Tiger Wrestlers Honor Black History Month
2/29/2008 12:00:00 AM | Wrestling
Feb. 29, 2008
In recognition of Black History Month, the Missouri wrestling program recognizes former All-Americans Terril Williams, David Miller, Kenneth Liddell and Tyron Woodley for their achievements as members of the Tiger wrestling squad.
Williams, who wrestled at 150 pounds on the team during the 1976-77 seasons, was the first Tiger in the school's history to claim All-America honors after his fourth place finish in the 150-pound weight class at the 1977 NCAA Championships. After earning third place honors in both the 1976 and '77 Big 8 Championships, Williams used two falls during the '77 NCAA Championships to guide him to the fourth place spot in his lone tournament appearance. His impressive run in the NCAA's and his All-America accolades led to Williams being named Missouri's "Most Outstanding Wrestler" for the season.
Just two seasons after Williams, a 167 pound grappler, earned his All-America honor, fellow teammate David Miller claimed his spot in the history books. Miller, a member of the Tigers from 1976-79, finished in the top four in the Big 8 Championships three separate times during his tenure at Mizzou, claiming fourth place in the 1977 event and third in both the 1978 and 1979 tournaments. Miller rode the momentum from his impressive conference tournament finish into the NCAA Championships, where he finished in seventh place in the 167-pound weight class, which earned him recognition as Mizzou's "Most Outstanding Wrestler" of the 1979 season.
Kenny Liddell is one of only 14 Tiger wrestlers in the history of the program to collect at least 100 wins, and currently holds the school record for most victories as a sophomore with 39, which were accumulated during the 1991-92 season. The 142 pounder's 127 career wins puts him in a tie for third most in school history, and he was named Missouri's "Most Outstanding Wrestler" in both 1992 and 1995. Liddell is also currently tied for eighth for number of victories in a season at Missouri (39, 1991-92), and tied for ninth for number of major decision in a season (8, 1994-95). The 142-pounder claimed first place in the 1995 Big 8 Championship and earned All-America honors by finishing in fourth place in the 1992 NCAA Championship and sixth in the 1995 tournament, making Liddell one of only nine Missouri grapplers to earn multiple All-America awards over the course of his career.
Ending his Tiger career with 110 wins, Tyron Woodley collected All-America honors in 2003 and 2005. Finishing eighth as a sophomore, Woodley took seventh as a senior. Woodley became Missouri's first Big 12 Champion in 2003 after winning a 5-1 tie-breaker victory over Nick Passolano of Iowa State in the 165 pound weight class. Woodley currently stands at seventh in the Missouri career wins record book. In 2002, Woodley received the Marshall Esteppe Most Outstanding Freshman Award, and was presented with the 2005 Ed Lampitt Total Tiger Award for the wrestler who shows leadership both on and off the mat.
