The Full Tilt Podcast

Bill Scherr - Saving Olympic Wrestling :: Ep 14 The Full Tilt Podcast

World champion, Olympic medalist, and finance executive Bill Scherr joins the show for a deep dive into one of the most fascinating careers in wrestling history. Bill shares how baling hay in rural South Dakota built his strength, why Randy Lewis changed what South Dakota kids believed was possible, and how Nebraska went from “death’s door” to national trophy contender. He breaks down Soviet dominance, Iranian passion for the sport, training under legends like Dan Gable and Jay Robinson, and the brutal art of “Red Flag Days.” Bill also talks about his success in both freestyle and Greco, moving up to 220 for the good of Team USA, coaching the women’s national team, and chairing the global effort that brought wrestling back into the Olympic Games. If you love old-school war stories, high-level strategy, and big-picture thinking about the future of wrestling, this one’s loaded front to back. Timestamps: 02:13 Growing up in Mobridge, South Dakota, big family, farm work 05:34 South Dakota wrestling culture, influence of Randy Lewis 07:52 Rapid City dual: Randy pins Alexiev, arena explodes 10:09 How youth wrestling has evolved with better training and media 13:52 Choosing Nebraska, Lewis family connection, rebuilding the program 16:20 “Murderers Row” at Nebraska and comeback dual wins 17:29 College rivals: Pete Bush, Ed Banach, classic matches 21:13 Dan Gable stories and the congratulatory letter after 1985 worlds 22:18 Dave Schultz’s curiosity, learning from everyone, Book of Five Rings 25:48 Jay Robinson, visualization, and “fatigue is your friend” 27:39 Red Flag Days and training to get tired 32:03 1981: four national finals in a few weeks (AAU vs USWF) 38:24 Greco success, Frazier, Hauck, and choosing freestyle 47:11 Wrestling the Soviets: strength, systems, regional styles 52:03 Iranians, politics, and the 1985 world final medal stand story 55:57 Moving up to 220 so his brother and Mark Schultz could all make teams 58:28 Never cutting weight and advice to parents on weight cutting 1:07:07 Goodwill Games buzzer-beater and immediate jump to Goldman Sachs 1:13:08 Coaching at Indiana and Northwestern, Herbert and Fox 1:14:21 Coaching the U.S. women’s team and early growth of women’s wrestling 1:18:15 Tricia Saunders’ impact and resistance to women wrestling 1:24:58 Chairing the effort to save Olympic wrestling (CPOW) 1:27:52 How wrestling got dropped and then brought back to the Olympics 1:33:19 What wrestling must fix: rules, challenges, TV product 1:38:36 Funny Mark Manning story: selling blood for spring break If you enjoy this episode, hit subscribe, drop a comment with your favorite story, and tell us which wrestling legend you want to hear from next! www.thefulltiltpodcast.com

Randy Couture - Blueprint of a Fight Legend :: Ep 13 The Full Tilt Podcast

UFC Hall of Famer and Olympic Greco-Roman standout Randy “The Natural” Couture sits down for a deep-dive into the journey behind the legend. From wrestling for the U.S. Army in the Cold War era to battling on the NCAA stage, chasing Olympic dreams, and pioneering MMA game-planning, Randy shares the untold stories that shaped his career and life. He talks about discovering Greco by accident, training alongside icons at Oklahoma State, wild international tours in communist Europe and Cuba, the infamous “experiment” Alexander Karelin, transitioning into the UFC, and why wrestling is still the ultimate foundation for fighting.  If you’re into wrestling, MMA, or high-performance mindset, this is a masterclass in resilience, problem-solving, and trusting the process.  Timed Highlights  00:00 – Cold open  03:30 – Joining the Army, becoming an air traffic controller, and rediscovering wrestling  10:00 – Accidentally entering Greco and winning his first Greco tournament  17:00 – Making the All-Army team and discovering how big combative sports are in the military  24:00 – The wild 1988 military worlds in Palermo and armored-car rides through Sicily  32:00 – Choosing Oklahoma State, recruiting visit with Sheets and coon hunting in Stillwater  40:00 – Big duals, Iowa–Oklahoma State rivalries, and wrestling Don Frye for a lineup spot  47:30 – World-level Greco years, rivalries with Mike Foy and Steve Klock, and Pan Am stories  56:00 – Training and living with Marines, Navy, and Army wrestlers; real poverty in Cuba  1:03:00 – Discovering the early UFC on VHS and recognizing Don Frye in the cage  1:10:00 – Working with Rico Ciparelli and RAW, integrating wrestling into MMA game plans  1:18:00 – Why Greco is the best base for MMA and learning to fight off the cage  1:26:00 – The James Toney fight, reviving the low single, and using “John Smith” tactics in MMA  1:34:00 – How setbacks (NCAA and Olympic trials) led to a bigger path than he imagined  1:42:00 – Faith, timing, mentors, and the small “corner” that really matters  If you enjoy this episode, hit subscribe, drop a comment with your favorite story, and tell us which wrestling legend you want to hear from next!  www.thefulltiltpodcast.com

Doug Schwab - Room Wars and Panther Train :: Ep 12 The Full Tilt Podcast

Doug Schwab joins the Full Tilt Podcast for a deep dive into Iowa wrestling culture, his days under Dan Gable, the brutal “I quit” practices, making World and Olympic teams, and building the Panther Train at UNI. Doug shares real coaching gold on culture, competition, and what it means to raise tough, grounded kids in the sport. From small-town Osage roots and legendary rivalries, to Iowa’s dynasty rooms and the Olympic stage, Doug opens up about faith, failure, loyalty, and how he’s now guiding the next generation—including his own sons. Timed Highlights 0:00 Opening story: the infamous “I quit” practice with Ironside 1:11 Full Tilt intro and welcoming Doug Schwab 1:27 Doug on living the wrestling lifestyle year-round 2:02 UNI’s wrestling room and making the most of what you have 4:39 Growing up Schwab in Osage, Iowa 5:23 What Iowa high school wrestling and “the Barn” felt like 8:23 Small-town rivalries and heated New Hampton–Osage battles 13:33 Transitioning into the Gable–Zalesky era at Iowa 15:03 First Iowa practice: getting destroyed by Ironside 18:10 Life inside the Iowa practice room and “rite of passage” beatdowns 20:18 The toughest guys Doug ever wrestled in the room 23:38 Real Pro Wrestling era and battles with Chris Bono 26:01 Learning to use rivals and emotions as fuel, not poison 29:50 Why relationships matter more than wins and losses 32:16 Taking over at UNI: coming in “hot and hard” as a young head coach 34:01 Early Panther guys who bought in and changed the program 38:18 How UNI built All-Americans and national champs like Drew Foster 40:39 Coaching philosophy: loyalty, development, and culture over credentials 42:39 The West Gym to MAT Club transition and keeping the team together 47:39 Filling McLeod, embracing growth, and honoring the West Gym 50:30 Doug as a dad: raising wrestlers without burning them out 56:33 Gap years, emotional maturity, and long-term development 1:02:03 Letting kids struggle and not “rescuing” them too early 1:08:30 Balancing dad vs. coach and playing the long game 1:18:04 Parker Keckeisen’s work ethic and impact on UNI 1:24:39 Building a staff that truly aligns with program values 1:33:18 What Doug wants his athletes to leave UNI with 2:03:40 Doug on pouring back into the sport and being in Iowa 2:08:30 Closing: friendship, gratitude, and the future of Panther Train If you enjoy this episode, hit subscribe, drop a comment with your favorite story, and tell us which wrestling legend you want to hear from next! www.thefulltiltpodcast.com

Ben Askren - Reinventing Wrestling :: Ep 11 The Full Tilt Podcast

Ben Askren sits down in his Wisconsin home to unpack how he reinvented wrestling, from basement mats and reluctant partners to NCAA dominance and world‑level technique. He breaks down scrambling’s evolution, the balance between family and coaching, why passion beats early results in recruiting, and how to keep kids hungry for the sport without burning them out. Chapters 2:00 – The birth of the PNL league during COVID and its purpose 3:40 – No year‑round clubs, basement mats, and inventing “funk” out of necessity 6:30 – Letting partners almost score and teaching himself to scramble 8:40 – Illegal off‑season training with his high school coach and leveling up 10:20 – Why scrambling may decline and the rise of clean, efficient attacks 11:50 – Suits, briefcases, message boards, and antagonizing the crowd 13:40 – Chasing the takedown record and turning hate into fuel 18:20 – Building multi‑step systems and staying two moves ahead 22:20 – Updating his game today and importing new techniques for his athletes 23:50 – Coaching Evan Wick: stubbornness, cardio, and fixing real weaknesses 27:10 – Practice as a puzzle, not a script, and keeping kids engaged 31:30 – Empowering athletes to figure things out on their own 35:20 – The problem with year‑round youth grind and over‑coaching 37:30 – Who should really go Division I and why love for the sport matters most 39:40 – Choosing Missouri, buying into Coach Smith, and building a contender 41:50 – Dominant NCAA runs and being obsessed with bonus points 44:10 – Calling out lazy recruiting: results vs. passion and trajectory 50:40 – The best wrestlers Ben ever felt and the hidden training partner who beat him up If you enjoy this episode, hit subscribe, drop a comment with your favorite story, and tell us which wrestling legend you want to hear from next! www.thefulltiltpodcast.com

Dennis Hall - Greco Legend :: Ep 10 The Full Tilt Podcast

Hatch sits down with Greco-Roman legend Dennis Hall for a raw look at one of the most intense careers in American wrestling. Hall talks about walking away from a full-ride at Wisconsin to chase Greco, going from 0–5 at early World events to World Champion, and the mindset work that helped him handle doubt, pressure, and pain. He opens up about losing his brother and how that tragedy fueled his run to a 1995 World title, the heartbreak of the 1996 Olympic final in Atlanta, grinding through construction work and Home Depot while chasing another team, and the now-legendary 17-minute overtime war with Brandon Paulson at the 2004 Olympic Trials. If you care about Greco, toughness, or what it really takes to chase greatness, this episode is for you. Timed Highlights: 0:00 Opening story and intro to Dennis Hall 2:03 Why US Greco is struggling and who dominates it worldwide 8:47 Leaving Wisconsin and going all-in on Greco 15:20 Early World struggles, 0–5 start, and Dan Chandler’s mindset talk 24:41 First World medal in 1994 and learning to “take it out of the refs’ hands” 39:57 1995 World title run and winning gold on criteria 47:39 Losing his brother, quitting wrestling, and coming back for him 52:31 Building toward the 1996 Olympics and training with foreign hammers 1:02:42 Atlanta matches, rib injury, and making the Olympic final 1:08:30 1996 Olympic final, controversial lift, and living with silver 1:20:55 Working construction and staying elite while broke 1:22:06 Home Depot, John Bartis sponsorship, and one last Olympic push 1:28:21 Dropping a weight for 2004 and proving doubters wrong 1:36:53 17-minute overtime war with Brandon Paulson at the 2004 Trials 1:40:03 The winning takedown, celebration, and respect between two rivals If you enjoy this episode, hit subscribe, drop a comment with your favorite story, and tell us which wrestling legend you want to hear from next! www.thefulltiltpodcast.com