Hamilton, the National Wrestling Media Association's 2004 Wrestling Print Journalist of the Year for the Iowa City Press-Citizen, has what many of us would consider to be a dream job: writing about wrestling in one of the sport's prime hotbeds … and having inside access to one of the legendary college programs in the nation, the Iowa Hawkeyes.
It's the fulfillment of a lifelong dream for Hamilton. As a kid, he wrote sports stories about the games he'd see on TV for himself. Now the guy who grew up collecting newspaper clippings and photos of Iowa wrestlers Jim Zalesky, Barry Davis, Dan Gable and the Kistler brothers now covers the Hawkeye wrestling program.
The Early Chapters
Andy Hamilton grew up in the heart of the heartland, in Williams, Iowa, about an hour straight north of Des Moines … where he gave an indication of his career path at an early age.
"I wrote sports stories for myself before I was a teen," says Hamilton. "As a sophomore I had a project for PE class to write about sports. I did a preseason overview for Big Ten basketball. The teacher gave it to the local paper, which ran every word of it -- probably the longest story I've ever had published."
After graduating from Northeast Hamilton High School, Hamilton continued his education at Ellsworth Community College in nearby Iowa Falls, where he played baseball … and did some writing for the Iowa Falls Times-Citizen.
"When I turned 20, I realized I couldn't play baseball my whole life," says Hamilton. "I enjoyed writing, and my folks encouraged me to continue in it."
From Iowa Falls to Iowa City
After earning an associate's degree at Ellsworth, Hamilton made the move to the University of Iowa, where his writing career really took off.
"I was fortunate enough to get a sports writing job at the Daily Iowan," says Hamilton. "One of my teammates at Ellsworth went to school at Waterloo East with Chris Snider, who was assistant sports editor at the Daily Iowan at the time, and my editor at the Iowa Falls paper wrote a strong recommendation."
As a sports writer at the independent student paper for the University of Iowa, Hamilton gained experience covering just about every sport on campus. However, in his two-and-a-half years at Iowa, he filed only one wrestling story -- "when it was announced that the word �interim' was being taken off Jim Zalesky's title, and he was being made head coach in 1998. And the only way I got that story was that the guy who usually covered Hawkeye wrestling had gone out of town for the weekend," muses Hamilton.
Hamilton's high school did not have a wrestling program when he was in school. However, he wrestled in some youth tournaments as a kid… and counts himself as a lifelong fan. "My dad wrestled at what is now called University of Northern Iowa," says Hamilton. "We went to lots of wrestling events as a family. I remember taking the trip all the way out to Corvallis (Oregon) to see the NCAAs as a kid."
"I had so much fun working at Daily Iowan," says Hamilton. "I made some incredible friendships with guys who have jobs all over the country now, yet we all stay in touch."
Hamilton graduated from the University of Iowa with a bachelor's degree in journalism in December 1998. He landed a part-time job at the Iowa City Press-Citizen where he stayed for four months … then headed a couple hours west to Ames, Iowa to cover sports for the Tribune. When the Press-Citizen contacted him about a job to write about wrestling, Hamilton jumped at the chance and found himself back in Iowa City almost exactly one year after graduation.
Covering Takedowns and Touchdowns
Hamilton's wrestling writing isn't limited to the Hawkeyes; his beat also includes the high school mat scene in eastern Iowa, and he covers the Iowa state championships in Des Moines each year. In addition, three years ago Hamilton was tasked with covering the Hawkeye football program as well.
"The access for the media is quite a bit different between the two sports," notes Hamilton. "I remember the first day I showed up at the wrestling room, coach Zalesky said, 'Call anytime you need anything.' And that kind of access hasn't changed."
"The media doesn't have that kind of access to the coach or players when covering Iowa football," says Hamilton. "We're pretty much limited to a once-a-week press conference with coach (Kirk) Ferentz, in a room with thirty other writers and media people."
Hamilton also noted a difference in the types of responses when interviewing campus gridiron stars and grapplers. "Football players are generally more guarded and maybe a little more careful in what they say to with the media," says Hamilton. "Wrestlers seem to be more relaxed and candid."
Hamilton adds, "Here in Iowa City, the dynamics surrounding the athletes of the two sports is so different, too. Iowa football players are almost treated like rock stars. By contrast, the Hawkeye wrestlers seem like regular college kids."
Asked about what guides his sports reporting -- whether it's wrestling or football -- and Hamilton replies, "I always try to paint a picture for those who weren't at the event. I strive to be fair and accurate in my writing. Occasionally I hear from readers who say I'm too harsh, while others might read the same story and think I'm too positive."
Hamilton has also heard from his fellow wrestling writers at the National Wrestling Media Association (NWMA), who awarded him their prestigious Wrestling Print Journalist of the Year award in 2004. In its article announcing the award, the NWMA said, "Hamilton's articles show an understanding of wrestling and an insight into the athletes and coaches involved in the sport."
Andy Hamilton gathers quotes while interviewing Iowa's Alex Tsirtsis.In six years of covering the Hawkeye wrestling program, Hamilton has witnessed the high of Iowa winning the national team title in 2000 … and considerable struggles as well. But he put it all in perspective: "This is a program where coming in eighth place at nationals isn't going to get them a parade. For other college programs, that might be viewed as a great accomplishment."
When asked if Iowa fans might still be expecting the same results now as during the Dan Gable dynasty when national titles seemed to be almost a birthright, Hamilton answers, "I don't think the expectations have changed. The Iowa fans still want national championships. But they want to see action. They want to see effort and heart. If you give them that, they'll get behind you. That's why Joe Johnston and Mark Perry are probably two of the fan favorites. But that's probably because they win a lot."
"Everybody thought the program was set up for great success when they signed (Steve) Mocco and then added Todd Meneely, Willie Parks and other guys," says Hamilton. "They've been trying to fully recover for a couple years since those guys left."
… and the Hawkeyes Themselves
Asked to name some of the more interesting Hawkeye wrestlers he's covered while at the Press-Citizen, Hamilton immediately named these guys from earlier in his career: Eric Juergens, Doug Schwab, Jody Strittmatter, Mike Zadick and Jessman Smith. As for the current crop, Hamilton says, "Adam Fellers, Mark Perry and Ty Eustice are the guys who fill up my notebook with quotes now. I'll say this about Perry -- I can ask him five minutes of questions and end up with thirty minutes of interesting quotes."
Hamilton also mentioned both Tom and Terry Brands as being especially fascinating people to talk to -- "I would venture to guess a lot of people meet them for the first time and come away with a much different perception that what they might have formed of them as competitors," says Hamilton. "I've learned a lot about life from Tom Brands in particular. One of the most memorable quotes I've ever heard came from him: 'Anyone can act tough when things are going their way. But the sign of someone who's truly tough is when they can be tough when times are tough.'"
What Will The New Season Bring?
When asked for a forecast for the upcoming season, Hamilton responds, "I'm as intrigued as anybody as to what the season will bring. So much can happen."
"Right now I'm interested to see what Iowa's starting lineup will be," adds Hamilton. "So many guys who were in the lineup at the end of last season aren't going to be there. Mario Galanakis isn't enrolled in school, Charlie Falck has a broken foot, Luke Lofthouse is on a Mormon mission to Africa."
This early in the season, Hamilton is reluctant to make any predictions for the much-anticipated arrival of the Oklahoma State Cowboys on January 7. "The school is expecting a huge crowd. It's scheduled for the evening, after a big Iowa vs. Illinois basketball game," says Hamilton.
One prediction is safe to make: Whatever the new season holds for the Hawkeyes, wrestling fans from Iowa City to Islip, Long Island can count on Andy Hamilton to provide not only clear coverage of the action on the mat, but insight into the behind-the-scenes activities as well.
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