Champ Martin
Leon Martin earned the nickname “Champ” for his prowess on the wrestling mat, and the nickname stuck with him all through college and a long coaching career. He coached 35 years at Algona High school, claiming four team titles. One son, Dave, was NCAA champion for Iowa State and another son, Paul, was a…
Dennis Hall
Dennis Hall is synonymous with the sport of Greco-Roman wrestling. The winner of 10 national titles, he was on three Olympic teams and in 1995 he became only the second American to ever win a gold medal in the World Championships. He owns gold medals from two Pan-American Games and made seven World teams….
Eric Voelker
Eric Voelker was one of the finest wrestlers in the nation during the later 1980s, winning NCAA titles in 1987 as a sophomore and 1989 as a senior. He placed third in 1988 as a junior. A graduate of Dallas Center Grimes High School, Voelker also won three Big Eight titles for the Cyclones.
Franc Freeman
On the mat, Franc Freeman was a non-stop competitor for State College of Iowa (now Northern Iowa), placing fourth in 1961 and second in 1962 at the NCAA Division I tournament. A native of Davenport, Iowa, Freeman took his passion for the sport into the coaching realm, leading the Bettendorf Bulldogs to a pair…
Jeff Blatnick
Jeff Blatnick of New York showed the wrestling world how to overcome adversity in when he fought back from Hodgkin’s lymphoma to earn a spot on the 1984 Olympic team. He shocked everyone when he won an Olympic gold medal in the super-heavyweight division. The former two-time Division II NCAA champion for Springfield College…
Jim Craig
Jim Craig found success at the University of Iowa during the late 1950s under the guidance of Hall of Fame coach Dave McCuskey. As a junior, Craig placed third at the NCAA tournament in 1958. The following season, he won the NCAA tournament with a 6-5 win in the championship finals at 177 pounds.
Joe Warren
Joe Warren was an All-American at the University of Michigan (placing third at 133 pounds at the 2000 NCAA tournament) before turning to Greco-Roman wrestling. He finished ninth at the World Championships in 2005 and the next year he climbed the mountain, capturing the gold medal at 132 pounds in Guangzhou, China—becoming the fourth…
Mike Chapman
Mike Chapman was born and raised in Waterloo, Iowa. He retired from a 35-year newspaper career in 2002 to run the Dan Gable International Wrestling Institute and Museum (I.W.I.M.). He and his wife, Bev, created I.W.I.M. in order to preserve a unique part of world cultural history.
Mike is the author of 19 books, 13…
Mike Houck
Mike Houck won two Christian College National Championships while wrestling for Coach Ben Peterson at Maranatha Baptist Bible College, but he made history in Greco-Roman wrestling. In Kolbatn, Norway, he became the first American to win a World title in the Greco-Roman discipline. He was also a four-time national champion in Greco-Roman and will…
Steve Fraser
A two-time All-American at Michigan, Steve Fraser pounded his way into the record books in 1984 when he became the first Olympic champion in Greco-Roman wrestling. He was part of another first in 2007, coaching the United States to its first ever team title at the World Championships. Fraser won national titles in freestyle…
Vic Marcucci
Vic Marcucci compiled a unique and distinguished career at Iowa State. He placed in the top three at the NCAA tournament every year he competed, and his team placed in the top three every year he was on the team. Marcucci placed third as a sophomore in 1965, second as a junior in 1966,…