My memories of wrestling at Penn State center around my teammates and my coaches, especially Coach Koll. I still remember vividly the feeling you had if you walked off the mat and did not go eight minutes. Coach Koll would be in your face with a cigar, blowing smoke down your throat, telling you why you let yourself and your teammates down. Coach Koll was very fair, but he demanded you demand for yourself 110% effort. If you did that, he was okay with the result. I so much admire and respect Coach Koll after being out of school because he really helped me with the mental aspect of wrestling, giving it 100%, and demanding you put forth the maximum effort or why even compete in the first place.
I also have vivid memories of Andy Matter helping me wrestle and learn how to wrestle by him pounding on me for four years. That also gave me a lot of confidence because I knew there was no one in the United States that I would wrestle that was close to Andy Matter’s ability and toughness. I also have a lot of memories of Eddie Sulkowski, our trainer, and Sam Lestz, and many other people associated with the program that provided support for us. I still remember at the Army match. I was three pounds overweight the night before the match, and Coach Koll was furious at me. He said work out here and get your own ride home, and he left in the van. Eddie Sulkowski and Sam Lestz looked at me and and I started complaining to them. Eddie looked over at me and said, “Hey, Becker, here is a quarter; call your friends,” and they started to walk out. But they ended up staying and giving me a ride back. That’s kind of funny today because many wrestlers work out very hard the day before the match and even the morning of the match sometimes to get down to weight. That’s one instance I will never forget.
