Stan Abel
The late Stan Abel was a standout wrestler and coach. He placed third at state as a Senior at Putnam City and went on to wrestle at the University of Oklahoma. As a Sooner, he won the NCAA National Championship twice and was an All-American three times as an individual wrestler. He was also a Big-8 Champion twice and his team won the NCAA National Championship in the 1959-60 season. He came back to coach at Putnam City, but quickly climbed the ranks and became the head coach of the Sooners, where he remained at the helm for over twenty years. He coached them to another National Championship in the 1973-74 season. Abel was inducted into the National Wrestling Hall of Fame in 1990.
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3rd at State (Senior)
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Continued Career at the University of Oklahoma
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Member of NCAA National Runner-Up Team (1955-56)
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Member of 2 Big 8 Championship Teams (1955-56, 1956-57)
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Member of 2 NCAA National Championship Teams (1956-57, 1959-60)
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3x Letter Winner for the Sooner (1957-58, 1958-59, 1959-60)
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3x NCAA All-American (1957-58, 1958-59, 1959-60)
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3x All-Big 8 Conference (1957-58, 1958-59, 1959-60)
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2x Big 8 Conference Champion (1958-59, 1959-60)
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2x NCAA National Champion (1958-59, 1959-60)
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Big 8 Wrestler of the Year (1959-60)
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Member of Big 8 Championship Team (1959-60)
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Went on to Coach at Putnam City, Ohio, Cincinnati and Oklahoma
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State Coach of the Year (1962-63)
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Coached Putnam City to a State Runner-Up Finish (1962-63)
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Coached Cincinnati to winning the MAC Championship (1969-70)
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Coached OU To Winning the NCAA National Championship (1973-74)
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Amateur Wrestling News Man of the Year (1973-74)
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Coach of NCAA Runners-Up (1974-75, 1980-81, 1984-85, 1985-86)
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3x Big 8 Coach of the Year (1980-81, 1984-85, 1985-86)
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Coached OU to the Big 8 Championship 3 Times (1980-81, 1984-85, 1985-86)
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National Coach of the Year (1984-85)
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Inducted into the National Wrestling Hall of Fame (1990)
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OU’s All-Time Winningest Coach
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