Northwestern University Athletics
1999 Midlands Millennium Wrestling Tournament Notables
12/23/1999 12:00:00 AM | Wrestling
Dec. 23, 1999
EVANSTON, Ill. - Midlands Notables:
? The 7,000th Midlands competitor will step on the mat in the 1999 event. 6,983 entered the tournament in its history, and 231 have won Midlands titles. A special gift will be presented to number 7,000.
? Dan Gable will be coaching one of the favored teams, the Hawkeye Wrestling Club, and if they should win they will become just the second wrestling club to win the team title. The Sunkist Kids Wrestling Club won in 1984, 1987 and 1988.
? Joe Williams will be representing the Hawkeye Wrestling Club and is moving toward some very special categories. If he wins, it will be his sixth straight title, and only two have done that ? his coach, Gable, and Bruce Baumgartner. Joe can also tie Dan?s 31 straight Midlands wins with five consecutive victories.
? The brother combination continues as Joe?s younger brother (T.J.) and older brother (Steve) are also scheduled to compete. T.J. has a fifth place and a championship after his second Midlands, the same as Joe after his first two. Steve is still looking for his first Midlands medal. The three Sandersons (Iowa State) look to have another good year in 1999. They placed first (Cael), second (Cole), and sixth (Cody) in last year's meet and may improve on that as a family in the Millennium.
? Steve Neal, the heavyweight champion in 1996, 1997 and 1998, became the 10th man in history to join the Midlands Triple Crown Class. The wrestlers in this category have won a Midlands, an NCAA Division I title, and a World or Olympic gold medal. This fall, Steve won the 1999 World title in Ankara, Turkey, and he will be the favorite for the 2000 Olympic championship which would give him the Grand Slam (Midlands, NCAA, World, Olympic). This week, however, Neal is recovering from minor surgery and will not compete in the Midlands Millennium meet.
? The Midlands Millennium logo was created by the Optima Group, a distinguished design firm that has won many awards for their work. The logo captures the passage of time past, present and future with its hourglass design.
