David DeGiacomo (Dave)
When it comes to the sport of wrestling in Colorado, much is owed to David DeGiacomo. He was born in Fort Knox, Kentucky to Colonel Frank DeGiacomo and Laura Maio-DeGiacomo in 1950, but his wrestling career, high school and college, was in Colorado. He graduated from Cheyenne Mountain High School in Colorado Springs in 1968 and went on to college at the School of Mines in Golden wrestling for Jack Hancock. A member of Sigma Nu Fraternity, he earned his Bachelor's Degree in Metallurgical Engineering in 1973 and later, after a U.S. Army commission, earned his Master's Degree in Mineral Economics, 1980. Dave established the Colorado Chapter of the National Wrestling Hall of Fame in 1999 and for the last 16 years he was the heart and soul of the Colorado Chapter and the Colorado School of Mines Wrestling Alumni Club. No task was ever too small or too large for David to accept and accomplish it in a manner that was always beyond anyone's expectations. He was also a wrestling official and many called him a virtual textbook on Colorado wrestling. The David De Giacomo Award, presented by the Colorado Chapter, has been in his name for several years. In February, 2013 after gall bladder surgery, he contacted a bacterial infection. He spent several months in St. Luke's Hospital before passing away on July 6, 2013. David is deeply missed by his Colorado Chapter friends and the wrestling community at large.
Awards:
Year
2014
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Award
Lifetime Service to Wrestling
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Chapter/Region
Colorado
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