Mocco Makes 2008 Olympic Wrestling Team
Backes Places Fourth in Final Olympic Trials

When Steve Mocco (2001) scored a takedown against long-time rival Tommy Rowlands (The Ohio State University/Sunkist Kids) in the third match of a best of three series on June 15 in Las Vegas, wrestling fans from around the country applauded his efforts. That takedown cinched the final bout of the best of three series (1-0, 1-0; 0-3, 0-1; 1-0, 2-0) making Steve Mocco an Olympian.

…But

…But…there was one man in Las Vegas who witnessed the feat first-hand, and that was his high school coach Jeff Buxton. Buxton has been extremely instrumental in Steve’s career, so I decided to get a behind-the-scenes look into Steve Mocco by way of Coach Buxton.

To highlight Steve’s road to Beijing I asked Coach Buxton a few questions about Steve. But first some background on Mocco.

In high school Steve Mocco was a four-time National Prep champion and a three-time Asics/Vaughn Jr. National champion. In college he was a two-time NCAA champion and four-time NCAA finalist. Going into the 2008 Final Olympic Trials Mocco was a five-time national freestyle runner-up. Additional accolades in high school include the Dave Schulz Award, The Junior Hodge Trophy (awarded to the most dominant wrestler in high school), and being named Asics Wrestler of the Year. Internationally, Steve wrestles for the New York Athletic Club.


Coach Buxton on Steve Mocco:

QUESTION: What made you believe he could make a future Olympic team?

ANSWER:
“We are very proud of Steve's career thus far. He is arguably the greatest high school heavyweight of all time as he dominated all of his opponents from his sophomore season through his senior year. After winning his third junior national title we knew that he would be a force in college and internationally. He has always wanted to make an Olympic and world team.”

“Steve pushed hard to win the mini-tournament at the Final Olympic Trials. He then had to beat Tommy Rowlands, (a two-time NCAA champion and world team member), two out of three matches to make the team and he did just that. I have a lot of respect for Tommy (Rowlands) as he too trained hard and dedicated his life to the sport. Simply put, Tommy is a classy individual.”

QUESTION: What is one of your fondest memories of Steve at Blair?

ANSWER:
He made significant gains every year at Blair and as a junior he was ready for college competition. Steve has always been the ultimate warrior and one of the most feared heavyweights because of his grueling style and tremendous foot-sweeps. What I admired most about him at Blair was that he was a great teammate and always looked out for the underdog. He led by example and set the standard for his teammates. He was a person who help mold the culture at Blair in raising the bar up a level every time he stepped on the mat.”

QUESTION: Can you provide two or three defining moments in his career at Blair, in college, and on the international stage?

ANSWER:
“He has had numerous defining moments during his career and he has used them to push himself harder. One moment I recall internationally was when he lost at the Junior FILA World Team Trials, and on the following day he was back training like a madman. He did the same thing his freshman year in college (after he lost in the NCAA finals) and dedicated himself throughout the spring and summer to get ready for his sophomore season. He started the year off with a bang by defeating Olympic bronze medalist Garrett Lowney of Minnesota in dominant fashion. That win (over Lowney) paved the way for Steve’s great sophomore campaign. As we all know by now, he won his first NCAA title that year.”

QUESTION: What was it like to coach a kid like Steve? Did the other kids feed off of him?

ANSWER:
“There is no question about it that people feed off of Steve’s work ethic. Steve has laid the groundwork for others to follow. It has been a pleasure to watch Steve grow as an athlete, student and person…but more importantly he is now a great father and husband. “

“We wish him all the luck at the Olympic Games in Beijing and I am trying to get there to watch him. He is in an elite club—he is an Olympian,” said Jeff Buxton.

The Olympic Games run from August 8-24. Log onto www.NBCOlympics.com or www.themat.com to follow Steve Mocco in Beijing, China.

BACKES FINISHES FOURTH AT FINAL OLYMPIC TRIALS:
Kurt Backes (2002), a NCAA runner-up for Iowa State University, had a fine tournament and is developing into a fine freestyle wrestler. He finished as an Olympic alternate (finishing in fourth place at 211.5 lbs.) Look for Kurt on the international scene throughout the next Olympic cycle (2008-2012). Congratulations Kurt.

Please direct all questions and comments to buxtoj@blair.edu.