Wrestling will honor its past at the 75th annual Division I championships March 17-19 in St. Louis by unveiling an all-time anniversary team, while casting a concerned eye toward the future of the sport.

Legendary names such as Dan Gable, Stan Henson and Dan Hodge sprinkle the ballot on the National Wrestling Coaches Association Web site (www.nwcaonline. com), where fans can vote through January 12 on who belongs on college wrestling's elite team. The results will be released during a March 18 ceremony between the morning and afternoon sessions of the NCAA tournament.

The NCAA and NWCA collaborated on the idea, and wrestling historians narrowed the list down to 45 names split among three categories -- lightweight, middleweight and heavyweight. There are 15 wrestlers in each category, and the top five vote-receivers in each will have a place on the all-time team.

As with any sport, it is hard to compare eras, and there always will be debate about why someone was left off the ballot.

Jay Hammond, a graduate of Lehigh University and an avid follower of the sport since 1962, was the man who first began constructing the list of nominees.

"I originally had 80 names,'' said Hammond, who plans to release a book titled "The History of College Wrestling" next fall. "Anyone who was a three- or four-time champion was included on the (initial) list. Anyone who was a two-time champion and had some other recognition, such as being named the most outstanding wrestler or if they won 90 percent of their bouts, I included them on the list. I wasn't totally arbitrary. I used guidelines, and I didn't include anybody who was a one-time champion."

A committee of six people pared the nominees to the final groups.

"There were five three-time national champions who didn't make the cut,'' Hammond said.

Grappling with debate

"What you have to do is not take this too seriously,'' said Mike Chapman, the executive director of the International Wrestling Institute and Museum in Newton, Iowa. "People on the committee can't, and the fans can't. It's just a good point for people to discuss the sport they love.''

Chapman was chosen to serve on the committee because of his resume, which includes attending 36 NCAA championships and writing 12 books on the sport. He also has talked at length with some of the top wrestlers and coaches through eras dating back to the early days when the NCAA first sponsored wrestling.

"If you want to make this a precise science, you can't,'' Chapman said. "If your viewpoint is to have fun, create excitement about the sport and get people talking in friendly debates, this is a way to do it.''

The NWCA is pleased with the attention this project has sparked.

"The feedback has been tremendous,'' said Pat Tocci, the director of administration and public relations for the NWCA. "It has generated a lot of interest within the wrestling community. It's been talked about on forums, and we've received a lot of e-mails.''

Every two weeks, the ballot on the NWCA Web site changes categories. Everyone involved in the project knows fans are likely to vote for the men they've seen in person. This might not bode well for pioneers of the sport who competed before World War II.

"Stan Henson, by most people, is considered to be the greatest wrestler in the pre-war period,'' Hammond said. "But I'm sure most people haven't a clue as to who Stan Hansen is. They can see his record, but they will likely vote for someone with name recognition. It's like any other sort of election. Even if we put in their credentials, people will vote for the names they recognize. They just don't know about the other wrestlers.''

Looking ahead

Honoring the past has been a positive for all who support wrestling at all levels. However, there is concern about the future because of the number of institutions that have cut programs in recent years. Some cite wrestling programs as victims in institutional efforts to comply with Title IX, while others say tightening budgets have had a negative impact on nonrevenue or Olympic sports.

"Title IX has made a big dent in (wrestling sponsorship),'' said Ron Good, the editor of the Amateur Wrestling News. "A lot of colleges have dropped the sport, but there is a woman (Audrey Pang) who is wrestling at Princeton at 125 pounds. You have women wrestling in the Olympics. I think the sport is strong when you look down to the high schools.''

But many in the college wrestling community are concerned about the welfare of the sport on college campuses.

"We've never had more postgraduates staying around to wrestle,'' Chapman said. "We're extremely successful in the high schools and junior highs. Only at the college level is it down. It's Title IX, plain and simple. Title IX was desperately needed in the 1970s. Women weren't getting a fair shake then. This is not about men vs. women. It's about simply saying that you can't drop programs for any reason without exploring every single option.

"The fewer men's programs there are means there are fewer necessities for women's programs, because Title IX demands the numbers be equal."

The NWCA sued the U.S. Department of Education in 2002, challenging the proportionality prong of Title IX. The lawsuit, which eventually was dismissed, claimed a 1996 ruling prompted colleges and universities to discriminate against men's teams.

The heightened attention to Title IX, though, prompted the appointment of a national Commission on Opportunity in Athletics, which held several "town-hall" meetings during which the effects of Title IX on college sports were debated.

In July 2003, the U.S. Department of Education ended more than a year of speculation about potential changes to Title IX when it announced that it was committed to a policy of "continuing the progress that Title IX has brought toward true equality of opportunity for male and female student-athletes in America."

The statement also said that the Department of Education would view the elimination of men's teams as a "disfavored practice" for achieving Title IX compliance. No changes were made to the current three-pronged test for Title IX compliance.

Since then, the NCAA and the United States Olympic Committee have combined to form a task force to address the enhancement of Olympic sports. That group's final recommendations are expected within the next year.

Chapman said he understands the challenges ahead.

"Again, this is not men vs. women," Chapman said. "I have two daughters, and Dan Gable has four daughters, and no one is saying women shouldn't have equal opportunity. We just think the way to get there isn't to drop men's sports. That's all we're saying.

"It's going to take enlightened leadership at the NCAA level to stop the carnage.''

On the Ballot

Lightweight (top five vote-receivers will be selected)

• Rick Sanders, Portland State University (1965-68) -- two-time NCAA champion, 103-2 with 46 falls at 115 pounds.

• Elliott "Gray'' Simons, Lock Haven University of Pennsylvania (1959-62) -- three-time NCAA champion, 91-2 at 115 pounds.

• Gene Mills, Syracuse University (1977-81) -- two-time NCAA champion, 144-5-1 with 107 falls at 118 pounds.

• Rex Perry, Oklahoma State University (1933-35) -- three-time NCAA champion at 118 pounds.

• Dave Auble, Cornell University (1958-60) -- two-time NCAA champion, 51-1 with 18 falls at 123 pounds.

• Ed Peery, University of Pittsburgh (1955-57) -- three-time NCAA champion at 123 pounds.

• Stephen Abas, California State University, Fresno (1998-02) -- three-time NCAA champion, 144-4 with 32 falls at 132 pounds.

• Dwayne Keller, Oklahoma State University (1968-70-71) -- two-time NCAA champion, 64-1 with 13 falls at 126 pounds.

• Randy Lewis, University of Iowa (1978-81) -- two-time NCAA champion, 127-11-1 with 64 falls at 126 pounds.

• Yojiro Uetake, Oklahoma State University (1964-66) -- three-time NCAA champion, 57-0 with 11 falls at 130 pounds.

• Tom Brands, University of Iowa (1989-92) -- three-time NCAA champion, 158-7-2 with 46 falls at 134 pounds.

• John Smith, Oklahoma State University (1984-88) -- two-time NCAA champion, 157-7-2 with 40 falls at 134 pounds.

• Dan Gable, Iowa State University (1968-70) -- two-time NCAA champion, 96-1 with 72 falls at 137 pounds.

• Myron Roderick, Oklahoma State University (1954-56) -- three-time NCAA champion, 28-2, with seven falls at 137 pounds.

• Mike Caruso, Lehigh University (1965-67) -- three-time NCAA champion, 57-1, with six falls at 123 pounds.

Middleweight (top five vote-receivers will be named)

• Wayne Martin, University of Oklahoma (1934-36) -- three-time NCAA champion, 39-2 with 21 falls at 145 pounds.

• Stan Henson, Oklahoma State University (1937-39) -- three-time NCAA champion, 33-1 at 155 pounds.

• Bill Koll, University of Northern Iowa (1943, 1946-48) -- three-time NCAA champion, 37-0 with 15 falls at 145 pounds.

• Bill Nelson, University of Northern Iowa (1947-50) -- three-time NCAA champion at 155 pounds.

• Tommy Evans, University of Oklahoma (1951-54) -- two-time NCAA champion, 42-1 with 20 falls at 147 pounds.

• Wade Schalles, Clarion University of Pennsylvania (1971-74) -- two-time NCAA champion, with 106 falls at 158 pounds.

• Lee Kemp, University of Wisconsin, Madison (1975-78) -- three-time NCAA champion, 143-6-1 with 47 falls at 158 pounds.

• Mark Churella, University of Michigan (1976-79) -- three-time NCAA champion with 41 falls at 167 pounds.

• Nate Carr, Iowa State University (1980-83) -- three-time NCAA champion, 122-17-1 at 150 pounds.

• Darryl Burley, Lehigh University (1979-83) -- two-time NCAA champion, 94-5-1 with 33 falls at 142 pounds.

• Jimmy Zalesky, University of Iowa (1981-84) -- three-time NCAA champion, 131-8-1 with 26 falls at 158 pounds.

• Tim Krieger, Iowa State University (1986-89) -- two-time NCAA champion, 116-3-2 at 150 pounds.

• Pat Smith, Oklahoma State University (1990-94) -- four-time NCAA champion, 121-5-2 with 30 falls at 158 pounds.

• Lincoln McIlravy, University of Iowa (1993-97) -- three-time NCAA champion, 96-3 with 12 falls at 150 pounds.

• Cary Kolat, Pennsylvania State University and Lock Haven University of Pennsylvania (1993-97) -- two-time NCAA champion, 111-7 with 53 falls at 142 pounds.

• Joe Williams, University of Iowa (1994-98) -- three-time NCAA champion, 129-9 with 20 falls at 158 pounds.

Heavyweight (top five vote-receivers will be named)

• Ed Banach, University of Iowa (1980-83) -- three-time NCAA champion, 141-9-1 with 73 falls at 177 pounds.

• Chris Campbell, University of Iowa (1974-77) -- two-time NCAA champion, 121-5-4 with 22 falls at 177 pounds.

• Dick DiBattista, University of Pennsylvania (1941-43) -- two-time NCAA champion, 37-0 at 175 pounds.

• Carlton Haselrig, University of Pittsburgh, Johnston (1986-89) -- three-time NCAA champion, 143-3-1 at heavyweight.

• Dan Hodge, Oklahoma State University (1955-57) -- three-time NCAA champion, 46-0 with 36 falls at 177 pounds.

• Dick Hutton, Oklahoma State University (1947-50) -- three-time NCAA champion, 42-1-1 with 15 falls at heavyweight.

• Jess Lewis, Oregon State University (1968-70) -- two-time NCAA champion, 76-1 with 50 falls at heavyweight.

• Mark Lieberman, Lehigh University (1975-79) -- two-time NCAA champion, 85-6 with 43 falls at 177 pounds.

• Stephen Neal, California State University, Bakersfield (1996-98) -- two-time NCAA champion, 153-9 with 71 falls at heavyweight.

• Cael Sanderson, Iowa State University (1999-02) -- four-time NCAA champion, 159-0 with 61 falls at 184 pounds.

• Mark Schultz, University of California, Los Angeles, and University of Oklahoma (1979-83) -- three-time NCAA champion, 97-15 at 177 pounds.

• Chris Taylor, Iowa State University (1972-73) -- two-time NCAA champion, 87-0-1 with 44 falls at heavyweight.

• Earl McCready, Oklahoma State University (1928-30)-- the first three-time NCAA champion at heavyweight.

• Greg Strobel, Oregon State University (1971-74) -- two-time NCAA champion, 124-5-1 with 43 falls at 190 pounds.

• Kurt Angle, Clarion University of Pennsylvania (1988-92) -- two-time NCAA champion, 116-10-2 at 175 pounds.

• Ben Peterson, Iowa State University (1970-72) -- two-time NCAA champion, 74-4 with 24 falls at 190 pounds.