Gary Knutzen wrestled at Burlington Edison High School for Hall of Fame coach Bo Campbell, finishing third at the state tournament as a junior and second as a senior.

After graduating from Western Washington College he returned to coach in the Skagit Valley at the high school and junior college level for 10 years. His Skagit Valley College teams won two Washington state junior college championships and finished in the top four the other five years. His dual meet record at Skagit Valley College was 98-19.

Knutzen made outstanding contributions to the sport of wrestling as an official. For over 40 years he provided leadership in the local association and at the state level while also being one of the top officials on the mat. He officiated more than 20 Washington Interscholastic Activities Association state wrestling championships and often served as the head official. He also officiated two NAIA national tournaments, 10 Pac-8 championships, and many college dual meets and tournaments for colleges in Washington.

He served as the assigning secretary for the Whatcom-Skagit Wrestling Officials Association most of his officiating career. He was also the head wrestling clinician for the WIAA for 10 years.

Awards, in recognition of his many years in wrestling, have been numerous. He received the Contributors Award from the Washington State Wrestling Coaches Association in 1984 and the Paul Harris Award from the National Rotary in 1998. In 2006, Knutzen received the Bo Campbell, Paul Reiman and Ken Driskill Award for service to wrestling and was inducted into the Burlington Edison High School Hall of Fame. He was inducted into the Washington State Wrestling Coaches Association Hall of Fame in 2007. The Whatcom-Skagit Wrestling Officials Association annually presents the Gary Knutzen Spirit of Wrestling Award, of which he was the inaugural recipient in 2005.

Knutzen still serves Skagit Valley College as their athletic director where he has also been honored for his administrative contributions. He was elected as the inaugural chairperson of the Northwest Athletic Association of Community Colleges Executive Board and served for 14 years.

He received the Outstanding Athletic Director of the Year Award in 2004. In 2009 the Skagit Valley College Board of Trustees named the new campus center building the Gary Knutzen Cardinal Center.

Gary and his wife Diane, who recently celebrated their 54th wedding anniversary, reside in the Skagit Valley and have three adult children, Greg, Gretchen and Geoffrey. They have six grandchildren and one of them, Kelsey Klein, was a two-time Washington state wrestling champion for Hoquiam High School.