New wrestling books out for fans, history buffs
Editor’s Note: This article appeared in WIN’s Volume 31 Issue 9, which was published on June 5, 2025. Click here to view WIN’s subscription options (Print/Digital/Combo).
By Mike Chapman
There are several books that have recently come out that many fans will find intriguing, and for a variety of reasons. What I like most is that all have strong historical impact.
Pat Kelly, a WIN contributor for several years, has produced a terrific book entitled “K-State’s Wrestling Legacy,” with the subtitle “Stories, Stats and Personalities That Shaped the Sport in Kansas and Beyond.” Pat brings an extensive pedigree to his work, having been a two-time Iowa high school state champion, a two-time Division II All-American at Nebraska-Omaha, and built a long high school coaching career in Kansas.
WIN contributor Pat Kelly
The book is loaded with fascinating stories from an important area of wrestling’s past that has been largely forgotten.
“For over 50 years, Kansas State University offered a wrestling program that became the state’s flagship at the collegiate level,” reads the back cover. “However, K-State wrestling has now been dormant for half a century. ‘K-State’s Wrestling Legacy’ gives readers a comprehensive look at the program’s history and connects it to the sport’s growth in the Sunflower State and its national influence.”
Many important figures from the past parade through the pages, in particular Ed Gallagher, Myron Roderick and Fred Fozzard, all who became legends at Oklahoma State. Gallagher was born in Perth, Kansas, and graduated from high school there before moving on to Oklahoma State and leading the Aggies to 11 NCAA team championships in the 1920s-1930s era.
Roderick is a native of Wellington, Kansas, who won three NCAA titles as a wrestler at OSU and coached the team to seven NCAA team titles in the 1950s and ‘60s.
I saw Fred Fozzard wrestle during his glory years at Oklahoma State and had great respect for his aggressive style on the mat. He was NCAA champion at 177 pounds in 1967 and placed second and third, as well. In 1969, he and fellow Oregonian Rick Sanders became America’s first world champions ever.
Fozzard was K-State’s last head wrestling coach, holding that spot for just two seasons before the program was unceremoniously dropped in 1975. Kelly describes what happened to the program and says that Fozzard is back in Oregon and has moved on with life.
Kelly also explains that boxing was once popular at K-State and offers insights into that sport, as well as football and track.
A big bonus is the number of interesting photos sprinkled throughout the book. The photos alone are worth the price of the book, in my opinion.
It is available on Amazon for just $20. I highly recommend it for anyone interested in the history of the sport.
And then there is the latest book by the well-known political commentator Bill O’Reilly, the author of 18 No. 1 national bestsellers. This new one is entitled “Confronting the Presidents: Washington to Biden”. It is a fascinating read.
Wrestling is mentioned three times, in chapters on Abe Lincoln, Teddy Roosevelt and William Howard Taft. Roosevelt, the nation’s 26th president, and Taft, the 27th president, were once friends but became bitter political enemies. Roosevelt was a fitness buff and practiced wrestling and judo in the White House, while Taft was a wrestler of some renown during his time at Yale University
Their intense dislike of one another could have been a promoter’s dream — two presidents going on the mat to settle their differences. Roosevelt weighed about 210 while Taft eventually ballooned up to 350 pounds and could barely climb out of a bathtub without help, O’Reilly says.
Three other new books offer biographies of such well-known stars as (1) Verne Gagne, four-time Big Ten champion and two-time NCAA champion at Minnesota who became one of the biggest stars in the history of pro wrestling; (2) Jim Peckham, a member of the 1956 Olympic Greco-Roman team and an Olympic coach, and (3) Randy Lewis, two-time NCAA champion at Iowa and 1984 Olympic champion.
(Mike Chapman is the founder of WIN Magazine).
