One of the powerhouse high school coaches that dominated the wrestling scene in Minnesota in the 1970s and in Oregon in the latter part of the 1960s was Joe Frank.

His Fridley High School teams produced some great wrestlers and teams, as did his Reedsport High School teams in Oregon.

Frank came to Minnesota from Oregon, where he coached at Reedsport, located on the Oregon coast. In the three years he coached there he produced eight individual state champions, with 16 state qualifiers. His teams won three state team titles in 1965, 1966 and 1967, accumulating a 31-8-1 dual meet record. Frank was named Oregon 2-A Coach of the Year in 1966 and 1967.

In 1968 he and his family moved to Minnesota, where he took over the wrestling team at Fridley. During his career at Fridley, Frank coached five individual state champions and three state team champions in 1973, 1975 and 1979. His 1973 team won the old and tough one-class individual tournament. The 1975 team won the original one-class dual meet state title. The 1979 team won the Class AA two-class system state title. They won 10 conference team titles and 10 district team titles. He coached at Fridley High School for 17 years, from 1968 to 1985. His Fridley teams accumulated an overall 227-31-1 dual meet record. Frank continued teaching at Fridley until his retirement in 2000. Frank was named Minnesota Wrestling Coach of the Year in 1973 and 1975.

Frank said, "I feel blessed and thankful to have worked at two wonderful schools, some 1,000 miles apart."

Frank was inducted into the Minnesota Dave Bartelma Wrestling Hall of Fame in 1994 and into the Iowa Wrestling Hall of Fame in 2003, as were his nephews, Jim and Joe Gibbons, who were both outstanding wrestlers at Iowa State University.

As a wrestler, Frank began his career as a 14-year old-with legendary coach George "Chris" Flanagan at Cresco High School in Cresco, Iowa. A 127-pound state champion in 1959, he went on to wrestle at Iowa State for the legendary Dr. Harold Nichols. A three-year starter and team captain in 1963-64, Frank was voted "Most Valuable Senior" by his teammates after helping ISU finish second at the NCAA tournament in 1964.

Frank, who received his master's degree and specialist degree from Central Missouri State University, has not slowed down in retirement and maintains a passion for fitness, competing in running, long-distance biking and horseshoes. He also enjoys woodcarving, gardening and playing the fiddle.

He is active in his parish at St. John the Baptist Catholic Church while also being involved in the men's fellowship club, Eucharistic ministry and taking a mission trip to Guatemala

Frank married his high school sweetheart, Janet, in 1962 and the couple had three children in Jodie (Scott) Amble, Jon (Lisa) Frank, and Jill (Michael) Hendon. The Franks, who recently celebrated 50 years of marriage, also have four beautiful grandchildren, Malena, Veronica, Noah and Elyse.