MADISON, Wis. -- In 1972, Pat Christenson walked on the UW wrestling team after being a two-time state qualifier for Oak Creek High School. Four years later, Christenson won the NCAA Championships at 167 pounds for Wisconsin. He has been the president of Las Vegas Events since 2001. Volunteer assistant coach Mitch Hull sat down with Christenson for UWBadgers.com.
 
HULL: In November of 1975, Lee Kemp beat Dan Gable at the Northern Open. Lost in that great moment was the fact that in the following match you beat one of the greats in our sport in Carl Adams.
Christenson: "I had never won a MVW at a tournament. Lee gets Gable in the Finals and I get Adams; both wrestling icons. That was easily the best match I ever wrestled and won in OT. Lee's win over Gable did two things. It got me pumped up and everyone was so busy focusing on Lee's win it took a lot of pressure off me. The win over Adams kind of got lost as obviously the bigger match of the day was Kemp-Gable."

HULL: What contributed to the success you achieved in college that ultimately ended with earning an NCAA title?
Christenson: "In 1970, UW was near the bottom of the Big 10. Duane Kleven changed that. He hired Russ Hellickson and quickly added some strong recruits. Two of these were Ed Vatch (Two-time Big Ten champion) and Rich Lawinger (Wisconsin's first NCAA champion). I had them on both sides of my weight class as well five or six state champions. In addition to the strong wrestling room, Russ Hellickson taught cutting edge technique, especially on our feet. Add the support from the wrestling club that allowed us to compete year round and a schedule that included eight out of ten top teams; I had everything I needed to achieve my dream of winning an NCAA title."
 
HULL: You were the fourth NCAA champion in Badger history when you won in 1976. What seed did you have and what clicked for you at that Championship to win the title?
Christenson: "I had three losses going into the NCAA Tournament; all from top four seeds. However, I had beat each of them too. Dan Gable was the Big Ten representative for seeding. Unfortunately, he got stuck in an elevator. I still cannot tell you why I wasn't seeded.
It all worked out. In the first round, I wrestled the No. 2 seed and beat him. So, I essentially ended up with a second seed.
Before I knew what hit me, I was way behind.
After the shot he stuck his head up. I couldn't believe it."

HULL: How did wrestling, especially at UW prepare you for what you do today?
Christenson: "Probably the most influential part of my experience at UW was being a part of a team that went from the cellar in the Big Ten to fourth in the country. What I learned from Kleven and Hellickson was how to build a program. Part of that was providing everything we needed to win.
My philosophy is simple. Hire good and motivated people and then provide them all they need to be successful. I learned that at UW."