Sept. 19, 2003
A decades worth of Missouri wrestlers will return to Columbia, Mo., for a 1960's reunion beginning Friday evening and wrapping up Sunday, Sept. 21, with the seventh annual Wrestling Golf Outing at 8:30 a.m.
Festivities are set to kick off Friday, Sept. 20, at 7:30 p.m., with a gathering of former wrestlers at Ed Lampitt's house. Lampitt, one of five Missouri Hall of Fame members, received the Wrestling Medal of Courage last season for his achievements both on and off the mat. While competing for Missouri (1966-68), under the direction of head coach Hap Whitney, Lampitt was the first Tiger to place at the Big Eight Conference Championships in 1966.
Whitney, also a member of the Missouri Hall of Fame, had an 88-53-3 record while coaching between 1964-74. The highlight of Whitney's career came in 1968, when he led his team to an 18-0-1 season. The only undefeated team in the entire history of Missouri's wrestling program, the 1968 team recorded their only tie against Kansas State at 14. Five members of the 1968 class are expected to attend the weekend-long event.
A group of 25 former wrestlers will gather for breakfast at the Hearnes Center at 8:30 a.m., Saturday morning before the football game against Middle Tennessee State. Eventually making their way to the practice gym, the group will have a chance to observe the 2003-04 team in action before heading to the football game. All 25 men will be honored before the start of the game at 1 p.m. CT, for their accomplishments set between 1960-69.
Current and former wrestlers as well as coaches will participate in the seventh annual Wrestling Golf Outing at the A.L. Gustin Golf Course on the University of Missouri campus. Registration is open to the public and begins at 7:30 a.m. with a shotgun start set for 8:30 a.m. Dinner and awards will be held at 2 p.m. in the Tiger Lounge at Memorial Stadium Press Box at 2 p.m.
"The entire coaching staff is looking forward to meeting some of the founding father's of our program," head coach Brian Smith said. "The experience should be one that is memorable not only for the former wrestlers of the 1960's but also for our current wrestlers and coaches."
-MU-