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Penn State Wrestling: Best Nittany Lions to never win an NCAA title

By Chris Snyder

STATE COLLEGE, PA - JANUARY 31: A view of the sell out crowd cheering during a match between the Penn State Nittany Lions and the Michigan Wolverines on January 31, 2016 at Recreation Hall on the campus of Penn State University in State College, Pennsylvania. Penn State won 35-7. (Photo by Hunter Martin/Getty Images)
STATE COLLEGE, PA - JANUARY 31: A view of the sell out crowd cheering during a match between the Penn State Nittany Lions and the Michigan Wolverines on January 31, 2016 at Recreation Hall on the campus of Penn State University in State College, Pennsylvania. Penn State won 35-7. (Photo by Hunter Martin/Getty Images) /
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STATE COLLEGE, PA – JANUARY 31: Fans of the Penn State Nittany Lions cheer during a match against the Michigan Wolverines on January 31, 2016 at Recreation Hall on the campus of Penn State University in State College, Pennsylvania. Penn State won 35-7. (Photo by Hunter Martin/Getty Images)
STATE COLLEGE, PA – JANUARY 31: Fans of the Penn State Nittany Lions cheer during a match against the Michigan Wolverines on January 31, 2016 at Recreation Hall on the campus of Penn State University in State College, Pennsylvania. Penn State won 35-7. (Photo by Hunter Martin/Getty Images) /

No. 4

Dick Lemyre

Years: 1952-1954
Record: 40-3
Conf. Titles: 3
NCAA Finishes:
3rd (1952)
2nd (1953)

Dick Lemyre was a part of the talented and magical 1953 Penn State Wrestling Team. The first ever team to bring home a national championships trophy and banner to Rec Hall.

Lemyre was also one of the most dominant wrestlers in the nation in the early 50’s at the 130 pound weight class.

In his first eligible season (sophomore year), Lemyre was perfect through the regular season competition and took home his first conference title. His only blemish on the year happened in the semi-finals of the 1952 NCAA Championships. Lemyre then regrouped to win his next two matches to finish third.

The 1952-1953 year was very similar to his sophomore season. Lemyre blew through the regular season with a perfect record and won his second consecutive conference title. However this time his lone loss happened in the finals of the 1953 NCAA Championships as Lemyre fell to Michigan’s Norvard Nalan in a heartbreaker 7-5.

It’s never easy to lose in the final match of the NCAA’s. But in Dick Lemyre’s case, when the consolation prize is the team title, it makes it that much easier to get over it.

Which is seemingly what Lemyre was able to do. He dusted himself, pulled up his britches, and went to work his senior year exactly where he left off from the prior season. Lemyre snagged his third straight conference title and took yet another perfect record into the 1954 NCAA Championships.

And just like in his junior year, his last match of the year was a loss. But the bad news is that it happened in the quarter-finals. And back then the NCAA’s didn’t have the expansive consolation bracket that it does today.

So, Dick Lemyre’s season and Penn State Wrestling career ended with a DNP in the 1954 NCAA Championships. However, his accomplishments and record speak for themselves as he won all three conference titles and he finished his Nittany Lion career with only three total losses.

And even though Dick had a better overall record than his brother (Dick Lemyre -> 40-3 vs. Joe Lemyre -> 39-9-1), Joe I’m sure had the bragging rights later in life as he took home an individual title at 167 in the 1952 NCAA’s.

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