Paths to success vary with every individual. Gene Doyle’s path to wrestling success involved coaching only, as he never wrestled competitively in high school or college.

Following graduation from the Iowa State Teachers College (University of Northern Iowa) he had a one-year stop at Keota and then eight years as an assistant at Dubuque Senior High School, before going to Cedar Falls where he taught and coached for 38 years. He was an assistant wrestling coach to Hall of Fame inductee Keith Young from 1972 to 1985, when he took over as head coach.

Success followed with Doyle being the head coach at Cedar Falls from 1985-2000. During his tenure his teams won state team titles in 1993, 1997 and 1998 while also claiming a dual meet title in 1993. His dual meet teams went 251-52 while also placing second, third and fourth in state dual meet competition.

Doyle coached 43 state medal winners, including 10 state champions of which one was Iowa’s 1982 three-time state champion, Josh Budke, in 1995-97. In those 15 years Doyle guided his teams to five district titles, five Mississippi Valley division championships, three Mississippi Conference tournament titles, and two Big Eight Conference titles.

Noting he had coached wrestling for over 30 years Doyle retired from wrestling in 2000 when he said he believed the squads for the next couple of years would remain strong.

Doyle was named State Coach of the Year twice and Coach of the Year by the National Wrestling Coaches Association in 1997.

Doyle was inducted into the Iowa Wrestling Hall of Fame in 2012