The National Wrestling Hall of Fame has announced that it will present How Japanese Wrestlers Made NCAA History featuring NCAA champion Tadaaki Hatta on Thursday, March 16 at 2:30 p.m. on the Main Stage at the NCAA Fan Festival in the Tulsa Ballroom at the Cox Convention Center.

Hatta will be interviewed by A.L. Haizlip, who received the Lifetime Service to Wrestling award from the Oklahoma Chapter of the National Wrestling Hall of Fame in 2009. 

Held in conjunction with the NCAA Division I Wrestling Championships at the BOK Center in Tulsa, Oklahoma, the Fan Fest will be held in the Tulsa Ballroom at the Cox Convention Center while the Win Magazine Fan Expo will be held in the Tulsa Gallery at the Cox Convention Center. Both events are free to the public.

“We are excited to share the story of the first and most prolific international cultural exchange program in any college sport,” said Lee Roy Smith, Executive Director, National Wrestling Hall of Fame. “We are fortunate to have Tadaaki Hatta, one of the wrestlers who came to the United States to wrestle, to share his personal experiences and to talk about how the Japanese wrestlers impacted and changed NCAA wrestling in the 1960s.”

Hatta came to Oklahoma State from Tokyo, Japan and was an NCAA champion and two-time All-American who helped OSU win NCAA titles in 1964 and 1966 while finishing second in 1965. 

Yojiro Uetake Obata wrestled at the same time and went 58-0 while winning NCAA titles in 1964, 1965 and 1966. Uetake also won gold medals for Japan at the 1964 and 1968 Olympics.

Tadaaki Hatta’s older brother, Masaaki, was the first Japanese wrestler to come to Oklahoma State. He won an NCAA champion and was a three-time finalist who helped OSU win NCAA titles in 1961 and 1962.

Tadaaki Hatta was on the U.S. Olympic freestyle men’s team coaching staff in 1988, 1992 and 1996. He coached the Japanese Olympic team in 1968 and 1984 and the Mexican Olympic team in 1972.

He was an assistant coach for the U.S. Women’s team for the 2004 Olympics, the first Olympics where women competed in wrestling, and returned to the 2008 Olympics as head coach of the U.S. Women’s team. He was also the head coach of the 1998 Men’s Cadet World Team, the 1999 Women’s Cadet World Team, the Women’s Junior World Team in 2001 and 2002 and the 2002 Women’s University Team.

Hatta works with the New York Athletic Club women’s team and also volunteers with Cleveland Beat the Streets. He is also an assistant coach for the St. Ignatius High School rugby team, which won the high school national championship and the Ohio state championship in 2022, Hatta is also a consultant for the St. Ignatius wrestling team and for Nike Wrestling. He has taught and coached wrestling at every level, from youth clubs to the Olympics.

He graduated from Oklahoma State with a bachelor’s degree in fine art in 1966 and then earned a master’s degree in art from Northwestern University. Three of his paintings and a sculpture are displayed at the National Wrestling Hall of Fame while one of his ink drawings is part of the OSU Museum of Art’s permanent collection. 

Hatta also restores statues at Cleveland churches pro bono and recently completed a portrait of his father to commemorate the 90th anniversary of wrestling at Waseda University, commissioned by wrestling alumni it will hang in the school’s wrestling room.

Haizlip has more than 20 years of experience as an in-arena announcer and radio and television broadcaster. Haizlip is the public address announcer for Oklahoma State University wrestling and the in-arena announcer for the Big 12 Championships. He has also announced the United World Wrestling Championships, Olympic Team Trials in several sports, NCAA Division I Wrestling Championships, Pan American Championships, U.S. Open Wrestling, Wrestling World Cup, Hall of Fame events, wrestling for the University of Missouri, the University of Oklahoma and Oklahoma City University, men’s and women’s gymnastics for the University of Oklahoma. He has broadcast for ESPN, ESPN-U, Fox College Sports, Fox Sports Southwest, NCAA DI Championships, NAIA Championships, NCWA Championships, USA Wrestling, and USA Gymnastics.

Schedule of NCAA Fan Festival Events

Thursday, March 16

2-6 p.m. NCAA Fan Festival at Cox Convention Center – Tulsa Ballroom and Win Magazine Fan Expo at Cox Convention Center – Tulsa Gallery

2:30-3:15 p.m. Fan Festival Main Stage

National Wrestling Hall of Fame Presents How Japanese Wrestlers Made NCAA History featuring Tadaaki Hatta

3:15-3:45 p.m. Fan Festival Main Stage

National Wrestling Hall of Fame Presents Oklahoma Wrestling Greats Autograph Session featuring Kendall Cross, Tadaaki Hatta, Jamill Kelly, Kenny Monday and Pat Smith
            
3:30-4:45 p.m. Fan Festival Stadium Mats         

USA Wrestling Practice

Friday, March 17

1-6:30 p.m. NCAA Fan Festival at Cox Convention Center – Tulsa Ballroom
Win Magazine Fan Expo at Cox Convention Center – Tulsa Gallery

2:30-3:45 p.m. Fan Festival Stadium Mats

USA Wrestling Practice
               
3-4:15 p.m. Cox Convention Center – Tulsa Gallery

Dan Gable Autograph Session presented by Win Magazine

3:45-4:25 p.m. Fan Festival Main Stage

National Wrestling Coaches Association Coaches Clinic

4:45-5:45 p.m. Fan Festival Main Stag

Semifinals Preview Show

Saturday, March 18

12-5:30 p.m. NCAA Fan Festival at Cox Convention Center – Tulsa Ballroom
Win Magazine Fan Expo at Cox Convention Center – Tulsa Gallery

1:30-2:45 p.m. Fan Festival Stadium Mats

USA Wrestling Practice               

2:55-3:25 p.m. Fan Festival Main Stage         

USA Wrestling Autograph Session