Hatch sits down with wrestling legend Lee Kemp to unpack his journey from adopted kid and benched basketball player to three-time NCAA champion and three-time World Champion. Lee tells how he discovered wrestling almost by accident, became obsessed with Dan Gable at a 1972 camp, and then shocked the sport by beating Gable at 18 years old.

He shares stories of turning Wisconsin into a national powerhouse, surviving brutal World Team Trials, winning his first World title, and the lifelong impact of the 1980 Olympic boycott on his identity and purpose. This is a raw, honest look at obsession, mental toughness, and the cost of chasing greatness.

If you care about wrestling, mindset, or what it really takes to chase greatness, this episode is a masterclass.

0:00:00 – Opening stories, Full Tilt intro, and why Lee Kemp is a wrestling legend

0:08:00 – Adoption, move from Cleveland to rural Chardon, outsider experiences, and accidentally finding wrestling after riding the bench in basketball

0:20:00 – The 1972 Dan Gable camp: obsession with Gable, copying his training, and deciding to go “all in” on wrestling

0:32:00 – High school breakthrough: upsetting the defending state champ, building belief, and the win that changed his career trajectory

0:45:00 – College years: almost going to Michigan State, choosing Wisconsin, and helping turn the Badgers into a national contender with multiple NCAA champs

0:58:00 – From NCAA star to World Team contender: the OW “snub,” getting talked into the World Team Trials, and battling Joe Carr and Dave Schultz in the mini-tournament

1:10:00 – Making the 1978 World Team: nine matches in four days at altitude, brutal Gable-led training camps, and the lead-up to Mexico City Worlds

1:20:00 – Winning his first World title, international rivalries, and how a deeper sense of purpose drove Lee beyond medals and records

1:30:00 – The 1980 Olympic boycott: feeling like a death in the family, losing the chance to become Olympic champion, and learning to live with a “stolen” dream as a three-time World Champion

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Four-time All-American and two-time NCAA champion Mark Ironside sits down with longtime friend and former roommate Mike Hatcher to go deep on legendary Cedar Rapids rivalries, wild college house stories, brutal Iowa wrestling room battles, and what it was really like under Dan Gable and Tom and Terry Brands. From packed Prairie–Jefferson duals to Olympic memories in Atlanta, this episode is a masterclass in toughness, loyalty, and the evolution of Hawkeye wrestling culture.

Timed Highlights
0:03:30 – Growing up minutes apart in Cedar Rapids but on opposite sides of the rivalry line
0:06:00 – Prairie vs Jefferson: sold-out gyms, fire marshals, and presold duel tickets
0:09:40 – Respect between rivals and training together before the state tournament
0:11:00 – The tiny, overheated Prairie wrestling room and Ironside’s first rope climbs at Iowa
0:16:50 – Academic roadblocks, floods, and almost walking away from college wrestling
0:22:20 – Legendary house chaos: tree climbs, couch on the roof, and police visits
0:27:00 – Being the sober guy in a party house and getting hit with disorderly house tickets
0:31:00 – Wrestling Gable after practice and the “drowning on bottom” feeling
0:35:30 – The neck brace story: the one time Ironside cracks Gable and pays for it
0:37:45 – Tom Brands’ 42-minute lifting circuits: the hardest workouts of Ironside’s life
0:45:15 – Mental toughness: training the mind to outlast the final 30 seconds of a match
0:49:50 – How getting dismantled by Tom and Terry led Ironside to self-teach the low single
0:54:00 – Jeff McGinnis, nerves, and the match that almost broke Ironside in high school
0:58:40 – Why you can’t put Iowa-style wrestling in a box as a coach
1:01:50 – Lincoln McIlravy as “the inventor” and techniques nobody else could copy
1:05:10 – The self-directed Gable room: “first one to get tired gets a drink”
1:09:20 – Gable’s philosophy: why he didn’t micromanage practices
1:16:50 – Driving to the 95 Worlds and 96 Olympics
1:22:30 – Watching Tom Brands win Olympic gold in Atlanta from the front row
1:24:36 – College rivals: Steve Schmidt, St. John, and learning from heartbreaking losses
1:35:25 – Why “nice” doesn’t win matches
1:38:15 – Tom Brands, Doug Schwab, and punching holes in office walls after a Penn State loss
1:43:55 – Remembering teammates and friends, and what the Hawkeye brotherhood means now

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Former CBU All-American and alum Nolan Kessler joins the Full Tilt Podcast to break down the decision by California Baptist University to cut its Division I wrestling program along with two other men’s sports. Nolan explains why this is more than just one team being dropped: it’s part of a national trend threatening Olympic sports and first-generation college opportunities.

He shares powerful stories of lives changed through wrestling, the fast-growing movement behind Keep CBU Wrestling, and how alumni, coaches, and community members are rallying to raise $20 million and secure a long-term endowment for the program. Nolan also addresses Title IX, the financial realities behind “revenue sports,” and why CBU has a unique chance to lead instead of follow the herd.

Timed Highlights:
0:00 The bigger problem: Olympic sports under attack
0:25 Introducing the Full Tilt Podcast and guest Nolan Kessler
1:02 How Nolan learned CBU was cutting three men’s programs
1:34 Building a 100-alumni coalition to keep CBU wrestling
3:30 The national trend of dropped wrestling programs (Fresno State, Stanford, others)
5:10 NIL, NCAA changes, and 44 discontinued Olympic programs in one year
6:40 Why “revenue sports” like football and basketball are putting schools in the red
8:30 CBU’s chance to lead instead of follow the herd
9:49 The crisis of only three Division I wrestling programs in all of California
11:44 What’s the plan? Awareness, fundraising, and building a coalition
11:48 Launching keepcbu.com and raising over $1 million in a month
13:48 How pledges work and why donors are protected if the effort fails
13:59 Inside CBU’s response: “The decision is final, no amount of money will change it”
16:13 Title IX as the stated reason and why the numbers don’t add up
18:40 Other paths to Title IX compliance and adding women’s sports
20:00 Timeline: pushing for talks before the NCAA wrestling tournament
20:17 The $20 million endowment goal and lessons from Stanford
21:35 Ensuring the program’s long-term future, not just a short-term save
22:03 Examples from Bucknell and Binghamton and big gifts after programs were saved
24:38 Other programs cut at CBU and building a united front with golf and swim & dive
26:51 Final call to action: why wrestling is a lifeline of opportunity
27:16 How to support: website, social media, donations, and sharing
29:05 Closing: why this fight matters for wrestling and all Olympic sports

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