He was a coach before he was a wrestler, and he bluffed his way into his first job. Yet Walter O'Connell became a legendary wrestling leader and a miracle of self-development. During a year at Yale and 40 years at Cornell, his teams captured a record 12 team titles and 66 individual crowns in the Eastern Intercollegiate Championships.

One of his wrestlers, Charles Ackerly, won a gold medal in the 1920 Olympics. Another, Glenn Stafford, was an NCAA champion in '29, first ever from the East. Walter Wright won a National AAU title in 1924 and Jim Miller won in '46 and '47 before succeeding O'Connell as coach.

A 1930 thesis on collegiate wrestling classed him as one of the four most influential coaches in the nation, along with Edward C. Gallagher, Charles Mayser and Billy Sheridan. Not even his brother Ed, who talked him into this career, would have believed his success. At 25, O'Connell was a physical weakling. Well over 6 feet tall, he weighed 127 pounds and was so frail that he was reluctant to appear on the streets of New Haven, Connecticut. His doctor told him he had less than a year to live.

Ed O'Connell, a tough, sturdy youth, was wrestling instructor at Yale in 1907, good enough to be hired away by Cornell. He talked an apprehensive Walter into applying for his job, promising to teach him enough to bluff his way through. At first, he was frightened of his healthy, skilled athletes. But as the team gained confidence in Walter, he gained confidence in himself. He started working out with the smaller wrestlers, learning more about the sport and building his own strength.

In 1909, he moved to Cornell and became a different man. Over the years, he developed amazing physical prowess and skills in wrestling, boxing, handball and swimming. He earned a degree in physical education. And at nearly 200 pounds, he built a perfect physique.

For his awesome achievement over incredible odds, Walter C. O'Connell is honored as Distinguished Member of the National Wrestling Hall of Fame.