Reliving Andy Matter's dominant final year for Penn State Wrestling.

Andy Matter wasn’t just a dominating wrestler, he was a force of nature.

Prior to him setting foot in Happy Valley, the Penn State Wrestling program had crowned a total of six individual NCAA champions in program history. And no Nittany Lion at that point had ever won more than one.

But that was about to change. And more importantly, the Penn State Wrestling faithful would see one of the first truly dominant Nittany Lion’s in program history.

Andy Matter Sophomore & Junior Years

In his first full-time season in 1970, Matter blew the doors off his first two foes to the tune of 21-4. Andy then proceeded to pin five of his next six opponents.

Heading into the 1970 EIWA Championships, Matter was a perfect 10-0 with five pins, and he outscored his opponents 57-13. And not surprisingly, Andy chewed through the competition at the EIWA’s to take home his first conference title.

Matter continued his dominance with a 16-1 win in the opening round of the 1970 NCAA Championships. But in his next match against Oklahoma State’s John Lightner, Andy was a little too confident in his skills.

Up 8-0 in the third period and in bottom position, Matter tried to go into cruise control. But this backfired as Lightner caught him in a bad position. Matter’s back was eventually turned to the mat, and his run in the 1970s NCAA Championships was over.

Two things never happened after that match: Matter vowed to never be cocky and Matter never lost an NCAA Championship match again.

In Andy’s sophomore year he rolled through the competition in both the regular season and in the 1971 EIWA Championships. In the 167 pound finals, Matter faced Lehigh’s super talented wrestler, Steve Shields. Andy got the better of Shields 5-3, but it wouldn’t be the last time these two faced each other that season.

Following Andy’s second EIWA Conference title, he participated in a Regional qualifier and once again Steve Shields stood across the mat from him.

But this time Shields was the lone man standing at the center of the mat after his 5-2 decision win.

The loss fueled Matter, and he proceeded to lay waste to all opponents in the 1971 NCAA Championships. The only foe to not allow Matter to score double digits against them was Andy’s semifinal match against Illinois State’s Eric Bates (6-0).

Matter punched his ticket to his first-ever NCAA finals, and who would be his counterpart? Yep, it was Steve Shields.

The meeting marked the third straight weekend the rivals would lock horns. And the match did not disappoint.

The score was locked at 5-5 following regulation, so it was on to overtime. And in overtime, neither grappler could land the deciding takedown. With both warriors gasping for air after giving everything they had, it was Andy Matter’s hand that was raised following the referee’s decision.

The three electric matches between Matter and Shields in back-to-back-to-back weekends in 1971 were the first and only times these two would ever face each other in college.

Andy Matter Senior Year for Penn State Wrestling

Record: 21-0
Superior Decisions: 3
Falls: 7
Bonus Percentage: 47.6%

I realize it’s hard to believe, but Andy Matter’s senior year put his prior two seasons to shame.

Eight out of his first 11 matches in 1972 were won either by a pin or by superior decision.

Matter was a perfect 16-0 going into the 1972 NCAA Championships after winning his third straight EIWA title. Piling up a combined score of 28-4, Andy rolled through his three conference matches in College Park, Maryland. Simply put, no one was going to stop Andy Matter.

And after he put the finishing touches on a 6-2 decision win in the finals against Iowa State’s Keith Abens, Andy Matter put himself in rarified air. The win marked the first time a grappler had won two NCAA titles in the entire history of Penn State wrestling.

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The accomplishment cemented Matter as the best Nittany Lion at that point in program history to ever don the blue and white singlet.

Yes, did Matter “only” have a bonus point percentage of 47.6% his senior campaign? Yeah, but that doesn’t mean it wasn’t a completely dominant season.

In the 14 matches in which he didn’t record a fall, Matter outscored his opponents 107-25. Which is ridiculously dominant.

Andy finished his career with three EIWA titles, two NCAA titles, and a completely absurd winning percentage of 96.7%. Only Dick Lemyre (1952-1954) was close as he held a winning percentage 93.0%.

And sure, have Penn State fans seen some truly historic wrestlers in the past decade plus? Absolutely. But Andy Matter wasn’t just the best wrestler of the 1970’s for Penn State, he is unquestionably one of the top eight in program history.

To put things in perspective, a long-time fan of Nittany Lion Wrestling told me the following: “When we went to Rec Hall back in the early 70’s, it wasn’t a question of whether Andy would win. The only question was by HOW MUCH!”

That says it all.

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Chris Snyder

Penn State Wrestling Beat Reporter at NittanyCentral

Expertise: College Wrestling, College Football, Lays Chips
Education: Penn State University
Location: State College, PA

Even though he had no prior journalism experience, Chris has now covered Penn State Wrestling and Penn State Football for the past three years, including as the Penn State Wrestling Beat Writer for VictoryBellRings.com, part of the FanSided network.

And it's clear he also likes constant torture as he's been a PSU Basketball fan for way too long.

Several years back, Chris made the seamless transition from PGA Professional to computer programmer and thoroughly enjoys following and writing about all things related to Penn State sports during his spare time.

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