Mark your calanders for one of the best Cowboy Invites ever. This year's edition will have all three Billings AA schools, along with powerhouses from Gillette, Bismarck, Sheridan, Glasgow and new powers: Laurel, Forsyth, and many many others. It will begin on January 14th at 9am and run through Saturday afternoon/evening. Total teams at this time look to be 35 with Thermopolois, Wy as the newest school to compete. The hometown Cowboys will have several wrestlers who should do very well also.

I am in-process of developing the program for the tournament and have been doing a large amout of research time trying to name every single champion from every year (since 1959). I have found a lions share of the data, however, I have run up against a brick wall on a few years (I have looked in the archives of the M.C. Star at the library with some success).

If anyone has any info on the following years, I would be very grateful for your assist.
1982, 1966, 1965, 1964, 1963, 1962 & 1960.

Mike Preller - 234-7691 (H) 232-8342 (W)

I remember my boyfriend at CCHS (Ray Randall, CCHS 1965 graduate) was a wrestler and did quite well as I recall. Not sure if he was a champion. The Yankoff boys were also quite good wrestlers and they are from the mid 1960s also. I think both (or one) of them received wrestling scholarships to Concordia Lutheran College in one of the Dakotas. You might want to check about those. Ray Randall is now a veterinarian in Bridger I believe. He might be willing to give you some insight into wrestling in the 1960s.

Have you talked to Jack Raymond??? He used to have lots of information, and probably old programs from Cowboy... It seems like that information was in them.

Thanks, but I have got all the info Jack had on hand. Unfortunatly some info has been lost/misplaced over the years. I have been working on this project going on two years and I have found info from various sources and coaches from several schools.

Some of the info I am looking for is for first names and school attended. Such as; 1974 a wrestler with the last name of fullenwinder from Gillette won at 167. In 1972 it appears he won at 145, but I have no first name for him.

Again all info is greatly appreciated.

My brother Bob Phalen wrestled in the later 1965-1969, Also, Mike Etchemendy might now some info.

Thanks for the info (contacts). I will follow-up and see I can gleen some info from them (the 1960's). I was able to get the 1982 data from Mike Etchemendy today!!!! Mike you are only as old as you feel.

Things are slowly coming together. It's going to be another great invite with lots of people coming in and "helping out the local economy". A quick thank you to the Miles City merchants who always support our numerous local activities so well.

Here is another call for all you "Old as Dirt" 1960, 62-66 High Schoolers..., any info would be greatly appreciated (stay on topic please).

Thanks

1960 & 1965 are complete, Still digging on 62, 63, 64 and 66. Its been alot of fun finding out stories from days gone by.

It's official...32 teams for the Cowboy. Quite a few state champions from Montana, North & South Dakota and Wyoming will be here to rumble. We also will have two young men who will be trying to win their third Cowboy championship titles (Brennan Gorder from Sidney and Luke Zieger from Glasgow).

This one will be a treat, one that will be filled with great memories. Hope to see you there on Friday and Saturday (14 & 15 January, 2011).

TRIVA question... How many four time champions have there been in the previous 52 cowboys?