Former Central Oklahoma wrestler Mark Dodgen won 80 matches and two national championships for the Bronchos. He is part of the 2017 UCO Athletic Hall of Fame Class. [UCO Photo Services]
Mark Dodgen was known for an unconventional, wide-open style during a long wrestling career that saw success at every level and that was on full display in the final match of his storied career.
Using a move he had tried only once before, Dodgen turned a second-period reverse into a stunning fall to capture the 125-pound NCAA Division II national championship and help catapult Central Oklahoma to the 2003 team title.
It was the second national crown in three years for Dodgen, who had an 80-16 record with 33 falls during a stellar three-year stint with the Bronchos and is part of the 2017 UCO Athletic Hall of Fame class that will be inducted this fall.
"I wrestled a style that worked for me," Dodgen said of his unique mat methods. "As a kid you had to learn how to do things a certain way, but I always did it in a way that worked for me. I went on intuition a lot, a gut feeling. I grew up around a bunch of different styles and meshed it all together to fit me."
No one could argue with the results of Dodgen's wrestling ways.
A three-time state finalist and two-time champion at Ponca City High School, Mark started his college career at junior college powerhouse Iowa Community College. He went 33-4 as a freshman there and won a regional title before an illness forced him out of the national tournament.
Dodgen decided not to return to Iowa for his sophomore year and he had plenty of options on where to wrestle, but one trip to Edmond turned the tide.
"I went to UCO on a recruiting visit and loved it," he said. "UCO was a perfect fit for me. I loved it there. We had such tight-knit teams and everybody worked hard at making each other better."
Dodgen had an immediate impact at UCO, going 29-9 as a sophomore in 1999-00 and winning the 125-pound national title after entering as the sixth seed. He was favored to win another gold medal the next season before suffering a 4-3 upset in the first round.
Mark rebounded from that disappointing setback to reel off five straight bonus-point wins to earn All-America honors with a third-place finish, avenging his first-round loss with a 13-2 major decision in the consolation bracket.
Dodson redshirted in 2001-02 and then finished with a flair the following year, winning the last 25 matches of his career to cap a 27-2 season. And he ended it the perfect way, with the unusual reverse and fall that gave him a second national championship.
"It wasn't a move I had ever done in a match," Dodgen said of his final moments on the mat. "I only did it once before and that was in practice, but during the match I decided it was the time to try it and it worked.
"I couldn't have asked for a better way to end my career. I won and the team won. It was perfect."
Now married with two young sons, Mark lives in Amarillo, Texas and – with his brothers Matt and Daniel – owns a clothing brand named Nearfall that features wrestling clothing and gear. He looks back fondly of his years at UCO.
"We didn't realize how good we were until later, after we were done and looked back on it," Dodgen said. "We would go out on the mat and bring our best and we just kept doing it over and over. I remember the people, the relationships we built, and those are things I'll never forget."
