June 27, 2000
By Jimmy Robertson
Heading into the Ironman competition, Browning Wynn followed the philosophy of many NASCAR drivers.
"You don't have to win every event," Wynn said. "Just be consistent."
Wynn did a little of both.
Wynn, Tech's 6-foot-3, 228-pound tight end, won three of the five events to finish tops among his group and his 46 total points were enough to help him claim the 2000 Ironman title. Wynn edged out defensive tackle Chad Beasley, last year's winner, by just three points to win the competition.
"Chad and I were joking with each other the whole time about who was going to win," Wynn said. "We're from the same area. It's good to see two southwest Virginia boys finish at the top."
The competition consisted of:
The stadium run - Players ran the stadium steps wearing a 30-pound vest. Players are timed and the best time wins the event.
The objects relay - Players carried weighted dummies certain distances and were timed. Again, the best time won the event.
The sumo wrestling event -Two players would gather inside of a small ring and try to push each other outside of the ring. The winner would advance to the next round until a champion was determined.
The truck push - Players pushed a truck and certain distance while being timed. The best time won.
The back squat - Players maxed out in the squat. A power ratio was determined by dividing the lift by the body weight. The person with the highest ratio won the event.
The winner of each event received 10 points, with those finishing in second getting nine, those finishing third getting eight, etc.
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| IRONMAN WINNERS |
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| Year | Winner |
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| 1995 | Jim Druckenmiller |
| 1996 | Waverly Jackson |
| 1997 | Carl Bradley |
| 1998 | Carl Bradley |
| 1999 | Chad Beasley |
| 2000 | Browning Wynn |
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Wynn, competing in the tight ends/defensive ends/linebackers/fullbacks group, won the stadium run, the objects relay and the truck push. He finished second in the sumo contest and fourth in the back squat. And those 46 points blew everyone in his group away. Fellow tight end teammate Bob Slowikowski came in second in that group with 32 points.
Beasley finished first in the linemen group, with guard Josh Redding finishing second in that group and third overall with 38 points. He won the objects relay and the sumo contest and finished second in the stadium run and third in the truck push. Heading into the back squat - the final event - he needed to finish second to tie and ended up fifth.
The competition isn't finished because class conflicts kept some of the skill players from being able to squat Monday. Nick Sorensen, who finished the event, is currently first among skill players. But Wynn and Beasley finished 1-2 overall.
Wynn becomes just the second non-lineman to win the Ironman. Former quarterback Jim Druckenmiller won the first competition in 1994. For Wynn's efforts, his name will be inscribed on a huge anvil that rests in the weight room.
