When Al Kastl went to Albion College, he couldn't have imagined it leading to a successful career as a wrestling coach.

But, it did.

He became so successful at it that his peers recently elected him to the Michigan Chapter of the National Wrestling Hall of Fame.

A 1966 graduate of Meridian High School, Kastl went to Albion where he became an offensive lineman on the football team and served as captain during his senior season in 1970.

By that time, he was also an accomplished wrestler who won the individual heavyweight championship in the Michigan Intercollegiate Athletic Association in 1970.

It was a sport he took up almost by chance.

"When I got to Albion, I started watching the wrestlers," he said. "It intrigued me, and my line coach suggested I go out for the team."

When he started out, Kastl was the No. 3 man at heavyweight. But an injury to one of those ahead of him and grade problems for another soon elevated him to the top spot. It was a spot he never relinquished for his final three years of college.

From that point on, his interest in the sport grew.

An English teacher by trade, he also became a wrestling coach at Fraser, where he coached one state champion and had 26 state placers and 48 state qualifiers.

During the past 30 years, Kastl has been active in wrestling at both the state and national levels.

He was state chairman of the Michigan Chapter of the National Wrestling Hall of Fame for 22 years, was president of the Michigan Wrestling Association for eight years, and served on various wrestling committees of the Michigan High School Athletic Association.

Nationally, he is a member of the USA Wrestling Board of Directors and is chairman of the Greco-Roman Sports Committee. It was in that latter position that he became a "team leader" for the United States Greco-Roman Wrestling Team that competed in the 1996 Summer Olympic Games in Atlanta.

"Wrestling has opened a lot of doors for me," he said. "I've been to five continents, and it has made me a better person."

While Kastl has officially retired, he continues to keep his hand in the sport. "I may be retired from teaching, but not from wrestling," he said.