UT's Forgotten Olympians

Hi SE -

I know Texas isn’t really part of the Southeast, but over the years I have had many discussions with people around the country (and specifically as it relates to SEC schools) about former institutions not recognizing past champions at their school. This has happened repeatedly across the Southeast where finding any mention of the accomplishments of wrestling programs is like finding a needle in a haystack. In fact - my conversations with the SEC main office has revealed that they don’t have records of part SEC Champions.

Those discussions led to the story of Ralph Hammonds - not only a multi-sport athlete at the University of Texas, but also a multiple time national Wrestling champion and Olympian.

Jonathan Wells has done quite a bit of digging on Hammonds and other UT athletes who are missing from UT list of all-time Olympians. It is an interesting story and one we need to share as much as possible. Check out the article on Burnt Orange Nation.