How Sinatra song 'My Way' inspired Daton Fix's final home Oklahoma State wrestling match

STILLWATER — Just a couple minutes into his final post-match press conference at Gallagher-Iba Arena, Oklahoma State wrestler Daton Fix found himself talking about a national championship.

More specifically, the United Dance Association College Nationals.

An odd tangent for the usually straight-forward Fix, but he had his reasons.

About a month ago, the Ohio State University dance team won the UDA Division 1A Jazz national title with a performance to the Frank Sinatra song “My Way.”

And on Sunday afternoon, before he wrestled his final match inside GIA, Fix walked to the mat with the same song playing.

It played again after his victory, which concluded his undefeated career over 36 matches in that building.

More: Oklahoma State wrestling coach John Smith befuddled by lack of intensity in Iowa loss

“My sister and girlfriend are both big dancers,” Fix said of his inspiration to use the Sinatra song. “Ohio State used that song at nationals for one of their dances.

“You hear the lyrics. ‘Final curtain.’ It’s the last time I’ll put on the orange singlet in Gallagher-Iba. I did it my way. It was a special moment, and I wanted a tribute to the fans and make it a little bit bigger of a deal than it probably was.”

Fix’s career, of course, isn’t finished. The Cowboys dropped to No. 4 in the coaches’ poll after Sunday's loss to Iowa, but remain a top contender for the team title at the Big 12 Championships, set for March 9-10 at the BOK Center in Tulsa.

And while it seems unlikely any team will take down top-ranked Penn State this year, OSU should be in the mix for a high finish at the NCAA Championships to be held March 21-23 in Kansas City, Missouri.

Then, as soon as the NCAA Championships wrap up, Fix will begin cutting weight to get down to 57 kilograms for the U.S. Olympic trials in April. Collegiately, Fix wrestles at 133 pounds, but must drop about eight pounds to get to his Olympic weight.

So there’s little time to rest, but Fix’s career deserves some special attention.

“He was coming up here, probably was 10 years old, coming to regional training center practices,” OSU coach John Smith said. “He’ll be a permanent part of Oklahoma State forever. The journey’s not over.

“He’s been a huge asset to Oklahoma State. He’s gone through some challenges, but he still has a really great spirit, a team spirit, that he’s wrestling for his team all the time. His whole career he’s done that. The furthest thing from being a selfish guy. Willing to help anyone, and gonna be missed.”

Last year, Fix became the 45th Cowboy with 100 career wins, now ranking in the top 15 in program history in winning percentage at 95.0%. And at 115-6 for his career, he’s one of just five Cowboys ever with at least 100 wins and six or fewer losses.

At the NCAA Championships, Fix could become the first Cowboy ever to be a five-time All-American, thanks to the additional year of eligibility granted because of the COVID-19 pandemic.

More: Young Oklahoma State wrestling team leaning on Daton Fix's talent, guidance

While he was humbled by the excitement of the sellout crowd at GIA for the Iowa dual — and his chance to lead them in one last O-S-U chant before taking a bow and stepping off the mat — Fix’s primary goal has always been a national title.

He’s been a runner-up three times and has a fourth-place finish to his name. The pursuit of the mountaintop will be the core of his message to the younger Cowboys as they get back to training this week.

“Obviously, we didn’t want this to happen,” Fix said of the Iowa loss. “The best way to get over it is to get back to work. The season’s not over. We’ve got a lot to wrestle for. The sun’s gonna come up tomorrow. What are you gonna do about it?

“Gotta get back to work. Gotta be better. I’m definitely gonna lead by example, and I’ll talk to them and help them out with anything.”

Fix grew up going to duals at GIA, watching the Cowboy greats of the early 2000s. To follow in their footsteps has been his dream. And eventually, he’d love to coach the next generation, too.

“Every time I put on that orange singlet, it’s special,” Fix said. “The number of times left are limited, so I’m gonna enjoy those times and hopefully I win the rest of my matches in that orange singlet.

“If I could go back, I know I wouldn’t change coming here. I went through a lot of adversity here and I think that's prepared me for life. Overcoming that adversity, I think that leaves a lot of room to grow as a person, and I think someday I’ll be a better coach because of it, a better husband, a better dad.”

Scott Wright covers Oklahoma State athletics for The Oklahoman. Have a story idea for Scott? He can be reached at swright@oklahoman.com or on Twitter at @ScottWrightOK. Sign up for the Oklahoma State Cowboys newsletter to access more OSU coverage. Support Scott’s work and that of other Oklahoman journalists by purchasing a digital subscription today at subscribe.oklahoman.com or by using the link at the top of this page.

This article originally appeared on Oklahoman: How Sinatra's 'My Way' inspired wrestler Daton Fix's final dual at OSU