Munoz, who won the 2001 NCAA title for Oklahoma State, has remained a constant figure in the wrestling community during his long in-cage career.
That Munoz, who's known as an affable and intelligent fighter, wants to move into more of a public service role in the Philippines is not surprising. He's a talented orator (as you can see below) who attracts good people and is wildly popular in the Philippines -- a country with a high-rate of English fluency and the need for progressive thought.
Munoz's announcement abuts the annual Beat the Streets match and fundraiser in New York City hosted by financier Mike Novogratz. The match, which this year featured Team Cuba and Team USA in the billed "Salsa in the Square" will raise millions of dollars for youth wrestling in NYC. That, of course, is a great thing.
To develop wrestling around the world the actions of individuals like Munoz and powerful non-profits like BTS will need to continue and expand. How best then to grow the sport?
One idea being floated is Wrestling Corps, a program that could mimic the government's Peace Corps program that sends young post-grads to economically needy areas around the world. Wrestling could essentially do the same using college students in countries around the world
There is no need to dwell on the specifics, but the idea that many of America's thousands of NCAA wrestling graduates could travel the world, make money and help support the growth of our sport seems like a no-brainer.
Wrestling Corps is certainly an idea that someone like Mark Munoz or Mike Novogratz could support and endorse.
To your questions ...
Kyle Snyder (Photo/Anne Sachs, Tech-Fall.com)-- Mike C.
Foley: Snyder should absolutely take an Olympic redshirt, but only if he plans to travel and train internationally.
There is no benefit in the year off if he stays in Columbus and treks to Colorado Springs for two-week spurts. Snyder needs to go overseas and see as much international competition as possible. He needs to approach the international calendar like a collegiate program tackles the NCAA season.
Ohio State would not be able to repeat without Snyder's team points. Great program, but to win without Logan Stieber and Kyle Snyder just won't be possible.
Q: Last week's discussion of Kyle Snyder got me thinking ... In Vegas, the freestyle 97-kilo bracket included seven (please, correct me if I'm wrong) individual NCAA champions, across NCAA Division I and Division II. Nineteen-year-old Kyle Snyder was not one of them. Snyder is obviously a wrestler of that caliber, but can you think of another instance where someone (with remaining collegiate eligibility) won the U.S. Open in men's freestyle the same year they were not an NCAA champion?
-- Ethan S.
Foley: I don't know if Henry Cejudo had already accepted sponsorship money, but it would seem like the last and certainly most well-known wrestler to match your criteria. Although he slips in on a technicality (was he ever going to try college?), the answer is not apparent to me, nor to the experts I asked.
Readers? We need your powers!
Q: Who is the most exciting wrestler in the world across all genders, countries and styles?
-- Mike C.
Foley: There are several answers to this question, based on what you find exciting, but for me there are only two: Rasul Chunayev (Azerbaijan) and Abdulrashid Sadulaev (Russia). I have included match videos below.
Chunayev is the world's top-ranked 71-kilo wrestler because he's incredibly adept at matching styles with some of the best wrestlers in the world and coming out on top. However, what makes him the most exciting wrestler in the world is that in the flips of his hips he can headlock anyone on the planet. There is almost nothing more exciting that waiting in anticipation as the backup from Greece waddles onto the mat, shakes hands with Chunayev and tries to avoid the inevitable. It almost never works! Chunayev is not only an incredible headlock artist, but he's danced and marched his way into the wrestling community's good graces with his post-match humor.
The only competition in terms of excitement comes from Sadulaev, whose youth, talent and size reminds me of Mike Tyson. Sadulaev crushes opponents, and at 19 years old has taken a simple move -- the fireman's carry -- and made a game of tossing fully-grown men around the mat by the elbow. Watching his greatness and potential for more always draws my attention.
My final entry is Elmurat Tasmuradov (Uzbekistan), who recently won the 59-kilo Greco-Roman Asian Championships in Doha. He's the type of Greco-Roman wrestler you want to see promoting the sport. He's tough, athletic and never backs down from a position.
MULTIMEDIA HALFTIME
Mark Munoz speaks from the heart
Rasul Chunayev gets down
Rasul Chunayev marches
Abdulrashid Sadulaev wins the World championship
Tasmuradov cartwheels to gold
Q: Do you have a prediction on Daniel Cormier vs. Anthony "Rumble" Johnson this weekend at UFC 187?
-- Mike C.
Foley: DC is the man! He has worked hard and is part of the wrestling family. There is no way I can bet against my heart ... or those takedowns.
Q: Any word on where JimmyKennedy has been hiding?
-- @Robbybobbi
Foley: The last I heard was that he was recovering from a leg injury and would be try to be ready by the World Team Trials in Madison. Will that happen? Unclear. Remember that being on the World Team won't do much for his Olympic dreams except put him through the grinder at 65 kilos and the USA will want to make sure he places in the top six and qualifies for the Olympic Games.
Q: Why is arm wrestling on ESPN right now and not real wrestling? I just watched a match. Not real exciting.
-- @alliseeis_
Foley: Probably because "Over the Top" was an incredible movie? I'm sure that we don't do a good enough job of marketing collegiate and international wrestling, but no schedule should be so open that the arm wrestling championships are being aired online.
Please remember that there is a lot of ESPN and other national media for the sport of wrestling on the cable channels and living online. We are not THAT poorly marketed or covered overall, there are just moments like watching a fake Stallone grunt it out that makes it seem that way.
By the way ... who won?!
Q: This year Tanner Hall is enrolling at Arizona State after returning from a Mormon mission. The plan is for him to wrestle heavyweight. Is he an immediate national title contender at heavyweight?
-- Mike C.
Foley: I was fortunate to coach a few LDS wrestlers after they came back from their missions, including heavyweight Kevin Lester.
There is nothing keeping Tanner Hall from competing at the top level, but like I saw from Lester and LDS wrestlers, there tends to be a brief readjustment to collegiate life and the intensity of a collegiate wrestling room.
Wish Arizona State the best of luck, though with their talent and coaching I'm not sure they need an NCAA champion heavyweight to carry them through the tournament.
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