Snacks

This week's Snacks highlights the unique career of Carlton Haselrig — The KING of NCAA Titles.

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When it comes to NCAA titles, no one has more than Carlton Haselrig. Not even the great Carter Starocci (5 NCAA Titles). Granted, Carlton's national championships came across two combined NCAA divisions, and he had the opportunity to wrestle in seven NCAA national tournaments within a four-year span. But nonetheless, his path toward winning a total of 6 NCAA National Titles is a fascinating one and deserves to be recognized.

Born in 1966, in Johnstown, Pennsylvania, Haselrig’s path to wrestling greatness was anything but ordinary. His high school didn’t even have a wrestling team, so he never wrestled a regular high school season. Although he was introduced to the sport of wrestling as a child, he did not participate consistently and had no team to compete for in high school. That changed during his junior year, when a neighboring school needed a training partner for one of their top wrestlers. Haselrig filled the role and shocked everyone with how well he competed against one of the state’s top wrestlers. After seeing his potential, his high school petitioned the state to allow him to compete as a one-man squad beginning with the postseason district tournament his senior year. He went undefeated (10–0) and captured a Pennsylvania State Championship.

After high school, Haselrig began his collegiate career as a football player at Lock Haven, but a knee injury before the start of his freshman year prevented him from ever suiting up. During winter break, he transferred to his hometown school, the University of Pittsburgh at Johnstown (UPJ), which did not have a football team. His original plan was simply to take classes and rehab his knee, but that move set the stage for one of the most dominant runs in NCAA wrestling history as he found his way back to the mat. After finishing third at the 1986 NCAA Division II Championships as a freshman, Haselrig began his historic climb.

From 1987 to 1989, he pulled off something that has never been matched: three straight years of winning both the NCAA Division II and NCAA Division I National Championships. At the time, the rules allowed athletes from smaller schools like UPJ to compete in the Division I NCAA Championships, giving Haselrig the chance to prove himself against the best in the country—an opportunity he seized every single time.

In total, Haselrig won 6 NCAA titles (three DII, three DI) and never lost a match at the Division I tournament, going 15–0. He finished his collegiate career with a staggering 143–2–1 record and, at the time, held the NCAA record for a 122-match win streak. He even tallied a win against future 2X NCAA National Champion and Olympic gold medalist Kurt Angle.

After Haselrig’s run of NCAA titles, the Division I Wrestling Committee voted to rescind the bids to the Division II and III champions. This change no longer allowed the smaller divisions to compete at the Division I national tournament. At the time, UPJ head coach Pat Pecora explained: “People called it the ‘Haselrig Rule.’ The Division I coaches felt it was giving Division II and III schools a recruiting advantage because they got to go to both meets. They also didn’t like the Division II wrestlers having the opportunity to compete for Division I titles.”

The change ultimately solidified Haselrig’s legendary status, as the likelihood of anyone ever matching his six-title record is virtually impossible. However, thanks to extended eligibility during the COVID years, Carter Starocci came extremely close.

As amazing as his six NCAA wrestling titles were, perhaps even more remarkable was what came next. Despite never playing a single down of college football at UPJ, his athleticism couldn’t be ignored. At the urging of his coach, Pat Pecor, he held a pro day where four NFL scouts showed up. Every drill they put him through, he impressed them so much they asked him to repeat it—and each time he performed even better. Three teams considered signing him as a free agent, but the Pittsburgh Steelers went a step further and drafted him in the 12th round of the 1989 NFL Draft.

By 1992, he had developed into one of the NFL’s best offensive guards, earning a spot in the Pro Bowl and helping the Steelers to multiple playoff runs. He played five seasons in the league—four with the Steelers and one with the New York Jets.

Haselrig’s life after sports included coaching, mentoring, and even a brief stint in mixed martial arts. In 2016, he was inducted into the National Wrestling Hall of Fame as a Distinguished Member.

Carlton Haselrig’s story is fascinating. From not having a high school wrestling team—only competing his senior year and winning a state title—to having his football dreams cut short by injury, switching to wrestling, and winning an unprecedented six NCAA national titles. From never playing a single down of college football to becoming an NFL Pro Bowler, his journey is one of the most unique in sports history.

As his longtime coach Pat Pecora put it: “He is the best I ever coached — no doubt about it. If he wouldn’t have been drafted by the Steelers, I am convinced he would have been an Olympic champion. He is the best I have ever seen, especially given the circumstances that he really didn’t have that much wrestling background. It’s hard for me to imagine how good he could have been.”

Unfortunately, Haselrig passed away on July 22, 2020, in Johnstown, Pennsylvania, at the age of 54. His death marked the loss of one of the most unique and accomplished athletes in NCAA history. There may never be another like Carlton Haselrig, and his record of 6 NCAA national championships will most likely never be broken.

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