Duroe Will Receive Lifetime Service Award Sunday At OSU-Iowa Dual

The National Wrestling Hall of Fame Iowa Chapter announced that Mike Duroe will be presented with the Lifetime Service to Wrestling Award during the Oklahoma State at Iowa match on Sunday, January 14, at Carver–Hawkeye Arena.

Duroe will receive his award from National Wrestling Hall of Fame Distinguished Member and legendary Iowa coach Dan Gable and Hall of Fame Executive Director Lee Roy Smith.

The award recognizes Duroe’s 38 years of coaching and impacting wrestlers at all levels.

Duroe is the winningest coach in the history of Cornell College, returning the legendary program to national prominence since his arrival in 2005. Under his leadership, the Rams have finished in the Top 20 eight times, including back-to-back Top 10 finishes in 2008 and 2009, and have had 19 All-Americans, five national finalists and one national champion.

He was head coach of the Iowa Hawkeye Wrestling Club from 2003 to 2005 and continues to be an assistant coach.

He has been a regular staff member of USA Wrestling, serving as an assistant coach for the men’s freestyle team in six Olympics and coaching Team USA at either the Senior World Championships or the Junior World Championships for the last 25 years.

Duroe, who worked on USA Wrestling's National staff during a part of his coaching career, was the National Freestyle Developmental Coach and also oversaw the U.S. women's program. In that role, he coached the 1999 Women's World Team to the World Team Title in Boden, Sweden, the only time the USA has won the team title in women's wrestling.

He was head coach of the U.S. Freestyle World Team in 2005 and 2006, and was named Volunteer Coach of the Year by the United States Olympic Committee in 2006 and 2007. Duroe even served as head coach for Guam’s freestyle team at the Olympics in 2008.

Prior to coaching at Cornell, Duroe was head coach at Northern Michigan University, New Trier High School in Illinois and of the Northwestern Wildcat Wrestling Club. He served as national resident coach at the United States Olympic Training Center for three years and was an assistant at the University of Pennsylvania.

A native of Charles City, Iowa, Duroe graduated from Drake University, lettering four years in wrestling and being team captain two years. He competed on the U.S. National Team for four years and was a National AAU Freestyle champion.

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