Randy Lewis is not known for his humility.
The brash Hawkeye wrestling legend has a laundry list of credentials that he will discuss with anyone willing to listen. His unique style featured lots of points (his 1984 Olympic final was 24-11), lots of throws (he doesn’t know what baseline defense means), and lots of falls (64 in college).
Lincoln McIlravy, a three-time NCAA champion and four-time finalist for Iowa, famously said that if everyone wrestled like Randy Lewis, wrestling would be the most popular sport in the world.
Lewis is great — and he knows it.
That’s why Lewis’s comeback at the 2009 Northern Plains Regional at age 49 made waves. The Rapid City, South Dakota, native loves the spotlight and was willing to let it shine at Young Arena in Waterloo, Iowa, on May 16.
This wasn’t a veterans tournament either. The winner qualified for the World Team Trials, so there was a lot at stake. Current Little Rock coach Neil Erisman was entered, as were two-time NCAA finalist Mike Poeta and two-time All-American Moza Fay.
“Everybody wanted to watch me that day. I guarantee you that.” - Randy Lewis
Lewis bagged NCAA titles at 126 in 1979 and 134 in 1980, and won his 1984 Olympic gold medal at 62 kg (136.5 pounds), before completing his competitive career in 1992 at 68 kg (149.5 pounds).
By 2009, time had taken its grip. Lewis was no longer a svelte young superstar, but it was still dangerous for anyone in the 74 kg (163 pounds) division to shoot on the famed impossible leg.
“I had to lose 20 pounds in three weeks,” Lewis said. “I did not step on the mat at all.
“I was not in any kind of shape. I was coaching the Hawkeye Wrestling Club then, so I was in the room. I would wrestle someone about once a month. I would wrestle guys who were All-Americans and national champs, and I was beating them in the first two go’s that we had.
“I could last two five-minute go’s, but then my body totally shut down after that. My body would be in pain for about two or three weeks. I still had the skills, but I only had them for about two or three minutes.”
Randy Lewis at his peak
For the first two matches at least, four minutes was all Lewis needed. He benefited from the dreaded ball-draw era, where a wrestler had to win two of three periods to secure victory.
Lewis defeated James Reynolds 1-0, 3-0 in the opening round, then knocked off Trent Larrieu 3-1, 5-1 to reach the quarterfinals. Tournament organizers paused all other matches for the 49-year-old, making this the main event of the weekend.
“Everybody wanted to watch me that day,” Lewis said. “I guarantee you that.”
(Re-read the first sentence of this story about humility).
For Larrieu, it was his final competitive match. He was serious about qualifying for the World Team Trials, but didn’t use the right strategy against Lewis, who stood straight up and baited opponents to take his leg.
“We knew that Randy was registered and we prepared for it a little bit, knowing that Randy had a unique overhook series,” said Larrieu’s coach, Tony Black. “We just said we have to be a young kid and wrestle an old guy and outpace him.
“Trent knew that he had missed an opportunity to actually wrestle hard. He respected and revered Randy, mostly because I talked him up. That was it. That was Trent’s last match.
“The posterior chain goes first, so Randy had no butt. His lower back was stiff. It was not smooth at all when he was backing up.”
Age took its toll when he faced Fay in the semifinals. The former Northern Iowa star was near the peak of his competitive career, winning 9-2, 7-0 to reach the finals, where he fell to Poeta. At one point, Fay gently returned Lewis to the mat when he clearly could have thrown him.
As a sign of respect, Fay raised Lewis’s arm in the center of the mat.
“I had three matches within two hours and was cramping up big time in my match against Moza,” Lewis said. “I was in a lot of pain. My leg cramped up in the first seven seconds of that match. I expected to win some matches, but I didn’t expect to win the third one.”
All three of Lewis’s matches are at the end of this story.
Here is a list of Lewis's accomplishments:
— 89-0 his last three years in high school, with 83 falls
— 45 pins in a row during high school
— 29-0 with 29 pins during his sophomore high school season
— 1978 NCAA runner-up as a true freshman
— 1979 and 1980 NCAA champion
— 81 consecutive victories in college
— 127-11-4 in college with 64 pins
— Made the 1978 World team as a true freshman in college by pinning or 12-pointing 5 World and/or Olympic team members.
— Placed fourth in the 1982 World championships
— Two-time Olympian (1980 and 1984)
— 1984 Olympic champion
— Wrestled 9 World or Olympic champions and beat 8
— Wrestled 27 World or Olympic medalists and beat 24
— Wrestled 24 NCAA champions and beat 21
— Beat someone from every single World and Olympic team from 1968 through 1996 except 1975.
— Didn't win a tournament from 1981 through 1983 because J Robinson had him shooting all the time.