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LATINO WRESTLING EXPERIENCE NATIONAL WRESTLING HALL OF FAME & MUSEUM | 33 When the Purdue Boilermakers reconstituted their wrestling program in 1937 (it had been shut down in 1934 as a result of budget pressures caused by the Great Depression), the man named to lead the program, Claude Reeck, eventually made the old gold and black into a consistent performer, garnering several top 10 NCAA finishes. By the time the Reeck's squads were reaching their zenith, two Latinos, Charles Moreno and Al Vega, were integral parts of the team's success. Charles Moreno lettered for the Boilermakers between 1950 and 1952. He was an All-American in 1950, making it all the way to the finals (held that year at Northern Iowa in Cedar Rapids) only to lose to Keith Young of the host school, 5-2 at 145 pounds. Although he was not able to claim the national title, Moreno's run helped Purdue finish runner-up in the team standings. Prior to the NCAA tournament, Moreno had claimed the Big Ten Championship at his weight, as his school, despite entering the tournament with a 2-4-1 record, captured a third straight league crown. Al Vega lettered for the West Lafayette institution between 1952 and 1954. As a senior, he won the Big Ten title at 123 pounds, but lost in the NCAA semifinals to Dick Goving of Iowa, 4-3, finishing third in the nation at the championships held in Norman, Okla. While there are not many more details available about their individual careers, and fewer still about their post-collegiate careers, Charles Moreno and Al Vega were among the earliest Latino wrestlers at Purdue, and helped to set the stage for future stars such as Cashe Quiroga, Fernando Trevino, and for coaches such as Bill Trujillo (1980-1988) and Jesse Reyes (1993-2007). While not the first place one would expect to find an extensive tradition of Latino grapplers, Purdue University stands out as having one of the longest tenures of all Big Ten schools in attracting such athletes (and coaches) to its wrestling program. 1950-1952 145lbs Purdue University 1952-1954 123lbs Purdue University AL VEGA CHARLES MORENO BY THE TIME THE REECK'S PURDUE BOILERMAKER SQUADS WERE REACHING THEIR ZENITH, TWO LATINOS, CHARLES MORENO AND AL VEGA, WERE INTEGRAL PARTS OF THE TEAM'S SUCCESS. AL VEGA CHARLES MORENO