Mitch Hull
Mitch Hull grew up in Evansville, Wisconsin, the son of Malcolm and Phyllis Hull.
Mitch earned 10 athletic letters in high school and was all-conference in football and track. In 1975, Mitch became the first Wisconsin Interscholastic Athletic Association state wrestling champion for Evansville High School.
Later that same year, Mitch became the first Junior National champion from Wisconsin. In fact, he won both the freestyle and the Greco-Roman national titles that year.
After graduating from high school, Mitch went to Kansas State to play football before transferring to the University of Wisconsin.
His first season at Wisconsin, Mitch wrestled heavyweight despite being grossly undersized. His last two years he wrestled 190, a weight at which he won two Big Ten titles and was a two-time All-American.
At the same time he was competing as a Badger, Mitch was also competing internationally. He placed fourth in the Junior World Championships and competed in the Greco-Roman World Championships while he was in college.
After he graduated from Wisconsin, Mitch chose to concentrate on freestyle. He earned a bronze medal in the University Games. He and teammate Lee Kemp wrestled in the 1982 World Championships. Mitch is one of only two U.S. wrestlers in the past 40 years to compete in the World championships in both freestyle and Greco. In 1984, he finished second in the Olympic Trials.
From 1980-86, Mitch assisted Russ Hellickson as coach of the Badgers while also serving as the wrestling commissioner for the Badger State Games.
In 1986, he became assistant coach at Purdue and took over as head coach two years later. Under his guidance, the Purdue program underwent a resurgence which included a national championship won by Charlie Jones.
In 1992, the Hulls moved to Colorado Springs where Mitch became the National Teams Director for USA Wrestling. As National Teams Director, he has overseen the preparation and organization of the U.S. Olympic team for the past five Olympic Games.
In 1998, Mitch was the delegation leader for the USA Wrestling team that traveled to Iran to wrestle. This was the first USA team in any sport to go to Iran since the 1979-80 hostage crisis. When the team returned, Mitch accompanied them to the White House to meet President Clinton.
Mitch has also been involved in coaching high school and junior high school wrestling in the Colorado Springs area during his tenure with USA Wrestling. In fact, he founded the Ram Wrestling Club in Colorado Springs.
Mitch and four other Badger wrestlers organized a tribute dinner/alumni reunion that brought together 250 wrestlers and fans to honor Mitch's college coaches, Duane Kleven and Russ Hellickson, and his college roommate, Lee Kemp.
Mitch was the moving force behind a wrestling camp to raise money for Jake Janes, a former Evansville High School wrestler who lost both legs in the war in Afghanistan.
Mitch and his wife Peggy live in Sun Prairie, Wisconsin. They have three children: Courtney, Kristina, and Calyn. The Hulls also have two grandchildren.
Awards:
Year
2009
|
Award
Lifetime Service to Wrestling
|
Chapter/Region
Wisconsin
|
All American Awards:
Season
1980
|
School
Wisconsin
|
Tournament
Division I
|
Weight
190
|
Place
6
|
Season
1979
|
School
Wisconsin
|
Tournament
Division I
|
Weight
190
|
Place
4
|
All Coaching Dual Records:
Season
1992
|
School
Purdue
|
Division
Division I
|
Duals
19
|
Wins
12
|
Losses
6
|
Ties
1
|
Win PCT.
63.16
|
Season
1991
|
School
Purdue
|
Division
Division I
|
Duals
17
|
Wins
13
|
Losses
4
|
Ties
0
|
Win PCT.
76.47
|
Season
1990
|
School
Purdue
|
Division
Division I
|
Duals
14
|
Wins
7
|
Losses
5
|
Ties
2
|
Win PCT.
50
|
Season
1989
|
School
Purdue
|
Division
Division I
|
Duals
16
|
Wins
6
|
Losses
10
|
Ties
0
|
Win PCT.
37.5
|
Season
Career
|
Duals
66
|
Wins
38
|
Losses
25
|
Ties
3
|
Win PCT.
57.58
|