Arkansas Wrestle
(All images via lrtrojans.com)
Not many college wrestling programs own the tradition and mystique of Oklahoma State. The Cowboys program began in 1914 Edward C. Gallagher took the program over the next year and his teams won 11 of the school’s 13 national titles. In all, the Cowboys own 34 national titles and 55 conference championships. OSU boasts 143 individual national championships and 488 all-Americans.
Little Rock head coach Neil Erisman‘s name is etched in OSU lore, as he was a four-year letterman from 2007-11 and won a Big 12 championship in 2011.
However, on Saturday Erisman will be looking to make history of his own at the expense of his alma mater. The No. 16-ranked Trojans take on the No. 3-ranked Cowboys at 3 p.m., at the Jack Stephens Center. The dual is one of the bigger matches in the country and is expected to attract a record-setting crowd with a ‘white out’ and will be streamed around the world on UFC Fight Pass. The team will be dressed in all-white singlets, and last year’s Pac-12 championship banner will be unveiled.
“I am definitely proud that I went to Oklahoma State and wore the orange and wrestled at Gallagher-Iba Arena,” said Erisman, who was 92-36 as a four-year letterwinner at 157 pounds for OSU. “But, I am really proud of what we have created here. It is one thing to be a part of history, and it is another to write it. That is what has been cool here.”
Little Rock didn’t have a wrestling program when Erisman took his first head-coaching job after serving as a graduate assistant under his legendary head coach John Smith for two seasons and as an assistant at North Carolina for five years. He was also a high school assistant for two years in between.
It only took Erisman two years to produce the school’s first national qualifier in Paul Bianchi. Last year is when the Trojans really burst on the scene when they tripled their dual wins from the 2022-23 season and qualified five wrestlers to the NCAA Division I Wrestling Championships. Nasir Bailey and Stephen Little earned All-American honors, and Erisman was named the Pac-12 Coach of the Year and NWCA Coach of the Year, and the Trojans finished the season ranked No. 18 in the NWCA Poll.
“We have been able to compete quickly, and we have gained a lot of national respect because of that,” Erisman said. “That is why we are able to get a home-and-home series with a team like Oklahoma State.”
Oddly enough, it was an Oklahoma State connection that drew Erisman to The Natural State. Following the 2018 NCAA Meet, Erisiman was headed back to North Carolina and sat next to Pat Smith on the flight. Smith, is one of the all-time great OSU wrestlers winning individual titles four straight years and is the brother of John Smith and was longtime assistant under him. In 2008, Little Rock businessman Greg Hatcher lured Pat Smith to central Arkansas to start the Arkansas Wrestling Academy. Together, Smith and Hatcher introduced high school and college wrestling to the state and Smith convinced Erisman to start the Trojans’ program.
“Knowing that Greg was involved was a draw,” Erisman said. “I picked [Pat Smith’s] brain on the flight, and he gave me Greg’s number. God really set that up nice.”
Since Erisman took the reins, Pat Smith has supported his fellow alum and continues to be close to the program as he helps with the NIL collective.
And quickly, the program has taken off. Last year’s NCAA Wrestling Championships is where the country took notice, and Erisman took his place with other former Cowboys, who have come from the John Smith coaching tree.
“There is nothing cooler than look at the NCAA Tournament field and seeing all of the OSU guys who are coaching,” Erisman said. “A lot of these guys are having success. That speaks to the tradition at Oklahoma State, and myself and those guys are representing at other schools.”
It is that success that has allowed the Trojans beef up their schedule this season adding power Missouri, who they beat, No. 1 Penn State and OSU.
“I think it shows that we are competing,” Erisman said. “This wasn’t just a favor from Oklahoma State. We have proven we can win and show up and compete.”
OSU is 3-0 all-time against Little Rock, including two wins at the Jack Stephens Center. The Cowboys won 35-6 on Jan. 8, 2022 as COVID still was prevalent. Last week, Erisman told a Trojan Legion Club luncheon crowd, that he sees a path to a win in this match.
“A win would be big for us,” Erisman said. “We beat a power like Missouri earlier this year. Respectfully, though, they aren’t on the same level as Oklahoma State. There are two types of ‘blue bloods,’ and Oklahoma State is one of them. They are second to none and to compete with theme and beat them would be a huge step – a grand slam.”
