Born and raised in Wadena, Minnesota, Dean Fox became one of Northwest Minnesota's well-known figures in wrestling through his coaching and service he provided to the sport. He was instrumental in promoting high school wrestling in that part of the state. A St. Cloud State College graduate, Dean got his first teaching position in l952 at Danube High School, Danube Minnesota. He taught math and history, along with coaching football and baseball. In l953 he was drafted into the Army, serving with the occupational force in Germany. While in the army he continued his teaching and coaching, running a school for illiterate soldiers and coaching tennis Upon his discharge in l955 he resumed his teaching and coaching career, this time at Pelican Rapids High School. He taught math and history and coached junior high football and baseball. n l959, Dean and another teacher, Bob King, started the wrestling program at Pelican Rapids. Of course, Dean had never wrestled, nor had he any training or even scene a high school wrestling match. However, the school needed an assistant wrestling coach so he accepted the challenge. Dean started keeping statistics (wins and losses) on every wrestler in the region. From these stats he started writing a Region newsletter. His newsletter came out four times a season. In l975 he started helping Al Holmes with the Region 6 wrestling tournament, held in Fergus Falls. In l977 Dean and wife, Marilyn, took over running the tournament. They both ran the Region 6 tournament until l986, when Pelican Rapids moved from Region 6 to Region 8. In l986 Dean was inducted into the Dave Bartelma Minnesota Wrestling Hall of Fame. He continued to coach wrestling until his retirement in l994. This did not end his involvement with wrestling though. He continued to run the "score clock" for home matches and assisted in running the Lake Park Invitational Tournament in Lake Park, MN. They also ran the Region 8 tournament in Glyndon, Minnesota. In l994 the "Dean Fox Sportsmanship Trophy" was established for the Lake Park Invitational. In l999 the "Marilyn Fox Sportsmanship Trophy" was established for the Region 8 Tournament. Marilyn died in a car accident in l998. Upon Dean's death in 2007 this trophy was renamed the "Dean and Marilyn Fox Sportsmanship Trophy" Over the years these trophies have been warded to wrestlers, coaches, referees or fans that have demonstrated good sportsmanship while supporting their teams. The Fox name epitomized the significance of this award. Other contributions of service Dean Fox made to the community were to the Masonic Lodge, the Shriners, AARP and he also taught refugees how to drive. He was a caring individual who always tried to help people in need. Awards Dean Fox received during his career included the l981 District 23 "Coach of the Year," 2004 Pelican Rapids Award for helping athletes for fifty years and other awards for sportsmanship and longevity. The late Dean Fox will be remembered for his strong contributions and service to wrestling for years to come.