This is the Truth Network. What happens when a world champion Professional wrestler. discusses Wrestling with a world champion. amateur rustler. Who has a 55-year history with each other?
Don't go away. You're going to want to hear this story. Stay tuned. the United States champion. And he became my first one.
Ladies and gentlemen, the following contest is set for one flaw. Introducing first from Lithuania, he weighs 123 kilos, the Russian nightmare, Nikita.
Now, the devil's nightmare. Welcome back to another episode of It's Time to Man Up. With me today. A longtime friend, a brother in Christ, recently reunited. After 47 years.
That's right. Mike Houck, welcome to the Man Up Show. Hi, Nikita. Thank you so much. I don't know if I should say this or not, but one of the first things I think I said to you when we reconnected was, I'm going to do my best not to call you by that other name.
You did. You were like, it's everything inside me not to, you know, like, you know, which it's funny, like, you know, because I rarely ever, you know, hear what would be my, for those listeners out there, what would be my. birth name ever since I legally changed my name back in the uh back in the 80s. But but, you know, we it occasionally comes up, especially, you know, when I'm around back in Minnesota and around some of the old stomping grounds and people that I used to go to school with, right? You know, like yourself.
Well, here's what excites me about today, Mike, is to have you on the show. Man, there's so much that I want to cover. We're going to see what we can get through. We're probably going to have to do a part one and a part two just because of the length of our history.
So 55 years. Thanks to you, I didn't realize. I don't even know if I told you this, but. But I guess it was the night before we were going to reconnect after 47 years that you had sent me a couple pictures. And I was looking, I was like, Oh my gosh, it was like a sixth-grade class picture with the teacher.
Do you remember the teacher's name out of curiosity? I don't. Uh yeah, it was um Mrs. Larson. And she was, it was a distracting year because, cause, okay, Mrs.
Larson was a babe.
So that's what I remember. Right, right. Isn't it funny? Like in elementary school, you kind of quote, fall in love with your teacher because they're just like beautiful, right? And she was a really nice lady, too, you know?
And that's what I remember. Mrs. Larson. Yeah. Yeah.
Yeah. But what were we going to say about the picture? Yeah, so the picture, you know, w so I it's like I r I hadn't looked at that for decades and I'm like I think I think Nachita was in in my sixth grade class. And then it was like, yeah, okay. And there we are right next to each other.
Yes, and I might add, we were really handsome sixth graders. I'll have to agree with that. I have to agree. You know, I showed that to my sister. I was actually staying at her house and I'm like, pick me out of the lineup.
And she actually had a little trouble. And I had, like, I message you. I go, dude, is that me like standing like right next to you? You go, yep. And I'm like, oh my gosh.
And my sister struggled a bit to try to pick it.
Now, my kids didn't. I showed it to all my daughters as well. And they picked it out like kind of immediately. You know, oh, dad, that's you right there, Dad. That's you.
I'm like, oh, my goodness.
So, but yeah, but sixth grade, and of course, of course, we moved, like, my mom. Moved me out of uh uh the projects of Minneapolis in in the fifth grade, and you moved uh to Crystal, Minnesota in the fifth grade as well, right?
So yes, so we went so actually for me, it was between my fourth and fifth grade year.
So we were in Crystal.
Okay. And then the summer between just so we moved to Robbinsdale as I started my fifth grade year.
So I got to Robbinsdale a year before you got there.
Well, no, no.
So that's the thing. Here's okay.
So you educated me.
So it was between fourth and fifth grade that my mom moved. Me to Robistille as well, I guess we just weren't in the same class or just didn't. Didn't know each other back in that first year at elementary school, I guess. Probably not. My first memory of you, and it was probably sixth grade, but I think sixth and seventh grade, we played in Bill Burke was our coach.
We played in the Cub Football League. It was kind of the traveling team. It was kind of a big special deal to make that team. And it would have been the fall of our sixth grade year that we would have started that. And then we ended up in the same class.
So that was my first contact with you. Mr. Shipman was my fifth grade teacher, if that sounds familiar. Yeah, I just, it's funny because my dad, my dad, you know, the Lord reunited my dad and I prior to his passing. And I was able on the very last Father's Day we had together ask him a bunch of questions.
And one of them had to do with one of his favorite childhood memories that he brought up, one of his elementary teachers. I'm like, I don't even remember that dad. I can't think of one teacher's name from elementary school, but apparently she must have been beautiful as well, and/or at least left quite an impression on my dad, you know, that even remember her name. But no, that's amazing.
So, so you officially, Mike, you officially are my longest standing friend. I have 55 years for the record, as far as I'm concerned. And. And no, when you sent me that elementary pair, I was just blown away. I'm like, wow.
Because I didn't remember that. I knew we played football together, but did not remember those early elementary years. I sure didn't. Can I make one comment about what I think is really cool about that? Yeah.
So so like the older I get, you know, Our past disappears. You know, I feel like the culture of where we grew up and what the city looks like, and everything has changed. I closed all the schools and such. But you go back for me and I connect with people. And again, yeah, you and me going back 55 years to sixth grade.
And then you, even though we hadn't seen each other for a long time, you have such a common formative experience with the same culture in the same place. And it's. It's a special thing. In some ways, it's kind of a gift because you've got somebody who understands where you came from and who you are. Yeah, absolutely.
And, you know, I was excited, of course, I was with another old classmate, Barry Darso, who I think we mutually know, right? Right. And at an autograph signing just a number of weeks ago, and we spent the whole day together, which we don't. typically do that. Like he's usually with his his partner Bill Eady.
They're off doing their demolition thing. I'm there doing the Russian Nightmare thing. But this particular promoter wanted us together as him as Krusher Khrushchev, me as the Russian Nightmare. And so we literally spent the whole day together. And he's like, hey, guess who I ran into recently?
He's like, Mike Houck. I'm like, where? Like, where he is? Hey, let's call him. Like, we had a little break in between photo sessions and stuff.
And so we called you and got to talk to you briefly. And I was excited because it was just weeks before I was going back up to Minnesota for some ministry and to see my family and also for a football reunion that, a college football reunion, where you and I played college ball together. I don't want to get ahead of myself, but so I was excited. That call was a real blessing to me because I've followed you a bit from afar, and I know that we share a common faith. And we didn't back then.
And so So it was a special blessing. And then just the time we spent when you were back here a little bit to catch up and to share, you know, our journeys and our journeys of faith and how we came to Christ. I mean, that was. That was a real blessing to me, brother.
Well, it I was thankful to Barry, if you're out there listening, I'm thankful to you, Barry, for reconnecting Mike and I together. And so let me go back just for a moment.
So my mom, so my mom moves me out to Robbsdale. You move out to Robbsdale. We connect the sixth grade. You mentioned Bill Burke. Actually, Bill, for me, became my real first male mentor.
So, you know, I mentioned how the Lord would reunite my dad and I years and years later, actually into my 40s and into his 80s, the Lord would reunite us and actually restore a father-son relationship that I didn't have for all of those years. But that said, with him out of the picture, back in those elementary, junior, high, high school days, Bill Burke became my my first male mentor, you know, our that our our light cub football coach. Mike, do you remember you know, they had a and I don't I don't know if you do or not, I vividly remember they had a they had a a weight limit. For the games. Like you had to weigh in.
They had to weigh in, right? Every game. And I was like 110 pounds or something like that. And I must have like ate too much that, you know, a couple, three weeks or something because I had to run and run and run and run and run and run before the game, you know, before I could step on, try to get my weight down to qualify, you know, or to play that. Do you remember that?
Nikita, seriously, I did the same thing because I was pushing sixth grade. I might have been okay. The second year in, I was pushing the limit, and I always had to watch what I if you know, but but again, you know, I was a wrestler too, so so I was kind of used to having to make weight, but to think that you had to make weight for football, man, no. I don't know if they've done away with that now or if they have separate leagues for weights, but yeah, so I remember that.
Well, yeah, and I'm like, man, you know, I don't want to miss another game. I got to, you know, it's almost like starve yourself just so you can play and then be then be weak, you know, and not have the strength to then be able to give it your best effort in the game. But, you know, Bill, and I'm going to ask you about, you know, maybe a memory or two of Bill Burke because for me, you know, he kind of learned my story and knew that, you know, no dad and I was a product of welfare. And so I didn't have a whole lot of money. And Mike, he took me, like a couple of these, you may not even know some of this, but I mean, he really took me under his wing.
I remember he took me out to. Out to the athletics shop, and I'll never forget he bought me a pair of arm pads. And back in those days, it had a hand pad and an arm pad connected all together, all like one piece. And, you know, he bought that for me, as well as a number of other pieces of equipment, got to ride around in his car. Do you remember the car he had?
He had a Corvette. He was a Corvette guy.
So we grew up, okay, so I lived at two different places on Hubbard Avenue, right? When we first moved there, when I first met Bill, he lived kitty corner across the street from us. And like he was a bachelor, I think, right? Because he lived at home for quite a while. Like he cared, took the house and whatever, but he was a Corvette guy.
Maybe. That's a cool I I didn't know that that that you were that close to him. I I I think that's an incredible example of a of a coach Who's coaching for all the right reasons? He loved the sport of football. He was passionate about it.
But he also, I think, had a heart to mentor and to develop young men. And he was a good, moral, solid guy. And he was a manly guy. And so I, you know, what a testimony to him that he, you know, and I wonder how many other guys, like, he stepped up. He saw a need of one of his athletes and he met it.
You know, he did. How beautiful. You're listening to the Truth Network at TruthNetwork.com. If you would like to support Koloff for Christ Ministries, for a gift of $25, Nikita will send you his two CDs, Adoration and Declaration. For a gift of $50, Nikita will include his book, Wrestling with Success.
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You're listening to the Truth Network and TruthNetwork.com. Yeah, and so he, you know, he did he did that for me, which, you know, I was forever, you know, just grateful and just kind of indebted to him for that. And I remember too, it's funny, again, like we'd be at practice, and little side note. I I really I think he's the reason that that I actually have a Corvette to this day. Like I bought it I bought it in 1986.
Next year I'll have had it. I still have it. Forty years I've had the same Corvette. For 40 years. And Bill, I think, is the reason why I have one.
I'm like, that's the coolest car on the planet. And one day I'm going to have one for myself, you know. But I always remember, like, we'd be at practice, and all of a sudden, like, Coach Burke would, like, vanish. And I'm like I'm like, where'd Coach go? They go, well, he went to take his car home.
And I'm like, what? Yeah, it looks like it might rain. Like, he, I don't remember that. Like, he literally, if it even looked like it was going to rain, he was jetting home the Corvette and coming back with his Robbinsdale company work car. Do you remember that at all or no?
Uh, I don't remember him leaving, but it makes sense 'cause the car was immaculate. It was. It was beautiful green and it was green. I I as I recall. It was a green Corvette.
It was beautiful. And man, he took care of that. And I think you're right. I think he was just a a a bachelor back back in those days. And uh And so what an incredible memory.
You know, it it There and I appreciate what you said about him because I think you're spot on and knowing his heart for helping develop young men. And then, so we played that light cup football together. Another picture you sent me was another football photo, a group show.
So, in addition to the sixth-grade class photo, you sent me a, and I was like, Man, when was that? You're like, that was ninth grade. Ninth grade.
So you sent me that for Robbinsdale Jr. High, right? Yeah. And uh and uh of course, you know, o over over the year you know, over the course of of of those early years, uh, uh, did you always play always like play fullback running back, fullback from even back in the light cup days?
So light cup days I was a defense guy. I loved defense and I was linebacker.
So I was, and I think I was a middle linebacker. They might have played with me on the outside, but mainly was the middle. I just, I don't know how much, you know, you, I mean, we played together for a long time, but I just was like, I was fearless. Like, I just didn't care. I never thought twice about getting into the fray, barreling in headfirst, you know.
But, but linebacker was always my thing. And then in high school, I started running pullback. And because we did the wishbone, and it was like, okay, you know, and so with the wishbone, I'm fullback, it's like a glorified lineman, right? You know, right, right. But the only difference is you get a running start before you're blocked.
And that's right. And you occasionally get the ball.
So, yes, but let me rephrase what that is.
Okay, to re to rephrase the term. You, you become a human ball-carrying battering ram, yes, for short yardage. And that was the job. Right, right. And, well, I remember, I know I played, I guess, uh, on the line, of course, you know, him buying me that the full pad in Light Cup.
You know, I played On the line, offensive, defensive line, which, by the way, let me just say for our listeners out there, you know, when you were like, I don't know if they still do that.
So, I was just recently at two of my grandson's games, and the seven and eight-year-olds and the 10, 11-year-olds. And there's a couple boys that have some girth to them, right? And so, Mike, they can play, but like, they can't, like, if there's a fumble or something, like, they can't advance the ball, like, they can only like fall on it because of how big they are.
So, like, they got like an X on their helmet or something.
So, the referee knows, oh, no, he's not eligible to run the ball or whatever, you know. Wow. Yeah. So, it's, and then I saw a clip recently on social media where this young man had to be four, four times the size as all the other kids in there. And I'm like, how is that even legal?
How do they even, you know, I get it because somebody's like, He doesn't look seven, he looks 14, you know? And so, anyway, but um. Yeah, some great memories, you know, throughout elementary and junior high school.
Now, high school, you mentioned high school. I remember, let me test your memory here, Mike. I remember our sophomore year in high school, our head coach, Dwayne Straight, for the varsity team, was not a fan of dressing sophomores. Like, that was just kind of like his thing, like his rule or whatever. And so, you know, he would only dress for the games, you know, juniors and seniors.
However, our sophomore year, you know, they were lacking some depth, you might say, talent-wise. And you and I, and Brad Keefe. As I recall, are the only three sophomores to ever dress that year for varsity, but not only dress, Actually, get some playing time. What do you recall, or what do you remember from those high school days? Yeah, I remember that exactly.
And, you know, that was a huge deal. And, you know, in retrospect, I think I agree with you that they were lacking in those areas. But also, I think he was. Um, he was looking ahead to develop the leadership and he made it a really, really special thing. And um, yeah, I mean, I I it was it was so and you know, maybe nowadays it doesn't seem like a big deal because maybe high schools, you know, I mean, you know, in wrestling teams, you got seventh graders competing on varsity, you know, and football, like like some of those, depending on where you're at, but where we were at, yeah, it was like unheard of, right?
To to dress much less play. And and I did, I got a I can actually still remember, I got into a couple of games and I remember my playtime and just thinking how pumped and how cool that was. Yep, yep. And of course, I was even doing some kicking back then. I was doing some kickoffs and punting some back in those days.
And wide receiver. I was skinny enough to still, I guess, play wide receiver in those early days of high school. And of course, I would go on, I don't even know if you know this, I would go on to when, I don't want to, again, I don't want to get ahead of myself, but post-junior college, when I went up to Moorhead State University, I actually got to play on the left side of the line Joe Jakes from Robbsdale. You probably remember the name Joe Jakes. Oh, yeah, absolutely.
Joe Jakes. At guard, Brad Keefe at offensive tackle, and then I played tight end. I play tight. Yeah, so Robbisdale reunited over there at Moorhead State University for a couple of years. And so that was pretty amazing as well.
So. We didn't have the greatest high school football teams. In fact, you know, some people look at me and they hear that, that Kurt Henning and Rick Rood and Tom Zink and Nikita Koloff and Barry Darso, John Nort, all these guys come out of Robbinsdale High School, and many of them play football. They're like, man, you must have had stellar football teams. I mean, state champions.
I'm like, well, unfortunately, we did not for whatever reason, right? Yeah, for whatever reason. And I have wondered about that too, because I think about just the talent. And, you know, some of it, you know, not going to speak ill of anybody, but some of it is about coaching and leadership. And, you know, we both of us got to play for Erner et al.
You know, that year, junior college ball, who was a Robbinsdale legendary coach. What he did in like I that was the first outside of Bill Burke, back in cup football was fantastic. Middle school wasn't great coaching, you know. And high school was okay. You know, I think Coach Strait was a good coach.
He just didn't know how to Pull together all those very strong personalities and those independent, tough, hard-nosed guys, you know, and uh. For whatever reason, he wasn't able to bring them together. Because if we would have all come together and been going in the same direction, we would have been a force.
Well, and that's my answer to people: when they say that, is, and again, yeah, not to throw anybody under the bus by go. You need players, but you also need coaching. You got to have coaching as well. It's kind of a combination there, you know, in order to have championship teams. And so, but I still, even that said, of course, still have fond high school memories, you know, camaraderie with all of the guys.
And of course, you mentioned Nerdahl, Irv Nerdahl, who was legendary at Robbinsdale. You and I would be reunited. With Bill Burke upon graduating from high school. And at that time, he was now coaching defensive coordinator with Irv Nerdahl, who was the head coach. There was, I think, about four former Robbinsdale coaches over at Golden Valley Lutheran College, right?
Go over at the college there. And of course, we would end up. And Bill was instrumental in my decision to go there. How did you get there, Mike? Was it Bill, or how did you get to Golden Valley?
You know, I think I knew you were going there. I was really at a bad place in my life at that time and I needed something to just that was positive and constructive and And so, you know, I think I knew you were going there. I knew Coach Nerdahl was there. And I think I knew Bill was there too. And I'm guessing it was through you, right?
And so, you know, the expectation was I was going to go to college. And so it was right next door to where we lived. And I thought, oh, and I could play football. Playing football there was the most pleasant surprise, one of the most. enjoyable that season that i was there was just um spectacular And it's even, I couldn't have imagined how good it could have been.
And again, it was the coaching. It was the group of guys. It was the unity of our team, the energy. It was amazing.
Well, and of course, for me, it reunited with my now second longest standing friend, Tim Peltier, who was playing quarterback over there. And I think because of Irv, he had had an instrumental role in getting Tim over there and playing quarterback.
So we had Robbinsdale QB, Robbinsdale fullback, Robbinsdale tight end, and a handful of other guys that would eventually head over to Golden Valley as well. Scotty Berger and a number of other guys that would make their way over there. And at the time, that first year, they were the number one rated junior college football team in the nation, which was unheard of. And you look back and look at our record and what we did in terms of scoring. Scoring points and defenses, holding teams to shutouts.
It was pretty amazing. We're going to get more into that. We're going to run out of time here. I had a feeling this was going to be a part one and part two, Mike, just because of all our history together and reminiscing on our past. And here's what I'm going to set up for part two, though, and here's why people are going to tune back in.
We're going to talk about not only our football careers, but our wrestling careers. And folks, what you're going to hear about is you got two world champions on the show today: one on the side of professional wrestling and the other on the side of amateur wrestling, where Mike Hauck would go on to after college, post-college, go on into amateur Greco-Roman wrestling and win a gold medal, become a world champion. You're going to hear about his run for. the Olympics. You're going to hear about his run for these gold medals in the world championships.
So you're going to want to tune in next week and catch part two. Of this show with Mike Hopkins. There's a lot we're going to tell. We're going to compare notes here on our wrestling course. Mike, in our last minute here, right, if we knew, okay, let's go back to sixth grade just for a moment.
If we knew any idea, right, that one day you and I would both end up in the Dan Gable Wrestling Hall, Hall of Fame and Museum, never in a million years, probably, right? Yep, never in a million years. I agree. Never in a million years. And I want to say this too.
When I was inducted into the hall down there in Waterloo, Iowa, I was walking. You probably don't know this. I might have mentioned it to you. But I was walking through one day and I'm looking at all the plaques and all the history of amateur wrestling. And I see this name, Mike Houck, up there on the wall, and I'm like.
That that can't that can't be the That can't be the Mike Hawk I know. Little did I know, because Mike, I did not realize that you had went into and had this amazing amateur career in Greco-Roman wrestling. But when we come back, part two. Um tune in. Mike Howe, don't go anywhere.
You're going to want to hear the... I'll use it for the older in the crowd, the Paul Harvey rest of the story. Mike, thanks for being on part one today. Glad to be here. And thank you each and every week.
You guys are so faithful to tune in to the Man Up Show and continue to spread the word, subscribe, download, get your friends to subscribe and download. And my challenge to you today is go out today and just have a God-filled and a God-blessed day. Till next time. This podcast is made possible by the grace of God. and your faithful prayers, support, and generous gifts.
May God bless you for your continual contributions. Go to kolof.net and donate. Today. If you are enjoying the Man Up Show, would you help us spread the word? Tell your family, tell your friends, tell your neighbors to download, subscribe, and leave a comment.
Hi, Nikita Koloff. Be sure to check out the Man Up Show now available on television, broadcast, and podcast. Go to MorningstarTV.com or the Truth Radio Network. Check out your local listings, or better yet. Download the Truth Network app today.
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Yeah.
