Santana Credits Nichols For Success

AMES, Iowa- Frank Santana was a happy man when he received the call from Iowa State Athletics Director Jamie Pollard this summer. Pollard informed Santana, a three-time All-American wrestler for the Cyclones from 1975-78, that he was one of 10 former Iowa State greats selected to the 2010 ISU Letterwinners Club Hall of Fame class.

"I was ecstatic when Jamie called me," Santana said. "This is very satisfying. There are so many great wrestlers already in the hall of fame and to be mentioned alongside them is very rewarding."

Wrestling fans are very familiar with Santana's exploits. The Skokie, Ill., native carved out an incredible career at Iowa State and is considered one of the greatest upper-weight wrestlers in school history.

Competing at 190 pounds, Santana made it to the NCAA championship match three times (1976, 1977, 1978) and was a two-time Big Eight champion (1976, 1977). In 1977, Santana won the 190-pound NCAA title to help the Cyclones secure the team national championship, the final of Iowa State legendary coach Harold Nichols' six NCAA team crowns with the Cyclones.

The Iowa State wrestling program was at the height of its dynasty when Santana was deciding which college to attend out of high school. He wanted to wrestle with the best. That's why he chose Iowa State.

"I was really fortunate to be at Iowa State at the pinnacle of the wrestling program but also at a really good economic and prosperous time for farmers in the state of Iowa," Santana said. "Coming to Iowa State as a freshman I felt honored and privileged to be handed the torch by those who came before me that really set the standard and set that bar high for all of us to climb. I never forgot my high school wrestling coach telling me that Iowa State wrestling is the UCLA of basketball. We really were the tops of our sport. We were feared by everyone and anyone and when we stepped on the mat we were a force to be reckoned with in every way without exceptions."

Santana thrived under Nichols' guidance and responded well to his laid-back approach.

"Coach Nichols was like a father to me," said Santana. "I lost my father at a very young age and Nichols played a very important role in not only developing my athletic ability but also building my intellectual capabilities. He didn't need to say a lot but when he said something you listened very carefully and you took it to heart. He took an interest in every single individual in that wrestling room and he had a tremendous sixth sense in understanding each individual and in developing each person athletically and academically."

After finishing second at 190 pounds in the 1976 NCAA meet, Santana came back with a greater focus as a junior in 1977. He dominated his weight class throughout the year, winning both the Big Eight and NCAA titles at 190 pounds. He defeated Minnesota's Evan Johnson, 12-7 in the NCAA championship match.

The Cyclones won the NCAA Championship in 1977 and Santana played a huge role in the team victory as Iowa State's lone NCAA titlist. But wrestling is also a team sport, and Santana will never forget the toughness and desire his teammates displayed wrestling back in the consolations to gain valuable points for the team.

"That's why we went to Iowa State - to win the national championship as a team. That was the goal," Santana said. "The day that I stepped foot on the Iowa State campus and on the Iowa State wrestling mat it was very clear that our goal was to win a national championship as a team and bring that great honor to Iowa State and our teammates. We set out to do that and it was a tremendous team effort we put forth in Norman, Okla. (1977). We had guys like Mike Land (126) wrestle back for third and Dave Powell (167) come all the way back to take fifth. We were just a bunch of great wrestlers that stuck together and were determined to win the national championship."

Santana was the prohibitive favorite to repeat in his senior season (1978). However, Santana was hampered throughout most of the season with knee problems. He had reconstructive knee surgery two weeks before the NCAA Championships, but through grit and determination, Santana again wrestled his way to the 1978 NCAA title match.

He was up against Ron Jeidy of Wisconsin, an opponent he had defeated twice during the regular season. A Santana victory would mean another NCAA title for the Cyclones. A loss would give the crown to intrastate rival Iowa.

Santana had been in this position before and always came through as the victor. He regaled in the pressure of the big match to put his team on top.

Many times, however, sports can be cruel. In the second period of the 1978 title match, Jeidy took a shot and Santana's other knee buckled and popped. He immediately fell to the mat grimacing in pain with a torn ACL. Knowing the ramifications of the match, Santana never gave up and kept wrestling.

Santana was now left with virtually zero mobility and Jeidy took advantage. Nichols couldn't bear to watch his star helpless on the mat any longer, and literally threw in a towel to end the match.

The Cyclones lost the championship to Iowa by a 1/2 point and Santana had to be carried off the mat by his teammates.

"That evening was a dream that became a nightmare," Santana recollected. "You dream about being the guy that needs to win in order for Iowa State to win a national championship. I had been in that position before in many dual meets. It's a situation that you cherish and look forward to. I was wrestling a guy (Jeidy) that I had beaten several times soundly. He never even came close to beating me and I was confident that he wasn't going to come close and very confident that is was going to be a good evening, but it didn't work out that way."

Santana can still hear the pop in his knee 33 years later.

"At the start of the second period he (Jeidy) shot in and I twisted my knee," Santana said. "The referee and anyone else sitting close to the mat heard the knee pop. I tore the ACL in my knee, but coach (Nichols) didn't know it at the time. I knew something was wrong and I had to change course, but I certainly wasn't about to give up. The next thing I knew I saw a towel fly over me and Nick (Nichols) had thrown it in and stopped the match. Of course I protested, but to Nick's credit, he didn't want to see me embarrassed in any way. He thought that being at that kind of disadvantage I might be in danger of hurting myself even more. It didn't work out the way you wanted it to, but at the end of the day I learned at Iowa State how to win, and unfortunately you learn how to lose too, and it stayed with me the rest of my life."

Santana is now a successful businessman in the Des Moines area, owning and operating the Seven Flags Events Center. He is looking forward to being in Ames this weekend to accept his place in Iowa State Athletics history.

"Obviously, it will be a very emotional evening," Santana said. "It's going to be very rewarding. A time to really reflect on my former teammates and how great they were in how much they contributed to my college experience and my athletic career. I'm really looking forward to it."

Santana will be enshrined into the ISU Letterwinners Club Hall of Fame Friday evening (Oct. 8) at the Gateway Hotel in Ames, Iowa. All 10 inductees of the 2010 Hall of Fame Class will be honored at halftime of the Iowa State-Utah football game Saturday night (Oct. 9).

To purchase tickets to the 2010 Hall of Fame induction ceremony, contact Diane Shearer in the Iowa State Development office at 515-294-5072.

To view bios of the 2010 Iowa State Hall of Fame inductees, click here.

Iowa State University Athletics

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