One of the wrestling legends of Northwestern Minnesota is Doug Dahl. This longtime Greenbush Middle River Badger coach spent 31 years at the helm and turned out some great wrestlers and teams from l961 to l995. Dahl coached four individual state champions and 15 state place winners, as well as 55 state qualifiers. His career coaching record totaled 332-99-4. His 1986 team won the section and competed at state. His l994 team also captured the section title and went on to win consolation honors at state, seven other teams captured section/region runnerup honors. Beyond Greenbush, Dahl coached a team to second place honors in the Alberta Provincial Tournament in Canada. One of his Canadian students went on to become the first player from that country to start as a pitcher in the Major League Baseball World Series in Reggie Cleveland for the Boston Red Sox. A native of Canada, he was born and raised in Estevan, Saskatchewan. In high school he played hockey, basketball and curling. Sports were separate from the school at that time. Following his high school graduation in l957, Doug attended college at Bemidji State, graduating in l961 with a B.S. degree. Doug said, "I was one of those who helped start the hockey program at Bemidji State, I knew more about hockey than anything. I hadn't even seen a wrestling match before Bemidji State College, it was all new to me." He was part of the wrestling team for a year and half. He graduated in l964. Dahl then started his teaching and coaching career at Greenbush, a little community just a stone's throw from the Canadian Border. He was hired to teach Math and head wrestling coach. He took over a program that had been started five years earlier by Dale Roth. So far north was Greenbush that one year Dahl and his Greenbush wrestlers were snowed out of the state tournament. It was during a three-day snow storm in 1966. He had an undefeated wrestler in Gary Klemetson and three other wrestlers who were unable to compete. "We got as far south as Erskine when we ran out of road," said Dahl. Doug credits his assistants, like Bill Hubbard (later head coach at Little Falls) and Harlan Solberg, who served for many years. Dahl said when they started the elementary program people like Ron Mooney and LeRoy Omdahl helped make a good feeder program. Dahl earned five Region/Section 8 "Coach of the Year" honors. He also served as a Region/Section Representative. He is a member of the Bemidji State University Athletic Hall of Fame and the Dave Bartelma-Minnesota Wrestling Hall of Fame. He now joins former Bemidji State teammates Gerry Gingles and Noel Bailey as members of the Minnesota Chapter of the National Wrestling Hall of Fame. Married in 1962, Doug and his wife, Linda, are parents of three sons and one daughter. Dean and wife Janet, Tim and wife Shannon, Danny and wife Jill, and Shauna and husband Corey Wimpfheimer. They are also grandparents to 14 grandchildren. An avid wrestling fan, Doug attends the Minnesota State High School tournament every year, as well as the NCAA-I tournaments. He is a member of the Gopher Takedown Club. Dahl is also involved with church and community activities. He serves as an usher at Bethel Lutheran Church, served with Lions Club, Jaycees, G.E.A., is a member of the Swimming Pool Committee and Golf Club President. Finally, wrestling mother and writer Colette Mooney, I think summarizes Dahl's career best when she says, "He (Dahl) will be honored for his lifetime coaching career, but we honor him also for the helpful molding and shaping of strong life-long characters for members of our families in Greenbush and nearby communities." Doug Dahl is definitely a legend in wrestling in northern Minnesota and beyond.