The National Wrestling Hall of Fame honored eight Individuals at The
Minnesota Chapter Banquet on April 12, 2008 at the Holiday Inn and
Suites in Owatonna, MN.
Outstanding American
Jim Kamman, a native of Grand Rapids, MN, and former NCAA National
Champion from The University of Michigan will receive the Outstanding
American Award, from the state of Minnesota. Jim has been an
outstanding IRS tax attorney in the United States Tax Court, civil and
criminal tax fraud, refund litigation, and collection medals. Jim, was
one of only nine in the Chief Counsel Office. Jim, also earned The
Distinguished Flying Cross and fifteen Air Medals with The U.S. Marine
Corps in a tour of duty in Vietnam.
State Courage Award
Allan Goeden, of Grand Rapids, MN, will receive the State
Courage Award. Allan a former standout wrestler from Staples High
School, Itasca Community College, andMoorhead State University, where
he earned MVW honors, and a NIC title. Paralyzed below the waist in a
hunting accident, Allan turned back adversity, and is an outstanding
youth, high school and MN/USA Wrestling freestyle and Greco-Roman coach,
and earned the Dan Drinkwine Coach of The Year Award in 2005. Allan
also had been a leader in The Boy Scouts of America and earned the
Silver Beaver Award, and has served on its board of directors for the
past twenty Years.
The following six individuals were presented with Lifetime Service Awards:
Dave Arens
Dave gave twenty-four years of outstanding coaching to the sport of
wrestling. Coaching at Jordan and Bloomington Kennedy High School, Dave
was one of the state’s most successful coaches. His Bloomington Kennedy
teams won Minnesota state team championships in 1980 and 1984. Dave
coached Olympic and World Team members Marty Morgan, John Morgan, Gordy
Morgan, and Chuck Vavrosky, along with numerous NCAA Division I
All-Americans.
Dave earned MWCA State Coach of The Year and MWCA Hall of Fame Induction.
Robert Board
Bob Board of Coon Rapids, member of the University of Minnesota’s 1957
Big 10 Championship squad, had an outstanding thirty-six year coaching
career.
Thirty-four of those years at Coon Rapids High School, resulted in a
nifty 365-141-3 mark. He also coached at Winona and Minneapolis
Vocational High Schools. Eight of Bob’s wrestlers gained All-American
collegiate honors. Bob coached three individual state champions and
twenty-six state place winners at Coon Rapids. He earned State Coach of
The Year honors in 1997, an MWCA Hall of fame induction, and served on
the State Tournament Committee for twenty years.
George Graff
A long-time coach at Morris Area High School, George has given forty
years to the sport of wrestling. A native of Grand Rapids, MN, George
was a member of their state runner up team in 1961. George’s teams
produced a 117-85 mark, and produced a pair of All-Americans, including
national champion Tom Beyer.
A tireless worker for The MWCA, George is “The Heart and Soul” of The
MWCA Scholarship Committee as it's Chairman for the past fifteen years
which provides four scholarships annually at $1500 each. George, also
a MWCA Hall of Fame Member, served as a Section Rep and Coordinator for
twenty years. George was also the pitching coach for the softball team
that produced a number of outstanding pitchers and the 1991 state
runner up team.
Frank Heulskamp
Frank, who resides in Brooklyn Center, was a pioneer of over thirty
years as a contributor and coach to the sport of wrestling. Frank
conducted many rules clinics for officials and was the first Rules
Coordinator for the Minnesota State High School League, along with Don
Meyers in 1958, serving through 1977.
Frank wrestled for the U of M Farm School in 1947, and was also a
welterweight Golden Gloves boxing champion in 1950. Frank started
theMankato High School Wrestling Program at age 18 in 1947-48, and also
started one at Crosby-Ironton. Frank also assisted at The U of M under
Wally Johnson and coached at Macalester the same year. He also coached
six seasons at University High. A former AD and Coach at Brooklyn Center
and Fridley, he was recently named the number one realtor for Caldwell
Banker Burnett.
Terry Haws
At the time of his death, Terry Haws was the winningest coach in
Minnesota with 246 wins. His teams produced six state titles at St.
Cloud Cathedral High School and St. James High School. At the time of
his death in 1973, Terry’s teams at St. John’s University were in the
midst of a 51-win match streak.
Terry was selected as the 1972 National College Catholic Coach of The
Year. Terry coached seventeen individual national Catholic champions,
andNAIA national champions including Gary Svendson. His coaching
record was 246-59-4. Terry served his country in WW II fighting in
Europe and landing on a Normandy Beach on D-Day. Terry was in his
twenty-fifth year of coaching in 1973 at the time of his death. He
touched a lot of lives. Over 1000 people attended his funeral,
including 26 priests.
Spencer Yohe
Yohe, a 1968 graduate of Caledonia High School and 1972 Winona State
grad, is giving back to the sport for his thirty-seventh year. Yohe,
entering his eighth hall of fame, had coaching stints at Hancock High
School (1974-86, 120-32-2 mark), which produced five state-ranked
top-ten teams for the small community, Hancock/Cyrus, University of
Minnesota Morris, Minnesota State Moorhead, Morris Area/Hancock, and is
currently a junior high coach at Caledonia/Houston.
Yohe coached eight international teams that competed and toured in
nineteen different countries. Yohe has coached twenty-five
All-Americans, and twelve Academic All-Americans, including NCAA
Division II OW and national champion Nate Hendrickson, as John
Sterner’s Assistant Head Coach/Recruiting Coordinator. Yohe also was
awarded Winona State's Presidential Medallion in 2002. He resides in
Eitzen, MN.
