PSu Magazine Winter 2002

...... Charles ends Viking career as NFL hopeful Terry Charles, Viking wide receiver, spent four years on the Park Blocks and left football fans with some great memories. This season he took the team to a 7-4 record, while leading the Big Sky Conference in receptions (71) and yards (1,096). Charles also set PSU records for receiving touchdowns in a career (27) and a season (12). The 6-foot-4-inch, 205-pound senior was named to the All-Big Sky Conference for the third straight sea– son. But Charles won't just be remem– bered for the 2001 season. In past years his skills on the field have resulted in: • A 99-yard touchdown reception from Jimmy Blanchard against Eastern Washington in 1999 that not only tied an NCAA record but was highlighted on ESPN Sports– Center. • The landmark 12-catch, 276-yard game against Montana in 1999, which the Vikings won, 51-48, on the strength of Charles' overtime touchdown catch. • A five-catch, 168-yard game against Hawaii in 2000. Charles' 72-yard touchdown catch in the third quarter put the game away for the Vikings, earning them a first-ever win over an NCAA 1-A program and national recognition. Charles' numbers and accomplish- Get all of the latest sports news at www.GoViks.com . Game stories, sta– tistics, schedules, team information, press releases, and much more are available and updated daily. You can also listen to live broadcasts of foot– ball and men's and women's basket– ball games, or archived broadcasts. Buy season and single game tickets online at www.GoViks.com or call 1-888-VIK-TIKS or 503-725-3307. ments are all the more remarkable when you consider he twice had to come back from season-ending knee injuries. This year, Charles had to prove his health over and over to his team, opponents, and the scrutiny of the NFL scouts. As great as the tall, lanky player's career has been at PSU, the future could be even more excit– ing. Charles will travel to Orlando, Florida, for the January 26 Rotary Gridiron Classic, a senior all-star game that will allow scouts one last look before the NFL draft next spring. Charles expects to be selected in that draft and playing on Sundays next fall. He would join the ranks of other PSU wide receivers who went on to NFL careers, including Dave Stief and James Hundon. No matter what happens in Charles' future, his past at Portland State has been one of the finest by any player in the history of the program. Charles takes with him seven school records and ranks second in all-time receiving yards (3,155) and third in receptions (180) as a Viking. Terry Charles, record-breaking wide receiver, will be remembered for his acrobatic performance on the field. Wilson's mat work a Pac-10 Conference winner When most people in Portland hear the words Pac-10 Conference and national ranking in the same breath, thoughts of univer– sities south of the Rose City come to mind. But in the wrestling room of the Peter W. Stott Center on the Portland State campus, those words more aptly apply to Viking grappler Jeremy Wilson. Wilson is the lone returning senior for Portland State's wrestling team, the University's only team that com– petes in the Pac-10. He entered his final season ranked No. 10 in the nation at 184 pounds. In addition, the Dayton, Oregon, native is the first PSU wrestler to earn a No. 1 ranking in the conference, a distinc– tion bestowed upon him on the heels of his second straight NCAA Wrestling Championship appearance last spring. "Jeremy has All-American talent," says head coach Marlin Grahn, now in his 18th year at the helm of Portland State's wrestling program. "He was the runner-up at the conference champi– onships last season and he should have a great shot at the title this year." Wilson, who began the season with 73 career wins, ranks in the top ten in all-time victories at PSU and has a chance to become only the sixth wrestler in the program's storied history to amass 100 wins. D WINTER 2002 PSU MAGAZINE 29