at the age of 90 in 1991.
LETS GO POKES!!!
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