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Etched In Stone: Daily Summaries Delivered
by National Wrestling Hall of Fame
National Wrestling Hall of Fame and USA Wrestling's "Etched In Stone" podcasts are the stories of wrestling's legends, told by wrestlers. The series will take you inside the lives of those inducted into the Hall of Fame, as they share never before told stories about their trials, tribulations and triumphs. Wrestling is arguably the toughest sport in the world. After you hear about the unparalleled athletic achievements, discipline and commitment of these legends, it will no longer be debatable.
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- Sep 9, 202642 min
GRAY SIMONS | SEVEN: A Hampton Roads Homecoming
In this episode of the National Wrestling Hall of Fame's Etched in Stone series, Jason Bryant explores the Old Dominion University chapter of Olympian Gray Simons' legendary career—college wrestling's only seven-time national champion. The story follows Simons' return to his Hampton Roads roots in the late 1980s, his hire under ODU's philosophy of "selective excellence," and the difficult family move from Tennessee to Virginia. Through voices like Mikki Baile, Mary Simons, and former athletes, we see how Gray built a competitive Division I program on a shoestring budget at a largely commuter school, targeting raw talent from places like Pennsylvania, Long Island and Virginia's powerhouse high school programs. The episode then chronicles ODU's rise on the national stage: the East Region title and breakthrough 1991 season with All-Americans Nick Garone and Peter Horst, Jody Staylor's dramatic run to the 1994 NCAA finals, and heavyweight Nick Hall's elite performances. Later stars like Mark Strickland and Jeff Rusak illustrate how Simons refined athletes' unique styles with subtle technical tweaks and deep personal investment. While the closing years at ODU yielded fewer medals, teammates and champions testify that Gray's true impact went far beyond results—he was a master technician, psychologist, and teacher whose humility, precision, and care shaped generations of wrestlers long after his own unmatched competitive career. Listen & Follow Etched in StoneApple Podcasts | Spotify | Deezer | Radio Public | RSS About Gray Simons During his four years of collegiate competition at Lock Haven University, Gray Simons entered seven national tournaments. He won all seven, and six times was voted outstanding wrestler of the event. Four years he reigned supreme at 115 pounds in the National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics, and all four years was chosen the NAIA's finest, an unparalleled achievement. Three times he won the University Division title in the NCAA and as a junior and senior was voted the outstanding competitor. The only two defeats of his 93 collegiate matches came early in his freshman season. He then proceeded to win 84 in a row. In the two years after his graduation, while stationed at the U.S. Military Academy, he continued to annex national championships in military, YMCA and AAU competition. He won the gold medal in the 1963 World Military Games. Gray Simons twice represented his country in the Olympic Games, in 1960 and 1964. On the mat, he was known as a superb technician, with quickness, skill and perfect execution of an infinite variety of moves. His abilities helped spread nationwide the "Granby Series" of moves developed by his Hall of Fame high school coach in Norfolk, Virginia, Billy Martin. After the close of his competitive career, he served with distinction as a collegiate coach at Lock Haven, Indiana State, Tennessee and Old Dominion University, and never has suffered a losing season. Among his proteges were two NCAA champions and several All-Americans. In both roles, as a wrestler and coach, this quiet man has set an outstanding example for young athletes everywhere. As a wrestler of unchallenged achievement and a sportsman of the highest caliber, Elliot Gray Simons is honored as a Distinguished Member of the National Wrestling Hall of Fame.
- Sep 2, 202633 min
GRAY SIMONS | SEVEN: Peaks and Valleys on Rocky Top
In this episode of the National Wrestling Hall of Fame's Etched in Stone series, "Seven: The Story of Olympian Gray Simons," the narrative shifts to Simons' turbulent but inspiring tenure at the University of Tennessee. Contemporaries such as Chris Edmond, Wayne Catan, Tim Cochran, Glenn Lanham, and others paint a vivid picture of Simons as a wrestling genius and understated leader who elevated everyone around him. The episode chronicles Tennessee's rise to national prominence in the mid‑1980s, highlighted by Edmond's remarkable NCAA title run and the team's top‑10 national ranking, all achieved despite shrinking budgets, reduced scholarships, and long odds against traditional Midwestern powers. At the same time, the story lays bare the institutional pressures that ultimately doomed SEC wrestling. Through voices like Mary Simons, Bud Ford, and former athletic director Doug Dickey, listeners see how the school claimed financial constraints, conference isolation, and looming gender equity mandates to erase a model program that did nearly everything right. The players' reactions—Lanham's anger, Edmond's pride, and Simons' quiet heartbreak—reveal the human cost of cutting a sport and underscore the lasting legacy of Gray Simons and Tennessee wrestling, even after the mats were rolled up for the final time. Listen & Follow Etched in StoneApple Podcasts | Spotify | Deezer | Radio Public | RSS About Gray Simons During his four years of collegiate competition at Lock Haven University, Gray Simons entered seven national tournaments. He won all seven, and six times was voted outstanding wrestler of the event. Four years he reigned supreme at 115 pounds in the National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics, and all four years was chosen the NAIA's finest, an unparalleled achievement. Three times he won the University Division title in the NCAA and as a junior and senior was voted the outstanding competitor. The only two defeats of his 93 collegiate matches came early in his freshman season. He then proceeded to win 84 in a row. In the two years after his graduation, while stationed at the U.S. Military Academy, he continued to annex national championships in military, YMCA and AAU competition. He won the gold medal in the 1963 World Military Games. Gray Simons twice represented his country in the Olympic Games, in 1960 and 1964. On the mat, he was known as a superb technician, with quickness, skill and perfect execution of an infinite variety of moves. His abilities helped spread nationwide the "Granby Series" of moves developed by his Hall of Fame high school coach in Norfolk, Virginia, Billy Martin. After the close of his competitive career, he served with distinction as a collegiate coach at Lock Haven, Indiana State, Tennessee and Old Dominion University, and never has suffered a losing season. Among his proteges were two NCAA champions and several All-Americans. In both roles, as a wrestler and coach, this quiet man has set an outstanding example for young athletes everywhere. As a wrestler of unchallenged achievement and a sportsman of the highest caliber, Elliot Gray Simons is honored as a Distinguished Member of the National Wrestling Hall of Fame.
- Feb 20, 202436 min
GRAY SIMONS | SEVEN: Building Up Rocky Top
After leaving the place he'd help establish as a national wrestling power, Gray Simons spent five seasons at Indiana State as the Sycamores' head coach prior to taking over his first "big school" - the University of Tennessee in Knoxville. While sports-crazy, Tennessee was still new to the wrestling game. Gray Simons and a talented recruiter named Steve Gaydosh wouldn't just change Tennessee's fortunes - they would turn Tennessee into a waking giant in college wrestling. As programs started to fall around them, Tennessee held strong, as did its athletes, overcoming some severe adversity on their way to stardom. Gray Simons and company were building something special on Rocky Top. Episode 4: Building Up Rock Top Listen & Follow Etched in StoneApple Podcasts | Spotify | Deezer | Radio Public | RSS About Gray Simons During his four years of collegiate competition at Lock Haven University, Gray Simons entered seven national tournaments. He won all seven, and six times was voted outstanding wrestler of the event. Four years he reigned supreme at 115 pounds in the National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics, and all four years was chosen the NAIA's finest, an unparalleled achievement. Three times he won the University Division title in the NCAA and as a junior and senior was voted the outstanding competitor. The only two defeats of his 93 collegiate matches came early in his freshman season. He then proceeded to win 84 in a row. In the two years after his graduation, while stationed at the U.S. Military Academy, he continued to annex national championships in military, YMCA and AAU competition. He won the gold medal in the 1963 World Military Games. Gray Simons twice represented his country in the Olympic Games, in 1960 and 1964. On the mat, he was known as a superb technician, with quickness, skill and perfect execution of an infinite variety of moves. His abilities helped spread nationwide the "Granby Series" of moves developed by his Hall of Fame high school coach in Norfolk, Virginia, Billy Martin. After the close of his competitive career, he served with distinction as a collegiate coach at Lock Haven, Indiana State, Tennessee and Old Dominion University, and never has suffered a losing season. Among his proteges were two NCAA champions and several All-Americans. In both roles, as a wrestler and coach, this quiet man has set an outstanding example for young athletes everywhere. As a wrestler of unchallenged achievement and a sportsman of the highest caliber, Elliot Gray Simons is honored as a Distinguished Member of the National Wrestling Hall of Fame.
- Jan 22, 202435 min
GRAY SIMONS | SEVEN: Mat Town's Championship Era
Gray Simons finished his college career by setting a new standard in college wrestling. Seven national championships, college wrestling's first four-time title winner in any division to go along with two Olympic appearances. The Olympic disappointment didn't last long as Gray Simons returned to Mat Town to take over its proud wrestling program. Simons was primed to lead the program to new heights, taking over as the program's head coach after his distinguished competitive career. But could Simons build the Bald Eagles into a winner against the nation's heavyweights or would something else stand in his way? Episode 3: Mat Town's Championship Era looks at Gray Simons' return to Lock Haven. Listen & Follow Etched in Stone Apple Podcasts | Spotify | Deezer | Radio Public | RSS About Gray Simons During his four years of collegiate competition at Lock Haven University, Gray Simons entered seven national tournaments. He won all seven, and six times was voted outstanding wrestler of the event. Four years he reigned supreme at 115 pounds in the National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics, and all four years was chosen the NAIA's finest, an unparalleled achievement. Three times he won the University Division title in the NCAA and as a junior and senior was voted the outstanding competitor. The only two defeats of his 93 collegiate matches came early in his freshman season. He then proceeded to win 84 in a row. In the two years after his graduation, while stationed at the U.S. Military Academy, he continued to annex national championships in military, YMCA and AAU competition. He won the gold medal in the 1963 World Military Games. Gray Simons twice represented his country in the Olympic Games, in 1960 and 1964. On the mat, he was known as a superb technician, with quickness, skill and perfect execution of an infinite variety of moves. His abilities helped spread nationwide the "Granby Series" of moves developed by his Hall of Fame high school coach in Norfolk, Virginia, Billy Martin. After the close of his competitive career, he served with distinction as a collegiate coach at Lock Haven, Indiana State, Tennessee and Old Dominion University, and never has suffered a losing season. Among his proteges were two NCAA champions and several All-Americans. In both roles, as a wrestler and coach, this quiet man has set an outstanding example for young athletes everywhere. As a wrestler of unchallenged achievement and a sportsman of the highest caliber, Elliot Gray Simons is honored as a Distinguished Member of the National Wrestling Hall of Fame.
- Nov 27, 202337 min
GRAY SIMONS | SEVEN: Masterful Mite
From 1961-1964, Gray Simons was one of the best wrestlers in the World. Heading into his junior season at Lock Haven, Simons had already won two NAIA national championships and an NCAA championship, beating Olympian Dick Wilson in the finals as a sophomore. After his trip to Rome saw him come away from the Olympics without a medal, Simons continued his tear through college wrestling. Would injuries or wrestlers from more dominant programs stop him from his place in wrestling history? Would old friends and teammates be the ones who would knock Simons from his path? Find out in the second installment of Seven. Seven is the story of one of America's great wrestling minds - a stellar athlete with two Olympic appearances - and a dynamic technical mind - delivering next-level techniques learned at Granby and tweaked for the college wrestling world. Episode 2: Masterful Mite looks at Simons' run into the record books, becoming the first collegiate wrestler to win four national college championships and the 20th to win three NCAA titles. The journey also runs through his second Olympic appearance. Listen & Follow Etched in StoneApple Podcasts | Spotify | Deezer | Radio Public | RSS About Gray Simons (From NWHOF.com) During his four years of collegiate competition at Lock Haven University, Gray Simons entered seven national tournaments. He won all seven, and six times was voted outstanding wrestler of the event. Four years he reigned supreme at 115 pounds in the National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics, and all four years was chosen the NAIA's finest, an unparalleled achievement. Three times he won the University Division title in the NCAA and as a junior and senior was voted the outstanding competitor. The only collegiate defeat in his 90 collegiate matches came in his freshman season. He then proceeded to win 84 in a row, a record at the time.
- Aug 22, 202338 min
Gray Simons | SEVEN: Unrolling Granby
From the legendary Granby High School in Norfolk, Virginia, the path to the National Wrestling Hall of Fame for Elliot Gray Simons included some unbelievable feats of wrestling, but it didn't start off with immediate accolades. Simons would win a state championship for Hall of Fame coach Billy Martin before enrolling at tiny Lock Haven State Teachers College. There, Simons would dominate the college wrestling world, becoming the first wrestler in history to win four NAIA national titles and was the first to win four collegiate national championships across any division. He would also win three NCAA titles, battling with some of the titans of the sport, including future members of the Hall of Fame. Seven is the story of one of America's great wrestling minds - a stellar athlete with two Olympic appearances - and a dynamic technical mind - delivering next-level techniques learned at Granby and tweaked for the college wrestling world. Episode 1: Unrolling Granby chronicles Simons' start back in Virginia and his journey to Lock Haven, his first NCAA title and his first appearance at the Olympic Games in Rome. Listen & Follow Etched in StoneApple Podcasts | Google Podcasts | Spotify | Deezer | Radio Public | RSS About Gray Simons (From NWHOF.com) During his four years of collegiate competition at Lock Haven University, Gray Simons entered seven national tournaments. He won all seven, and six times was voted outstanding wrestler of the event. Four years he reigned supreme at 115 pounds in the National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics, and all four years was chosen the NAIA's finest, an unparalleled achievement. Three times he won the University Division title in the NCAA and as a junior and senior was voted the outstanding competitor. The only collegiate defeat in his 90 collegiate matches came in his freshman season. He then proceeded to win 84 in a row, a record at the time. In the two years after his graduation, while stationed at the U.S. Military Academy, he continued to annex national championships in military, YMCA and AAU competition. He won the gold medal in the 1963 World Military Games. Gray Simons twice represented his country in the Olympic Games, in 1960 and 1964. On the mat, he was known as a superb technician, with quickness, skill and perfect execution of an infinite variety of moves. His abilities helped spread nationwide the "Granby Series" of moves developed by his Hall of Fame high school coach in Norfolk, Virginia, Billy Martin. After the close of his competitive career, he served with distinction as a collegiate coach at Lock Haven, Indiana State, Tennessee and Old Dominion University, and never has suffered a losing season. Among his proteges were two NCAA champions and several All-Americans. In both roles, as a wrestler and coach, this quiet man has set an outstanding example for young athletes everywhere. As a wrestler of unchallenged achievement and a sportsman of the highest caliber, Elliot Gray Simons is honored as a Distinguished Member of the National Wrestling Hall of Fame. Show Credits: Show written and produced by Jason Bryant, Mat Talk Online Amateur Wrestling News, Volumes 4-5, 1959-1960 Wrestlers at the Trials, James V. Moffatt, 2007 The Granby Roll, J.W. "Johnny" Brown, 2008 Music Provided by Envato Elements.
- Jul 6, 20231 min
Gray Simons: Seven (Trailer)
Trailer for the upcoming Etched in Stone series, Gray Simons: Seven. Gray Simons was college wrestling's first four-time collegiate national champion. He also holds the unique distinction of being the first - and only - seven-time college national champion. Simons was a four-time NAIA champion at Lock Haven and was also a three-time NCAA champion, winning the Outstanding Wrestler award six times in those seven tournaments. A two-time Olympian, Simons stands as one of the greatest American wrestlers to ever walk the earth.
- Mar 21, 202259 min
Lee Kemp | Legend on the Rocks Ep. 4
The National Wrestling Hall of Fame and USA Wrestling are excited to announce that their Etched In Stone - Stories of Wrestling Legends podcast featuring Lee Kemp, a three-time World champion and a three-time NCAA champion for the University of Wisconsin has launched at etchedinstonepodcast.com. Episode II will be released on March 7 followed by Episode III on March 14 and Episode IV on March 21. The EIS series provides wrestling fans an opportunity to hear legendary wrestlers sharing the trials and tribulations they encountered on the way to becoming one of wrestling's best. Podcasts also include interviews with coaches, competitors, teammates and others who were part of the journey, giving additional insight on the legend. EIS podcasts are produced by former wrestlers and wrestling insiders, utilizing their knowledge and unique perspective to extract the stories that fans want to hear. The Kemp podcast is produced by 1976 NCAA wrestling champion and Hall of Fame board member Pat Christenson, who also created the EIS series, and Peter LoPinto of Pinto Media. It is narrated by Hall of Fame board member and former chairman of the board Terry Shockley, who was the first wrestler inducted into the Augustana College Athletic Hall of Honor. Adopted at the age of five, Kemp did not begin wrestling until the ninth grade. But once started, he scaled the heights faster and farther than any American wrestler before him. He reached the NCAA finals as a true freshman, only to be turned back by a split decision in overtime. He would not lose another college bout. The next three years, Kemp posted 108 victories and one draw, and won three NCAA titles at 158 pounds, becoming the first black wrestler to win three national titles. The four-episode series will break down the remarkable career of one of wrestling's all-time greats.
About Etched In Stone
National Wrestling Hall of Fame and USA Wrestling's "Etched In Stone" podcasts are the stories of wrestling's legends, told by wrestlers. The series will take you inside the lives of those inducted into the Hall of Fame, as they share never before told stories about their trials, tribulations and triumphs. Wrestling is arguably the toughest sport in the world. After you hear about the unparalleled athletic achievements, discipline and commitment of these legends, it will no longer be debatable.
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