SJSU Wrestling Archives The Spartan Daily 3-11-74                   SJSU Champions            by Terry Day           Every collegiate athlete dreams of a championship. Few attain such status. At this time SJSU can lay claim to not one but three wrestling champions. Danny Kida, Oscar Trevino, and Donnell Jackson are the current local heroes of the recent PCAA wrestling finals. All three men won their weight division and the right to participate in the NCAA wrestling tournament in Ames, Iowa, on Saturday and Sunday. These three wrestlers didn't rely on pure luck to gain a berth in the NCAA finals. Hard work and determination paid off when it counted. "Danny will stop short of nothing, to make good," coach Terry Kerr said. "He is an intense individual and in wrestling, concentration is a very important element if you want to win," Kerr continued. Along with quickness and skill, Kida combined his desire to win and captured two PCAA championships at 118 plus a fifth place finish in the 1973 NCAA finals to earn the title of All-American. When speaking to Kida he doesn't talk of personal achievement, just team goals. "I'm really sorry more of our guys didn't make it to the finals (NCAA's)," Kida said after winning his second PCAA title. "But what more important the team won and that's something to be proud of. We wanted the team championship most of all." If Kida's determination holds up for another week he will be returning to SJSU with another All-American citation. Oscar Trevino is another SJSU grappler that worked hard for his championship at 126 pounds. "If anybody deserves to get to the finals, Oscar deserves that chance," Kerr observed. "Trevino is a hard worker and always in the right frame of mind," Kerr said of the 126-pounder. Trevino never has any trouble in getting up for the big matches. Proof of that is his two PCAA championships. Kerr never has to prod or motivate Trevino because Trevino knows what he must do and does it without question. Because of Trevino's hard work and determination he will be making a second trip to the NCAA finals. Jackson is the quiet giant on the SJSU squad, but his season record of 37 wins, four losses, and a tie is enough to make opponents cringe when they have to go up against him. Motivation is the key to Jackson's success. In fact, in 1973 Jackson was named team motivator, not because he is 6-foot 3 and weighs in the neighborhood of 225 pounds, but because he cares about the team as a whole. "Donnell is a quiet man, he doesn't get excited about a match, but concentrates on what has to be done," Kerr said. "When things were going rough for us early in the year, Donnell would always remind the lightweights that they had better come through if the team was going to win," Kerr said smiling. Jackson is one of those rare athletes that combines physical strength with a mental attitude that makes him a perennial winner. That combination is hard to beat.