Richard Voliva
October 18, 1912 - November 02, 1999
Every university welcomes home-grown talent. So when Indiana was building a wrestling power in the early 1930s, it was happy to find a young state champion, Dick Voliva, right at home in Bloomington.
As a sophomore he was a member of the Hoosier team that claimed the 1932 NCAA championship, first ever for a Big Ten school.
He amassed individual honors the next two years, reaching the national finals in '33 and winning both Big Ten and NCAA titles as a senior, closing with a 48-4 record. He also starred in football, and as a senior was presented a special award for bringing honor and distinction to his university.
As a high school and college wrestler, Voliva had competed in Freestyle, winning several regional tournaments and in 1932 reaching the National AAU finals. During a two-year term as graduate assistant at Ohio State, he placed third in 1935 and captured the national title in 1936. Then, in the Olympics at Berlin, he earned a silver medal at 174 pounds.
On returning from the Olympics, he joined the faculty at Montclair State in New Jersey and soon launched a wrestling program there, serving as coach until World War II brought a four-year interruption. He had been commissioned a second lieutenant in the Army upon graduation in 1934, and during active duty he rose in rank to lieutenant colonel.
Voliva returned to New Jersey in 1946, but at the state university, Rutgers. He coached there for 25 years, guiding his teams to 148 victories against 85 losses and eight draws. He was a leader among his colleagues, serving five years on the NCAA rules committee, two of them as chairman. He was president of the Eastern Intercollegiate Wrestling Association and of the National Wrestling Coaches Association.
As a wrestler of outstanding achievement and as an example of sportsmanship and leadership throughout a long and illustrious coaching career, Richard Lawrence Voliva is honored as a Distinguished Member of the National Wrestling Hall of Fame.
Awards:
Year
2019
|
Award
Lifetime Service to Wrestling
|
Chapter/Region
New Jersey
|
Year
1984
|
Award
Distinguished Member
|
Chapter/Region
National
|
All American Awards:
Season
1934
|
School
Indiana
|
Tournament
Division I
|
Weight
175
|
Place
1
|
Season
1933
|
School
Indiana
|
Tournament
Division I
|
Weight
175
|
Place
2
|
College Season Records:
Season
1934
|
School
Indiana
|
Class
Senior
|
Bouts
12
|
Wins
12
|
Losses
0
|
Ties
0
|
Falls
0
|
Win PCT.
100
|
Place
1st
|
Season
1933
|
School
Indiana
|
Class
Junior
|
Bouts
0
|
Wins
0
|
Losses
0
|
Ties
0
|
Falls
0
|
Win PCT.
0
|
Place
2nd
|
Season
Career
|
Bouts
12
|
Wins
12
|
Losses
0
|
Ties
0
|
Falls
0
|
Win PCT.
100
|
All Coaching Dual Records:
Season
1969
|
School
Rutgers
|
Division
Division I
|
Duals
13
|
Wins
5
|
Losses
8
|
Ties
0
|
Win PCT.
38.46
|
Season
1968
|
School
Rutgers
|
Division
Division I
|
Duals
10
|
Wins
5
|
Losses
4
|
Ties
1
|
Win PCT.
50
|
Season
1967
|
School
Rutgers
|
Division
Division I
|
Duals
8
|
Wins
2
|
Losses
6
|
Ties
0
|
Win PCT.
25
|
Season
1966
|
School
Rutgers
|
Division
Division I
|
Duals
9
|
Wins
5
|
Losses
4
|
Ties
0
|
Win PCT.
55.56
|
Season
1965
|
School
Rutgers
|
Division
Division I
|
Duals
10
|
Wins
6
|
Losses
3
|
Ties
1
|
Win PCT.
60
|
Season
1964
|
School
Rutgers
|
Division
Division I
|
Duals
9
|
Wins
6
|
Losses
3
|
Ties
0
|
Win PCT.
66.67
|
Season
1963
|
School
Rutgers
|
Division
Division I
|
Duals
10
|
Wins
7
|
Losses
3
|
Ties
0
|
Win PCT.
70
|
Season
1962
|
School
Rutgers
|
Division |
Duals
11
|
Wins
8
|
Losses
3
|
Ties
0
|
Win PCT.
72.73
|
Season
1961
|
School
Rutgers
|
Division |
Duals
13
|
Wins
10
|
Losses
2
|
Ties
1
|
Win PCT.
76.92
|
Season
1960
|
School
Rutgers
|
Division |
Duals
12
|
Wins
7
|
Losses
5
|
Ties
0
|
Win PCT.
58.33
|
Season
1959
|
School
Rutgers
|
Division |
Duals
10
|
Wins
8
|
Losses
2
|
Ties
0
|
Win PCT.
80
|
Season
1958
|
School
Rutgers
|
Division |
Duals
9
|
Wins
7
|
Losses
2
|
Ties
0
|
Win PCT.
77.78
|
Season
1957
|
School
Rutgers
|
Division |
Duals
9
|
Wins
5
|
Losses
3
|
Ties
1
|
Win PCT.
55.56
|
Season
1956
|
School
Rutgers
|
Division |
Duals
9
|
Wins
7
|
Losses
2
|
Ties
0
|
Win PCT.
77.78
|
Season
1955
|
School
Rutgers
|
Division |
Duals
9
|
Wins
7
|
Losses
2
|
Ties
0
|
Win PCT.
77.78
|
Season
1954
|
School
Rutgers
|
Division |
Duals
9
|
Wins
6
|
Losses
3
|
Ties
0
|
Win PCT.
66.67
|
Season
1953
|
School
Rutgers
|
Division |
Duals
8
|
Wins
2
|
Losses
5
|
Ties
1
|
Win PCT.
25
|
Season
1952
|
School
Rutgers
|
Division |
Duals
8
|
Wins
4
|
Losses
3
|
Ties
1
|
Win PCT.
50
|
Season
1951
|
School
Rutgers
|
Division |
Duals
8
|
Wins
7
|
Losses
1
|
Ties
0
|
Win PCT.
87.5
|
Season
1950
|
School
Rutgers
|
Division |
Duals
9
|
Wins
7
|
Losses
2
|
Ties
0
|
Win PCT.
77.78
|
Season
1949
|
School
Rutgers
|
Division |
Duals
8
|
Wins
5
|
Losses
3
|
Ties
0
|
Win PCT.
62.5
|
Season
1948
|
School
Rutgers
|
Division |
Duals
11
|
Wins
9
|
Losses
1
|
Ties
1
|
Win PCT.
81.82
|
Season
1947
|
School
Rutgers
|
Division |
Duals
8
|
Wins
7
|
Losses
1
|
Ties
0
|
Win PCT.
87.5
|
Season
Career
|
Duals
220
|
Wins
142
|
Losses
71
|
Ties
7
|
Win PCT.
64.55
|