TripleB Posted November 6, 2014 Share Posted November 6, 2014 Hey everybody! I just finished up “We Are...MD! A History of Mater Dei Wrestling” and thought I would share my thoughts on it. Evansville Mater Dei is one of Indiana wrestling’s storied programs, and for years, the most shrouded in mystery. I’ve done the Evansville Semi State rankings for too long to remember and I can recall when you could not get any information on Mater Dei. This book does a great job of pulling back the curtain and inviting the reader into the Mater Dei realm. We Are MD! begins with a chronological, season-by-season history of its program. But it doesn’t just simply list wins, losses, and stats; it delves deeply into each season. Author John S. Johnson scoured 65 years of wrestling history and scored over 100 interviews with coaches and wrestlers. One of my favorite stories comes from the 2002-2003 season. Sam Wildeman commented, after losing at the Cincinnati SWOWCA tournament, how he took it on the chin from his uncles and family members at a family gathering. He had to endure their comments about how they spent all the money on hotels, travel, and food only to see him get stuck! Wildeman got his revenge as he proceeded on to win a state title that year, defeating a heavily favored Jimmy Schultz of Mishawaka in the semifinal at state. That is Mater Dei Wrestling. I enjoyed reading the chapter from when I was in school 95-98, and the historical 2003-2004 season. Due to work commitments I was unable to see the Maurer/Dolly match, considered by many to be the greatest state finals match of all time. The book brought that match to life. At the end, there is a section about Mater Dei's greatest dual matches. The 1999 Team State Finals comeback against Hobart is the greatest in IHSAA Team State history. What fun it was to relive that! The book ends with the State, IHSAA All Sports and National records held by Mater Dei. Additionally, it provides a Mater Dei dream team, annual award winners, all time dual meet records, individual state performances, etc. This book leaves no stone unturned. A fun nugget at the end of the book, is what I can only assume is a nod to the “Mater Dei Recruits” posters on Indianamat.com, is a list of Mater Dei Youth League Champions from 1983 to present day. Many familiar names are listed there. This just isn’t a book for Mater Dei fans. This book is a must for any fan of Indiana Wrestling. If you are reading this post, chances are this book is for you. Johnson has done a great job bringing you only Mater Dei wrestling but Indiana's tradition and growth in wrestling. We are MD! is a great way to get in the wrestling mood for the upcoming season! Triple B (Dustin Bentz, Madison Wrestling) MattM 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MattM Posted November 6, 2014 Share Posted November 6, 2014 Great summary. Reading it is on the top of my winter break to do list. I'm just wondering how TripleB got ahold of a coloring book edition, so that he could finish it so quickly. littlevito 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TripleB Posted November 6, 2014 Author Share Posted November 6, 2014 It was actually the cliff notes Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jayruss Posted November 6, 2014 Share Posted November 6, 2014 I didn't go to MD, but being from Evansville I am definitely familiar with their tradition. Their pride and class is second to none, and I will be purchasing this book. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SWINfan Posted November 7, 2014 Share Posted November 7, 2014 Got the book today. Now I have to read it before I give it to my dad for Xmas! Is that wrong? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
hook and half Posted December 20, 2014 Share Posted December 20, 2014 WFIE gave some nice coverage. Thanks, Mike Blake! https://www.facebook.com/video.php?v=744701942281324&set=vb.619018248183028&type=2&theater SWINfan 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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