Words and wrestling. Wrestling and words. The two are intermixed in Sandy Stevens’ life. As the nation’s “Voice of Wrestling” and a freelance writer, she uses her knowledge of wrestling and her fervor for language to look after and encourage thousands of competitors, coaches and fans of her favorite sport.

At the University of Northern Iowa, Stevens, who now lives in Glen Ellyn, Ill. and is chair of the UNI Alumni Association board of directors, was an English major and the feature editor of the College Eye, UNI’s student-run newspaper. But before Stevens came to UNI, she fell in love. With a wrestler. Captivated by “Bear” Stevens, 15-year-old Sandy learned all she could about wrestling.

“Not only did I fall in love with him, but I fell in love with the sport,” she said, recalling the early days with her late husband. That time led to her career calling and announcing wrestling meets and tournaments from coast to coast and around the world.

In 1962, Stevens graduated from UNI with a B.A. in English education with an emphasis in journalism. She and Bear, who wrestled at UNI, married and returned to their hometown of Cedar Rapids, where he taught and coached at Kennedy High School. The night before his team’s first home wrestling meet, he realized he didn’t have an announcer. Luckily for him, he didn’t need to look far.

Stevens, an English teacher at the time, got her first taste of life behind the microphone at that high school quadrangular. Not long after, she was announcing at Iowa’s first state freestyle wrestling tournament, which led to a National Junior’s Tournament and involvement with USA wrestling. In her early 30s, Stevens announced her first national wrestling tournament.

As the “Voice of Wrestling,” being female isn’t the only thing that sets Stevens apart. She uses interesting trivia during an event, like the average GPA of finalists, and celebrates positive tidbits about teams and individuals, such as community service and volunteer activities. She credits those concepts to her preferred feature-style of writing. Stevens also became a certified wrestling mat official to give even more credibility to her knowledge of the sport.

“I have so much respect for wrestlers,” she said. “It’s a sport of substance, not image. It takes dedication, hard work, skill, intelligence, drive, and you have no one but yourself to depend on when you’re out there on the mat.”

Stevens says her first responsibility behind the microphone is to the wrestlers, providing timely and accurate information, giving them one less thing to worry about during competition. She takes great care to learn the correct pronunciation of each wrestler’s name.

After the wrestlers and coaches, Stevens is there to support the fans.

“I want them to not only understand what is happening, but to get excited about it,” she said. “If they’re not already excited about wrestling, I want to hook them.”

Hook them she does, not only to the sport but to her persona behind the mic. Stevens has been honored by three wrestling halls of fame: the National Wrestling Hall of Fame for her contributions to the sport; the Dan Gable Wrestling Museum; and the Illinois Wrestling Hall of Fame. She has announced at the Olympics in Los Angeles and Atlanta, Ga., and several years ago announced a meet in France.

But acclaim for her verbal skills doesn’t outshine her written work. She also has received sports- and feature-writing awards.
“I love being able to write about wrestling. It meshes the two passions in my life,” she said. “I am so blessed to be a part of this sport.”