HawkeyeHypnosis
Well-Known Member
The Hawk Eye
From article:
From 1985-88, Royce Alger was known as "The Hammer."
The former three-time state champion from Lisbon not only won 131 matches while wearing the black and gold Iowa singlet, he did so in dominating fashion.
Alger, a three-time Big Ten Conference champion and two-time national champion who went on to a distinguished international career, will take his place among the all-time best athletes in Iowa history on Friday when he is inducted into the University of Iowa Athletics Hall of Fame. The induction ceremony is Friday night at the Coralville Marriott Hotel and Convention Center.
"It is a great feeling and a great honor, but it's not the apex of what I wanted," said Alger, who works for a profit recovery corporation in Des Moines. "I was voted one of the top 20 wrestlers for a 20-year period by Iowa Public Television. I wish people would appreciate me more for my style. I wrestled a dominant, dominant style. I'd rather be remembered for that than for a bunch of little numbers."
It is a match against Jackson in the 1992 U.S. Olympic Team Trials which still catches in Alger's craw. Alger, who was 5-0 lifetime against Jackson, had to wrestle through the tournament, while Jackson received a bye. Jackson then beat Alger in 2-of-3 matches to earn the spot on the Olympic team.
"I still don't know, in heaven or on Earth, how he came back to beat me," Alger said. "I rarely, rarely lose to somebody I beat before. Not a day goes by when I don't think about that."
"The Hammer' comes down one more time this weekend.
"I told (former Iowa coach Dan) Gable about it and he said, 'What? I thought you were inducted 10 years ago. What the hell is going on here?' Most people aim to low and reach that mark. Gable gave you a prism to look through where the only thing you wanted was to be the very best," Alger said. "This is a great honor for me. My sister and Mom will be there with me. I'm pretty darn happy with what went down."
From article:
From 1985-88, Royce Alger was known as "The Hammer."
The former three-time state champion from Lisbon not only won 131 matches while wearing the black and gold Iowa singlet, he did so in dominating fashion.
Alger, a three-time Big Ten Conference champion and two-time national champion who went on to a distinguished international career, will take his place among the all-time best athletes in Iowa history on Friday when he is inducted into the University of Iowa Athletics Hall of Fame. The induction ceremony is Friday night at the Coralville Marriott Hotel and Convention Center.
"It is a great feeling and a great honor, but it's not the apex of what I wanted," said Alger, who works for a profit recovery corporation in Des Moines. "I was voted one of the top 20 wrestlers for a 20-year period by Iowa Public Television. I wish people would appreciate me more for my style. I wrestled a dominant, dominant style. I'd rather be remembered for that than for a bunch of little numbers."
It is a match against Jackson in the 1992 U.S. Olympic Team Trials which still catches in Alger's craw. Alger, who was 5-0 lifetime against Jackson, had to wrestle through the tournament, while Jackson received a bye. Jackson then beat Alger in 2-of-3 matches to earn the spot on the Olympic team.
"I still don't know, in heaven or on Earth, how he came back to beat me," Alger said. "I rarely, rarely lose to somebody I beat before. Not a day goes by when I don't think about that."
"The Hammer' comes down one more time this weekend.
"I told (former Iowa coach Dan) Gable about it and he said, 'What? I thought you were inducted 10 years ago. What the hell is going on here?' Most people aim to low and reach that mark. Gable gave you a prism to look through where the only thing you wanted was to be the very best," Alger said. "This is a great honor for me. My sister and Mom will be there with me. I'm pretty darn happy with what went down."
