I try to touch all the bases when it comes to various heritage months or holidays and their ties to Oklahoma State wrestling. One I’ve yet to hit is October’s Italian-American Heritage Month. Folks up in New Jersey would probably try and make the claim that Rutgers would grab the title of wrestling’s Italian program. But when you dig into the legacy that OSU has with Italian wrestlers, it’s hard to argue that Oklahoma State doesn’t have the most elite contingency of any wrestling program out there.

John Smith. Smith, not exactly the most Italian name out there. But John was the first wrestler ever to be inducted into the Italian American Sports Hall of Fame and is one of only two amateur wrestlers with that acknowledgment. Smith, who is half-Italian from his mother’s side (maiden name Volturo) is, of course, the current head coach at Oklahoma State.