‘Wrestling Hats’ Honored Again
![](https://www2.stetson.edu/today/wp-content/uploads/2017/11/wrestle1-e1510152900140.jpg)
![](https://www2.stetson.edu/today/wp-content/uploads/2017/11/wrestle1-200x134.jpg)
More than two dozen members of the last NCAA Division I Wrestling program in the state of Florida returned to Stetson after 30 years and were honored during 2017 Homecoming festivities, Nov. 3-4.
The Stetson wrestling team, coached by John Hauser, was founded in 1984 at a time when many major college programs were dropping wrestling due to Title IV regulations. Even without scholarships, the “Wrestling Hats” recruited outstanding young students-athletes, mostly from Florida, who shared a dream of wrestling at the Division 1 level.
![](https://www2.stetson.edu/today/wp-content/uploads/2017/11/wrestl3-200x134.jpg)
That dream lasted only three years — and ended with a Stetson wrestler a mere one match away from going to the national championship tournament.