By Mike Finn

Dallas Bailey said he doesn’t wrestle like Johnny Thompson nor Johny Hendricks, but calls these two former Oklahoma State wrestlers his favorite Cowboys.

            Bailey’s pride in these former two-time All-Americans stems from the fact they were both native Oklahomans before starring in Stillwater. Thompson, who won at 133 pounds in 2002 and 2003, hailed from Putnam City, Okla., while Hendricks, who brought home NCAA gold in 2005 and 2006 at 165 pounds, called Edmund, Okla., his hometown.

            “I wanted to be just like them,” said Bailey, a native of Catoosa, Okla. “They didn’t win a state championship, but they were blue collar Oklahoma boys. It was fun wrestling in many of the tournaments that they did.”

            Bailey, who is part of Oklahoma State’s top-ranked recruiting class from the early-signing period in November, will head to Stillwater with much more impressive prep credentials. The 160-pounder from Catoosa High School has already captured three Oklahoma state championships and entered his senior season with a 107-3 high school record.

            Then throw in the fact that Bailey has compiled a 4.0 grade point average, it’s easy to see why the 18-year-old was named Takedown Radio’s High School Wrestler of the Month in November.

            Bailey’s road to Oklahoma State probably started before he was born. His father, Leo, was a two-time All-American for the Cowboys in 1983 and 1986 and served as his son’s first club coach.

            “I’ve bled orange and black since I was three years old,” laughed Dallas. “My Dad loved it at Oklahoma State. He has so many stories about all the great things they did then.”

            One of those stories included the fact that the older Bailey originally was going to sign with Oklahoma.

            “I missed my plane to the Dapper Dan (tournament in Pittsburgh),” recalled Leo. “(Then OSU coach Tommy) Chesbro got the other flight with me. When we landed, I decided to go to Oklahoma State.”

            Once in Stillwater, one of his Cowboy teammates was current OSU coach John Smith. Smith forced Leo to move up a weight in 1985 while capturing the first of three NCAA titles.

            Upon Leo’s graduation, he first moved to Wichita, Kan., but returned to the panhandle state community of Bixby, then to Catossa. Soon, Dallas was wrestling as a child and was joined by his father when the club needed a coach.

            “I would hit high crotches on my Dad when I was five years old,” said Dallas.

            From an early age, Dallas had the makings of a future college wrestler.

            “He always wanted to be good,” Leo said. “I remember when he was seven or eight, I asked him, ‘What do you want out of this sport?’ That’s when I knew. It takes a special drive to reach this level and Dallas has it.”

            Dallas became a starter at Catoosa High School as a freshman and that year still rated No. 1 in his career.

            “I was new to high school wrestling and we did well my freshman year,” recalled Dallas. “We won the state championship as a team for the first time in a long time.”

            Dallas also won his first Oklahoma state championship and has tried to grow from that experience.

            “I try to get better every day,” said Dallas, who added two more state titles while going unbeaten in 2007 and 2008 and currently ranks third at 171 pounds in WIN’s high school rankings. “I’m expected to win and dominate.”

            Dallas said his style is more like Oklahoma State’s former two-time national champion Chris Pendleton.

            “Dallas has strong upper-body moves and hits them out of a flurry,” said Leo.

            Dallas also did well in freestyle, earning a pair of Cadet All-American honors in Fargo and finished second in the FILA Cadet Nationals.

            “I like collegiate (folkstyle) wrestling ten times more than I do freestyle,” admitted Dallas. “I hated going to Fargo where I didn’t do as well as I hoped. But it helped me out with my folkstyle.”

            It also caught the recruiting eyes of college coaches.

            “(OSU coach) John (Smith) talked to me a lot about Dallas and I told him I would let Dallas make the decision,” said Leo.

            It wasn’t a hard one for his son, who started going to Smith’s summer camps when he was seven. Now Dallas is very excited about the future of the Cowboys, whose recent recruiting classes have been ranked high.

            “We’re going to be dangerous in a couple years,” Dallas said. “An off-year is not acceptable at Oklahoma State. I see no reason why we can’t win at least two team championships while I’m there.

            Dallas said he expects to wrestle at 165 or 174 pounds for OSU.

            “Coach (Smith) thinks I will grow and he knows more than I do,” said Dallas, who enjoys wrestling today as much as he did as a child.

            “Wrestling is unlike any amateur sport. You determine your own destiny. If you’re the best guy, you earn it and deserve it.”