Issue link: http://read.uberflip.com/i/279748
Even though Leroy Vega won two Indiana State Championships in 1997 and 1998, the recruiting phone was silent his senior year. Why? Vega was considered too small by the "experts" to wrestle at the university level. But the University of Minnesota believed in his potential in spite of the so-called "experts" and the Golden Gophers offered the Portage High School graduate a scholarship. Boy were those "experts" wrong! Vega's career as a Golden Gopher's is second to none. A leader on the mat for all four years, he and his teammates won two NCAA Championships, the first in 2001, the second in 2002. Vega was a big success the first year he stepped on the mat at the University of Minnesota. Although seeded 10th at 125 pounds, he placed fifth at the NCAA Championships, earning the first of three All-America honors. Even more importantly, the Golden Gophers took second place in the team race. The following year, Vega, now seeded third, again took home a fifth place and helped the Gophers to a third place against the best wrestlers in the land. It all finally came together for Minnesota at the NCAAs in 2001 and for Leroy Vega. Although no single Gopher wrestler finished higher than third, every Golden Gopher on the team received All- America honors by finishing in the top eight in their respective weight divisions. Vega, one of several Gophers to take home a third- place trophy, showed that the national championship was all about team scoring rather than individual titles as the Gophers dominated the total points and took the NCAA's top prize home to Minnesota. Although Vega did not place in the top eight the following year in 2002, once again his match points contributed to Minnesota walking away with a second straight NCAA championship. His personal record was 68-14 his last two years as a Gopher. Of his role at 125 pounds after the Gophers' first NCAA Championship, Vega said, "It's such an honor to be able to lead out the national champions. It's a great feeling, especially with all the kids that are watching us and dreaming of being on a great team like ours. I love being the sparkplug to get the guys excited. I'm the guy that kind of sets the tone and gets the crowd going." After working for two years as a Gopher assistant coach upon graduation, Vega started up a brand new wrestling program at Calumet College of St. Joseph in 2010. Now he is the head coach at Portage High School where he grew up. Not too shabby for Leroy Vega -- a three-time All-American and member of two National Championship Gopher teams -- a wrestler who was once judged too "small" to succeed. Wrestled 1999-2002 University of Minnesota 125lbs LEROY VEGA 56 | NATIONAL WRESTLING HALL OF FAME & MUSEUM LATINO WRESTLING EXPERIENCE