By Mike Finn, W.I.N. Editor
There should be plenty of cheering going on at The Palace of Auburn Hills, March 15-17, when the arena near Detroit, Mich., plays host for the 2007 NCAA Championships … at least for most of the 330 wrestlers.
It should be a different story for Oklahoma State’s Johny Hendricks who will arrive in hopes of becoming the Cowboys’ 15th three-time national champion. For many of the fans cheering for their home-state Michigan Wolverines won’t forget who Hendricks beat for his second NCAA title last March in Oklahoma City … former Wolverine Ryan Churella.
And it wasn’t just that Hendricks defeated Churella, 9-8, to claim the 165-pound title. It was how Hendricks won it: scoring the deciding takedown with four seconds remaining, shortly after he allowed the Wolverine to escape in a wild match that saw the Cowboy lead 4-2 after one period before Churella fought back to lead 7-4 after two periods by putting Hendricks on his back with a reverse cradle.
Everyone has said, ‘It looked like you were pinned,’ ” Hendricks said. “It was impossible for him to pin me. As soon as he got the cradle, I slipped my arm through. If you look at it again, you will see that my whole shoulder came above his ribs and you will see me rest my arm on his ribs. My shoulders were about six inches from the mat. I knew that he wasn’t going to pin me unless he readjusted and got my arm underneath him.”
The native of Edmond, Okla., also had no trouble expressing himself after the match came to an end by first jumping into the arms of his coaches and eventually into the throng of Cowboy fans in the Ford Center.
And from the non-Oklahoma State fans, it was simply booing … loud booing.
“I’ve talked to a lot of people who have told me that I’m the T.O. (Terrell Owens) of wrestling,” admitted Hendricks, referring to the NFL wide receiver who is either loved or hated for his actions. “That’s fine. What I’ve learned from these years of people disliking me is that you embrace it. You let them do their boos and it makes it that much better. You have people yelling at you or that I shouldn’t wrestle or I shouldn’t be a two-time national champ. That just helps me out.”
“I just use it to work out harder and prove something else.”
Hendricks, who also won the 165-pound championship as a sophomore in 2005, said the reason for his mat personality has to do with his love for the sport.
“Once I stop enjoying myself on the mat, that’s when I will hang up my shoes,” said the three-time All-American who also finished fifth at 157 pounds as a redshirt freshman in 2004. “People think I should be all serious and be a robot out there on the mat just like everyone else. I feel like I have a gift from God and that is to wrestle and put on a show when I’m doing it.”
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