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 :: Riverside Sport Hall of Fame's Wall of Distinction :: (571 Reads)

Posted by Admin on Sunday, November 04, 2007 - 04:04 PM

Kistler family of wrestlers among those to be honored today

12:03 PM PST on Sunday, November 4, 2007

By JEFF EISENBERG
The Press-Enterprise

RIVERSIDE - They have been labeled California's first family of wrestling, a shrewd technician, a future attorney, a star-crossed champion and a quiet assassin.

Brothers Jackson, Harlan, Lindley and Marty Kistler forged a wrestling legacy that rivals any family in the state's rich history.

The former Riverside Notre Dame stars will be honored today by the Riverside Sport Hall of Fame in a 2 p.m. ceremony at the corner of Magnolia Avenue and 14th Street.

"It's fitting that we're being recognized together," Lindley Kistler said. "We challenged each other on a day-to-day basis. I always knew if I could beat one of my brothers, I could beat just about anybody."

The Kistlers are among a group of 41 accomplished athletes in wrestling, tennis, racquetball and baseball who will receive a spot on the Hall of Fame's Wall of Distinction. Though a few of today's honorees experienced prolonged professional success, most aren't familiar names outside their hometown.

"You don't have to be a big-time star to be recognized," said Nick Tavaglione, president of the Riverside Sport Hall of Fame. "It shows we're not just all about football and basketball. We're trying to open it up to all the sports."

Wrestling was a childhood obsession for the Kistlers, each born just a year apart from one another. Once their father introduced them to the sport in elementary school, the brothers waged daily battles in every corner of their Riverside home.

"That's why my mom got thick shag carpet for our house," Jackson Kistler said. "More cushion."

Most young wrestlers attended camps and clinics, but the Kistlers were largely self-taught. They trained via daily regimens of jump roping, push-ups and sit-ups, adopting some holds used against them in matches and inventing others during impromptu sparring sessions at their home.

Since Notre Dame didn't have an organized wrestling program, Jackson Kistler helped found one his freshman year. He persuaded his friends to join the team and recruited family friend and former Riverside Community College and UCLA star Jimmy Rodriguez as coach.

Notre Dame emerged as one of the state's top programs while the Kistlers were there in the late 1970s, but wrestling facilities at the school were hardly ideal. Because wrestlers trained in a dank, windowless room that doubled as a weight room for the football team, they had to remove the equipment and roll out the mats before every practice.

"It was almost like a workout for the privilege to work out," Jackson Kistler recalled.

When the last Kistler brother finished his high school career by winning a state title, it was a bittersweet victory to Rodriguez, also among today's honorees.

"I was happy to see Marty win, but I also got very sad because it was the end of an era," he said. "They're the best wrestling family in the history of California. I'm proud to have coached them."

All four brothers validated their high school achievements by flourishing at the collegiate level.

Jackson and Lindley earned four All-American honors between them, the former at UCLA and Arizona State and the latter at Arizona State and Iowa. Harlan became the only wrestler to win conference titles at three different schools: UCLA, Arizona State and Iowa.

Marty was the first Californian to receive a full wrestling scholarship to Iowa. He excelled under legendary coach Dan Gable, capturing a pair of national titles and earning the national tournament's MVP award his senior year.

Only Harlan still lives in Riverside, but all four brothers planned to attend today's ceremony.

"You don't think about it when you're younger, but as I get older, it definitely has more meaning," Jackson Kistler said. "It's really cool to hear that people are aware of your accomplishments."

Reach Jeff Eisenberg at 951-368-9357 or jeisenberg@PE.com

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