Inductees. Front (L-R): Fran McCann, Ken Bergstedt, and Chuck
Prunty. Back (L-R): Joe Russell, "Buck" Manning (representing the late
Dr. Bill Manning), Virg Vagle, and Darrell Sohn.
The Minnesota Chapter of The National Wrestling Hall of Fame honored
seven individuals at its Minnesota Chapter Banquet on April 14th in
Owatonna. Here’s a look at the seven honorees.
The late Dr. William O. Manning lived an extraordinary life. Dr.
Manning was a military serviceman in the U.S. Air Force. For 34 years,
he was a teacher, coach, wrestling official, and administrator. During
the next five years he served on the Wayzata School Board of Education. Dr. William Manning
Until his passing, Dr. Manning served as a private consulting counselor
in chemical abuse, addiction, and parenting. As a counselor he
presented keynote addresses over 25 times. He has also written several
publications, including "Harmfully Involved" and Harmfully Involved
Update". His influence on many peoples lives makes him the recipient of
the 2007 "Outstanding American" honor.
Dr. Manning was a graduate of Waterloo West High School, received a
B.S. from Purdue University, an M.S. from Purdue and ED.D. from the
University of South Dakota.
Dr. Manning's early success came through the sport of wrestling. He
wrestled and was a state champion in high school under the legendary
Finn Erickson. He went on to wrestle at Purdue University, where he
fractured a vertebrate in his third collegiate match.
After graduating, he started his coaching career at Wayzata High
School. In only four years, Dr. Manning's teams won three consecutive
Minnesota State High School Championships from 1951 to 1953 and during
his fourth year, his squad was state runner-up.
One of Dr. Manning's most famous wrestlers was Major General Ken Leuer,
who eanred two NCAA national titles wrestling for the University of
Iowa. Major General Leuer is included among the Outstanding American
category enshrined in the National Wrestling Hall of Fame in
Stillwater, Oklahoma. Major General Leuer stated, "Dr. Bill Manning was
the most influential person in my life outside of my immediate family.
His impact went far beyond the wrestling room and championships. Bill
Manning is the person who gave me the self confidence to succeed in the
most difficult challenges in my life and career, and to always act with
honor, self respect and love for mankind."
Dr. Manning is survived by his wife of 58 years, Bettie, his children Steve, Linda, Pat (Buck) and Tom.
Joe Russell was left for dead following a motorcycle accident
after his junior season of high school. He was well on the way to
becoming one of America’s greatest high school wrestlers ever at the
time of the accident. With a hole in his head and having lost a
third-cup of brain matter, doctors didn’t give Joe a chance to survive.
Joe beat the odds and earned a law degree and wrestled at The
University of Minnesota, earning the Fraser Dean Most Courageous
Wrestler Award and was voted a team Captain his senior season. Joe has
been a valuable member of Coach J. Robinson’s coaching staff the past
thirteen seasons at The University of Minnesota.
The National Wrestling Hall Of Fame and Museum in Stillwater, Oklahoma
will honor five Coaches with a Lifetime Service Award to the Sport of
Wrestling:
Ken Bergstedt had an outstanding twenty-eight year coaching
career, with the majority of his successes coming at Alexander Ramsey
High School where he coached the 1960 Minnesota State High School
wrestling champions. His teams recorded fifty-one straight wins. Ken
coached three National Hall of Fame Lifetime Service Charter Member
honorees in the likes of Don Dravis, Don Meyers, and Ron Malcolm. Ken
had a 210-70 career coaching record. He is a member of the Dave
Bartelma Minnesota Coaches Wrestling Hall of Fame and coached Minnesota
Gopher All-American Jim Axtell, and twelve-time National Champion Jim
Tanniehill.
Fran McCann has given forty-one years of service to the sport of
wrestling. His collegiate successes were at Winona State, where he led
the Warriors to a third Place NAIA National team finish in 1970 that
earned him NAIA National Wrestling Coach of The Year honors. His 1970
team was 15-0-1. He coached twenty-five All-Americans, and a pair of
NSIC titles. McCann made the move to Indiana State where his team
placed 7th at the NCAA Division I Tournament in 1982. He coached
America’s (and possibly the World’s) greatest heavyweight ever – Bruce
Baumgartner (1982 NCAA I Champion, four-time Olympic Medalist with two
Olympic Gold Medals). Fran also coached at Notre Dame University and
Penn High School. Indiana currently doesn’t have a Chapter so Minnesota
will honor Fran McCann.
Chuck Prunty, regarded as one of the “classiest” wrestling
coaches in Minnesota history, has twenty-nine years of service to the
sport as a coach. He has helped with the weigh-ins of the Minnesota
State Wrestling Tournament the past thirty years. Chuck coached at
Tracy High School, and his last 26 years were at Austin High School. He
retired from coaching in 1990. His Austin Packer wrestlers were ranked
in the top 10 in the state for six straight years and number one in
1970!
Chuck coached three individual state champions and thirty all-state
wrestlers. Chuck ended up with 282 career coaching wins. He was elected
to the Minnesota Coaches Hall of Fame, Austin High School Hall of Fame,
and was selected State Coach of the Year in 1990!
Darrell Sohn coached for thirty-eight years at Fairfax, St.
James, and Robbinsdale Cooper and Armstrong. Darrell still serves as a
valuable member of the Dave Bartelma Minnesota Wrestling Coaches Hall
of Fame. Darrel was one of the founders of that Hall of Fame
thirty-seven years ago. He was selected as the Minnesota State
Wrestling Coach of The Year in 1970. His teams won two Minnesota State
High School wrestling championships in 1965 and 1969. Few have given
service to the sport of wrestling like Darrell has. Darrell coached the
Lamphere brothers, who went on to become standout wrestlers at the
University of Minnesota.
Virg Vagle directed the highly successful Paynesville High
School wrestling program for thirty-eight years. His Bulldogs teams won
four state titles, and his teams qualified for eighteen Minnesota State
High School League tournaments. All eighteen of those teams placed
fifth or better. Virg’s 663 Career Varsity wins still ranks fifth in
the nation, and third All-Time in Minnesota. He held the lead for
better than five seasons. Virg coached ten individual state champions.
Virg was Minnesota State Coach of The Year in 1987. He was elected to
The Minnesota State Wrestling Coaches Hall of Fame, the MSHSL Hall of
Fame in 2006, and coached the USA Wrestling Dream Team Premier All-Star
match in Texas in 2005.
