Legendary Oklahoma State wrestling coach and Hall of Famer Joe Seay passed away a year ago this month, and I thought it would be interesting to look at his tenure at OSU and break down the elites from his time as the head man at Oklahoma State. 

Here’s my list of the top 10 wrestlers coached by Joe Seay at Oklahoma State.

1. John Smith

Surprisingly when putting together this list, the natural inclination is to say the greatest American freestyle wrestler of all time would be a shoo-in for #1, right? But I actually had some trepidation about putting Smith here. His senior year was incredibly dominant and what he did in winning six straight world/Olympic titles is something that’s never been replicated and will not likely ever be replicated, but he had a younger brother who was pretty good, too, and he came in a very close second that could reasonably have been argued for #1.

2. Pat Smith

Pat was the first four-time NCAA champ, and that reign started under Seay but ended under John Smith, so the big variable here is who “gets credit” for Pat Smith. Well, for me, I just included him on my John Smith list and my list here.

3. Kendall Cross

Cross was a three-time All-American and an NCAA champ in 1989. He went on to win an Olympic gold medal in 1996. That journey and his rivalry with Terry Brands was chronicled in depth in the Flo’s “Terry.”

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4. Chris Barnes

Barnes was a two-time NCAA champ and a three-time All-American from 1988-1990. When looking specifically at his college accomplishments, it’s pretty straightforward to actually give him the nod over Cross as he won two NCAA titles to one for Cross. I struggled with this one, but ultimately gave the nod to the Olympic gold medalist.

5. Alan Fried

Similar to Pat Smith, Alan Fried crosses over from Joe Seay to John Smith as his coach. Fried is an interesting one to rank in all these discussions. He was an NCAA champ in 1994 and helped OSU win John Smith’s first team title, but he really deserves an asterisk by his name in most of the OSU record books. 

In 1993, through no fault of his own, the program was on probation and he was unable to compete in the postseason. It’s really tough to know what he would’ve done in that year. Given his weight he could’ve matched up with Kolat, Jaworsky, or Mcllravy, and who knows how that would’ve gone? Ultimately you could make a strong argument for Fried to be higher on any list like this, but it’s really difficult to know what would’ve happened in that 1993 season had he not been forced to sit out.

6. Kirk Mammen

Mammen is not quite the household name in wrestling that some of the others on this list are, but the four-time All-American heavyweight gets the #6 spot for holding that distinction. In one of the greatest sports dynasties of all time in Oklahoma State wrestling, the program has produced countless All-Americans, NCAA champs, team titles, Olympians, etc. — but have only managed 14 four-time All-Americans, and Mammen is one of those 14. 

7. Randy Couture

Couture is a bit better known for his life after wrestling, in MMA and on TV, but he was the real deal at OSU. A two-time NCAA finalist, a three-time All-American, and a multiple-time Greco World team member, Couture was a big piece of the program during his time at OSU. He still holds the single-season record at OSU for most matches.

8. Todd Chesbro

Chesbro was a three-time All-American for the Cowboys in the late ’80s/early ’90s and finished as runner-up at the NCAA tournament in 1992. He’s still currently in the top 10 at OSU for single-season wins with 38 in 1990. His dad was Tommy Chesbro, the OSU head coach before Seay.

9. Chuck Barbee

Barbee was another three-time All-American at OSU with two top-three finishes in 1990 and 1991. He was also a Big 12 champ and similar to Chesbro, sits just inside the top 10 on OSU’s single-season win list with 39. He’s currently the NCAA wrestling rules secretary and a former West Point head coach.

10. Mike Farrell

Seay did not shy away from competition as almost all of these guys hold some sort of record for most matches won or competed in. Farrell, in particular, is the career record holder for most matches competed in at OSU with 169 and third in overall wins behind only Alex Dieringer and John Smith. He was a three-time All-American with NCAA tournament finishes of fourth, fifth, and third, and a one-time Big 8 champ as well.

Seth Duckworth is a Stillwater-based writer who covers Oklahoma State University wrestling for Pistols Firing Blog, the best OSU news and community site on the internet. Follow Seth on Twitter.