One of the great names in the history of Minnesota Gopher Wrestling is that of Larry Zilverberg. This three-time All-American also helped coach the Gophers to one of their best seasons under former head coach Wally Johnson. Not only did he excel as a wrestler, but in the business world as well. The Zilverberg name was well known in the 1970's in the state of Minnesota. Brothers Pat, Larry and Dan were part of some great high school teams in Hopkins, Minnesota. Larry was a two-time State Champion for Hopkins High School in 1970 and 1971. He went on to wrestle first at Iowa state University, then the University of Minnesota, where he became a three-time NCAA All-American, three-time Midlands Champion, three-time Big Ten champion and later an alternate for the 1976 United States Olympic Team. Older brother, Patrick, says, "Plagued by injuries, he (Larry) has been called one of the greatest wrestlers to never win a national title, defeating such all-time greats as World Champion Stan Diedzic (a multiple NCAA National Champion), Wade Schalles (NCAA Champion and greatest pinner of all-time!), and many others. However, never did he offer excuses or lay blame if he fell short of his goals." Amateur Wrestling News series of articles on All-Modern Era Division I College Teams article by Scot Davis on "Minnesota's All Modern Era Mat Team (1975 to 2001)," dated Sept. 6, 2002 reads: "If not for nagging injuries his junior and senior years, Larry Zilverberg might well stake claim to being the Gophers all-time greatest. He still ranks as one of the best though. The Hopkins, Minnesota native went to Iowa State out of high school, but transferred to Minnesota for his sophomore year. He had immediate success. He won the Big Ten Title and made it to the NCAA finals where he lost possibly one of the most controversial matches in NCAA finals history to Rod Kilgore of Oklahoma. A broken hand his junior year and a torn up knee as a senior severely limited him. Even so, Zilverberg went on to win three Midlands titles, three Big Ten titles and three All-American honors, placing second in 1974, third in 1975 and sixth in 1976. His 82-4-1 record for a .948 win percentage ranks him second all-time (as of 2002)." After graduating in 1976, Zilverberg stayed on as an assistant coach at the University of Minnesota under Head Coach Wally Johnson. In three years Larry did most of the coaching and recruiting. His first year as a Minnesota assistant coach the Gophers placed second in the Big Ten Conference and placed fourth at the NCAA national tournament, a school record at the time. The next year the Gophers had some great success in dual meets, beating Purdue 51-0 (school record) and Michigan (43-3). The Gophers also dominated all other teams except Iowa. In Zilverberg's coaching span the Gophers qualified nine wrestlers from the Big Ten Conference to the NCAA Tournament. Former University of Minnesota Athletic Director Paul Giel even committed to giving Larry the head wrestling coaching position upon the retirement of Gopher Coach wally Johnson. With seven years remaining before Coach Johnson planned to retire, Larry felt the wait was too long and decided to pursue a career in business. That decision brought Larry great success and wealth, probably far beyond what he could have perceived coaching wrestling, certainly on the financial part. Zilverberg entered the agricultural commodities business. After working for another firm for about five years, two other people and Larry started North Central Companies in 1984. Zilverberg is now sole owner of North Central Companies which currently does about $140,000,000 per year in sales. He is also the co-founder of Chem Sol, LLC., which has made "America's Fasted Growing Companies," all doing well today. When asked, Larry always tells people, "The two things in life I know the best are amateur wrestling and the commodities business. These are two things that I am passionate about. I live by the belief that a person must pick the things they are passionate about and pursue those passions to the highest level possible." Some of the many honors Zilverberg has received over the years include being named to the Dave Bartlema-Minnesota Wrestling Hall of Fame; The Midlands Wrestling Hall of Fame; The University of Minnesota Sports Hall of Fame; Member of the "All 60-Year Minnesota High School Wrestling Dream Team;" The University of Minnesota All-Modern Era Wrestling Dream Team; And, the Hopkins Athletic Hall of Fame. The Zilverberg family includes Larry, Susan (wife), and two sons, Johnathon and Jackson. Larry says, "While my "passions" have given me a lot of satisfaction over the years, nothing compares to my good fortune with my immediate family and the family I grew up with. I believe that no one achieves any level of success without the help and mentoring of others. I was fortunate to come3 from a family that definitely helped me find my path. I was also fortunate to have some very good coaching along the way. Larry Zilverberg is a great representative for the Minnesota Chapter of the National Wrestling Hall of Fame 2013 recipient of "Outstanding American."