The Full Tilt Podcast

Newly elected Iowa Wrestling Hall of Famer Matt McDonough joins Full Tilt at Mission Athletics in Cedar Rapids for a wide-ranging conversation about the people and experiences that shaped his career. Matt looks back on growing up around wrestling, learning from coaches and training partners who pushed him, winning two NCAA titles, and facing the setbacks of his senior season. He also reflects on Anthony Robles, the lessons he’s carried into coaching, and how Mission Athletics came together.

Timed highlights: 
00:30 Matt reacts to being inducted into the Iowa Wrestling Hall of Fame 
02:22 The mind...

At the Fargo wrestling tournament, host Hatch talks with wrestling legend Bruce Baumgartner about his path from an unheralded high school wrestler to an NCAA champion and one of America’s most decorated wrestlers. Baumgartner reflects on Olympic and world-level competition, the training habits that kept him improving, memorable matches overseas, and carrying the U.S. flag at the 1996 Olympics. He also shares how USA Wrestling can support athletes and help the sport grow.

Timestamps:
00:00–05:00 — Fargo, Baumgartner’s New Jersey upbringing, and how he got started in wrestling.
05:00–10:00 — His development in college, NCAA finishes, and early in...

Cadet World Champion and Virginia Tech Hokie Bo Bassett breaks down the “nothing changes” mindset that powers his legendary work ethic, comeback wins, and faith-driven life.

Bo shares how a heartbreaking loss at age seven changed everything, why burnout is a myth if you truly love wrestling, and how 5 a.m. “mental warfare” workouts, family, and faith shaped his path from Young Guns to world titles and Virginia Tech.

Great listen for wrestlers, parents, coaches, and anyone obsessed with elite mindset and purpose-driven success.

Timed Highlights:

0:00 Nothing changes: Bo’s core minds...

Joe Russell, Manager of Freestyle Programs at USA Wrestling, sits down with Hatch for an honest, funny, and powerful conversation about surviving a catastrophic motorcycle accident, relearning how to walk, and eventually coaching world and Olympic champions. Joe shares wild rehab stories, life lessons from Jay Robinson and Dan Gable’s coaching trees, what separates elite college wrestlers from world-level medalists, and how USA Wrestling is quietly using data and AI to stay ahead of the world.

Timed Highlights:
 0:00 Intro ad – Hatch, Custom Community, and Full Tilt Podcast setup
 0:40 Meet Joe Russell – “I just do what Bi...

USA Women’s National Team Coach Terry Steiner sits down with Hatch live at USA Wrestling’s new national office to talk about work ethic, Dan Gable, Randy Lewis, the birth of women’s wrestling in America, and what it will take for Team USA to finally dominate the world. From grinding in Bismarck, ND, to winning an NCAA title at Iowa, to leading a once‑unpopular women’s program into Olympic glory, Terry shares raw stories, coaching philosophy, and what “significance” really means at this stage of his life. 

Timed Highlights:
 0:00 Intro, sponsor read (Custom Community) and F...

USA Wrestling National Freestyle Coach and World Champion Bill Zadick sits down with Hatch for a long-form, deep dive into wrestling, coaching, and what it really takes to chase a world title for a decade.

From Montana living-room “world title” matches and legendary camps in Oregon, to the crucible of the Iowa wrestling room under Dan Gable, Bill unpacks the culture, mentors, and moments that shaped him. He shares stories about John Smith, Daniel Cormier, the explosion of RTCs, and why grassroots state leaders and kids who go 0–2 at Fargo still matter to the future of USA Wrestl...

Associate head coach Derek St. John and Iowa State’s inaugural women’s head coach Alli St. John sit down on the Full Tilt Podcast to talk about building a D1 wrestling powerhouse on both the men’s and women’s sides.

They dive into Alli’s journey from three-sport Illinois athlete to world silver medalist and trailblazing college coach, Derek’s path from Iowa state champ to NCAA champion and top-tier D1 coach, and how the Iowa State Regional Training Center is developing future world and Olympic medalists.

From the explosion of girls’ wrestling at Fargo, to r...

Appalachian State head coach JohnMark Bentley joins Hatch on the Full Tilt Podcast to pull back the curtain on one of the most overachieving programs in Division I wrestling. From running one of the largest team camps in the country to funding staff and facilities through camp revenue, Bentley explains how a “small” program competes with the big boys year after year.

He shares his unconventional start in wrestling as a sixth-grade workout partner, his days battling at North Carolina and Oklahoma State, and the hard lessons that shaped his coaching philosophy. Bentley also talks about recruiting unde...

Two-time NCAA champion and wrestling innovator Carl Adams joins the Full Tilt Podcast to share his journey from tough Long Island roots to Iowa State legend, world-level freestyle contender, and pioneering equipment designer. Carl breaks down how work ethic, family, and fearless competition shaped his career, what it was really like wrestling Dan Gable, and how the Adam machine changed wrestling rooms across the country. 

Timed Highlights: 
0:00 Cold open: Hatch and Custom Community intro 
0:49 Meet Carl Adams: Innovator and retired coach who never left the sport 
3:01 Discovering wrestling after a trip to Madison Square Gard...

Olympic champion Ben Peterson sits down with Full Tilt to unpack a lifetime on the mat: from a Wisconsin dairy farm to Iowa State’s glory years, brutal training sessions with Dan Gable, winning Olympic gold during the Cold War, and how faith and family shaped every step of his journey.

Ben shares vivid stories of surviving “meat-grinder” rooms at Iowa State, outworking the world with Gable and his brother John, his rivalry and later friendship with Russ Hellickson, the heartbreak and perspective of the 1980 Olympic boycott, and the truth behind the famous Peterson roll. He also opens...

Wrestlers, coaches, and fans are going to eat this one up.

Live from Fargo, the Full Tilt Podcast sits down with USA Wrestling Executive Director Rich Bender to unpack how girls’ and women’s wrestling exploded, how wrestling got kicked out of the Olympic Games and clawed its way back in, and why the sport’s future has never looked brighter.

Rich walks through his journey from small‑town Wisconsin kid to the most influential administrative seat in American wrestling, the politics inside the IOC, what really happened behind the “wrestling dropped from the Olympics”...

Chael Sonnen sits down with Hatch for a nonstop tour through American wrestling history and culture. From overlooked legends like Oscar Wood and Sean Hage to the mythology of John Smith, Kenny Monday, and the Brands brothers, this episode is wall-to-wall stories, rivalries, technique talk, and behind-the-scenes moments you’ve never heard before. They dive into Fargo, the Iowa room in the 90s, real pro wrestling leagues, RAF, and why some of the greatest careers were built on heartbreak instead of gold medals.

Timed Highlights:
00:00:00 Hatch Custom Community intro and Full Tilt setup
00:01:10 Alan Fr...

Wrestling legend Cary Kolat sits down with Hatch to unpack a lifetime on the mat—from Western PA youth phenom and world medalist to program builder at Campbell and the U.S. Naval Academy. Kolat goes deep on mindset, training, the 2000 Olympic controversy, building Kolat.com, and what it really takes to develop champions today.

Timed Highlights:
0:00 Opening: Hatch & Custom Community spot; setting the tone for Full Tilt
0:50 The “hate era” of 90s wrestling and how social media might’ve changed everything
3:00 Western PA roots, early beatdowns, AAU title, and discovering Dan Gable
5:25...

Brent Metcalf joins the Full Tilt Podcast for a deep dive into one of wrestling’s most respected minds. He walks through the legendary Davidson, Michigan room with Roy Hall, his undefeated high school career and Fargo dominance, the Virginia Tech-to-Iowa transfer storm, Carver-Hawkeye showdowns, wild overseas trips to Russia, Dagestan, and Iran, and why he believes in “chasing losing” to become the best. Metcalf also breaks down his relationship with Jordan Burroughs, what he’s learned from Kevin Dresser, coaching David Carr, and his vision for turning Iowa State into a world-level factory.

Timed Highlights:
 00:4...

Jeff McGinness sits down to go full tilt on his journey from Iowa City mat rat to Hawkeye legend, and how that path eventually led him to build a powerhouse women’s program at Simpson College. From brutal 90s Iowa room stories to modern sports science, NIL, and recruiting women in a fast-changing landscape, this is a deep dive into what greatness really looks like in wrestling.

Timed highlights:

Olympic gold medalist and three-time Olympian Kenny Monday sits down to go full tilt on a lifetime in wrestling. From getting beat up as the smallest kid in the Tulsa YMCA room to conquering the brutal Tbilisi tournament and winning Olympic gold, Kenny breaks down the mindset, rivalries, and turning points that shaped his career.

He shares inside stories on his legendary battles with Nate Carr and Dave Schultz, what it took to finally crack the “Russian code,” and how he’s now rebuilding Division I wrestling at Morgan State, an HBCU with deep history in the sport...

Barry Davis is a three-time NCAA champion, Olympic silver medalist, and one of the most beloved figures in American wrestling. But before the medals and banners, he was a kid at the YMCA in Cedar Rapids getting hooked on the sport — and grabbing wall charts at youth tournaments.

In this episode of the Full Tilt Podcast, Barry and I go back 47 years: from Prairie High School rivalries and the infamous dungeon wrestling room, to the legendary Iowa rooms with Dan Gable, brutal weight cuts to 118, international travel behind the Iron Curtain, and the mindset that carried him th...

Jamil Kelly’s wrestling story doesn’t follow the usual script. He wasn’t a blue‑chip recruit. He didn’t win an NCAA title. But he did become an Olympic silver medalist and one of the most respected coaches in the sport.

In this episode of the Full Tilt Podcast, we cover Jamil’s entire arc: – Growing up in Atwater, CA and getting pulled into wrestling as a late starter
– Learning from VHS tapes, “How Low Can You Go,” and studying the greats
– JUCO life at Lassen with future D1 and international stars
– Transitioning to...

Three-time NCAA champion and Olympic medalist Nate Carr joins Full Tilt to share how a house of 16 kids, a pastor dad, and a wrestling-obsessed family forged one of the greatest legacies in American wrestling. Nate breaks down his classic battles with Kenny Monday, the influence of Coach Nichols and the Gatsons, and what he learned competing against Soviet greats on the world stage. He also goes deep on mindset, visualization, and faith, revealing the mental tools he used to win and how he now uses them to coach the next generation, including his son and NCAA champion David Carr...

World champion, Olympic medalist, and finance executive Bill Scherr joins the show for a deep dive into one of the most fascinating careers in wrestling history. Bill shares how baling hay in rural South Dakota built his strength, why Randy Lewis changed what South Dakota kids believed was possible, and how Nebraska went from “death’s door” to national trophy contender.

He breaks down Soviet dominance, Iranian passion for the sport, training under legends like Dan Gable and Jay Robinson, and the brutal art of “Red Flag Days.” Bill also talks about his success in both freestyle and Greco...

UFC Hall of Famer and Olympic Greco-Roman standout Randy “The Natural” Couture sits down for a deep-dive into the journey behind the legend. From wrestling for the U.S. Army in the Cold War era to battling on the NCAA stage, chasing Olympic dreams, and pioneering MMA game-planning, Randy shares the untold stories that shaped his career and life. He talks about discovering Greco by accident, training alongside icons at Oklahoma State, wild international tours in communist Europe and Cuba, the infamous “experiment” Alexander Karelin, transitioning into the UFC, and why wrestling is still the ultimate foundation for fighting. 

If y...

Doug Schwab joins the Full Tilt Podcast for a deep dive into Iowa wrestling culture, his days under Dan Gable, the brutal “I quit” practices, making World and Olympic teams, and building the Panther Train at UNI. Doug shares real coaching gold on culture, competition, and what it means to raise tough, grounded kids in the sport.

From small-town Osage roots and legendary rivalries, to Iowa’s dynasty rooms and the Olympic stage, Doug opens up about faith, failure, loyalty, and how he’s now guiding the next generation—including his own sons.

Timed Highlights...

Ben Askren sits down in his Wisconsin home to unpack how he reinvented wrestling, from basement mats and reluctant partners to NCAA dominance and world‑level technique. He breaks down scrambling’s evolution, the balance between family and coaching, why passion beats early results in recruiting, and how to keep kids hungry for the sport without burning them out.

Chapters

2:00 – The birth of the PNL league during COVID and its purpose

3:40 – No year‑round clubs, basement mats, and inventing “funk” out of necessity

6:30 – Letting partners almost score and teaching himself to scramble

Hatch sits down with Greco-Roman legend Dennis Hall for a raw look at one of the most intense careers in American wrestling. Hall talks about walking away from a full-ride at Wisconsin to chase Greco, going from 0–5 at early World events to World Champion, and the mindset work that helped him handle doubt, pressure, and pain.

He opens up about losing his brother and how that tragedy fueled his run to a 1995 World title, the heartbreak of the 1996 Olympic final in Atlanta, grinding through construction work and Home Depot while chasing another team, and the now-legendary 17-m...

In this episode of the Full Tilt podcast, Hatch sits down with Iowa State head coach Kevin Dresser for a deep dive into old-school Iowa wrestling culture, program building at every level, and how the sport has evolved from the 1980s to the NIL era.

Dresser shares raw stories from the legendary Iowa room under Dan Gable, from three-a-days and brutal live wrestling to work-hard-play-hard social life. He walks through building dynasty-level programs at Grundy and Christiansburg High Schools, turning Virginia Tech into a national contender, and rebuilding Iowa State into a top-tier Division I power.

On this episode of the Full Tilt Podcast, Hatch sits down with heavyweight legend Steve Mocco for a deep dive into one of the most unique careers in American wrestling. From judo roots and Blair Academy super-teams to wrestling under the lights in Carver-Hawkeye and Gallagher-Iba, Steve shares the stories, rivalries, and training methods that shaped a generational heavyweight.

They cover his transition from Iowa to Oklahoma State, the real reason behind that move, life at the Olympic Training Center, wild trips to Russia and Ukraine, and what it’s like now running a club and coaching hi...

On this episode of The Full Tilt Podcast Hatch sits down with the Olympic gold medalist and legendary Iowa coach Dan Gable for a long-form conversation about wrestling, life, and legacy in his fabled cabin. His personal home wrestling room used for training.

They go deep on:

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...

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-o...

NCAA champion and former Army officer Derek Moore joins the Full Tilt Podcast to walk through his unlikely rise from undersized, lightly recruited California kid to 2007 NCAA Champion and OW at 141 lbs, his time in the Army World Class Athlete Program (WCAP), and his current role building a faith-centered Division I program at CBU.
In this episode, Derek and Hatch dig into:
Growing up in small-town Redding, California and discovering wrestling
Walking on at UC Davis, grinding through redshirt years, and almost quitting
The influence of legendary coach Lenny Zaleski and the old-school UC Davis...

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 prog...

On this episode of The Full Tilt, Hatch sits down with two-time NCAA champion and Olympic gold medalist Randy Lewis for a storytelling masterclass. From his first day on the mat in fifth grade to setting a national record with 45 straight pins, Randy breaks down the mindset that made him, as he says, the toughest kid on the block.

He shares how a pull-up contest gave him the confidence to win his first state title, why he set insane goals like pinning every opponent for an entire season, and what it was really like being recruited by...

In the debut episode of the Full Tilt Podcast, Hatch sits down with legendary “Fall Guy” Royce Alger – two-time NCAA champion, world silver medalist, and head coach of Titan Mercury Wrestling Club. Royce unleashes a barrage of stories from Iowa wrestling rooms, brutal Gable workouts, Foxcatcher days with Dave Schultz, and the infamous “Heisman House” of legends he lives with today.

From 4.2-mile “Gable time” runs in the Iowa heat, to nearly getting choked out by Dave Schultz in a dark Foxcatcher room, to being only the second American ever issued a passport “behind enemy lines” in...