2009 National Wrestling Hall of Fame Honorees For Lifetime Service
February 10, 2009
The Minnesota Chapter of the National Wrestling Hall of Fame has
announced its Hall of Fame Class for 2009. All six individuals will
receive the Lifetime Service Award at the Minnesota banquet on April
11, 2009 at The Holiday Inn & Suites, I-35,Owatonna, MN.
Social Hour begins at 4 PM, and the Dinner/Program at 5.30 PM. Contact Spencer Yohe for tickets at syohe@acegroup.cc, or 320-766-1934 (Cell), and 507-495-3213 (Home).
Inductees
Charles Bishop
Charlie Bishop coached for twenty-seven years at Oklee-Plummer, now
known as Red Lake County Central. Charlie is remembered by his former
athletes for all the lessons in life he taught them. Charlie’s career
coaching record was 216-118-4. He had fifty state entrants, seventeen
state place winners, and four individual state champions. But the real
testimony to his coaching career, is that ten of his athletes are now
coaching in the high school ranks. Charlie earned 1984, 1995, and 1996
Region 8A and 8B Coach of The Year honors.
Charlie’s coaching career spanned from 1970 to 1997, and he was
selected to The Dave Bartelma Minnesota Wrestling Coaches Association
Hall of Fame in 2000.
The proud parent of five children, Charlie earned four letters in wrestling at Concordia College, Moorhead.
James F. Carr
Jim Carr gave the sport of wrestling thirty-one years at the
southwestern Minnesota powerhouse -- Adrian High School (1968 to 1991).
Jim had an outstanding 333-124-5 coaching career record.
Jim earned five Region 2 Coach of The Year honors, and entered The MWCA
Bartelma Hall of Fame in 1993. Jim was also chosen as Adrian High
School Teacher of the Year in 1973. Jim’s teams won nine conference
championships, eleven district championships, and four region team
titles that saw his teams participate in the State dual meet
tournament. His teams finished third in the Minnesota State Tournament
in 1981 and 1985. Jim coached sixty-five individual state entrants and
six individual state champions. His wrestlers went on to earn eighteen
collegiate All-American honors, including five national individual
titles, and a two-time NCAA Division I All-American. Jim has been very
active in church and community affairs in Adrian.
The Late Richard “Dick” Mueller
Dick Mueller gave 35 years to the sport of wrestling. He served as a high school coach for ten years at Cambridge and Osseo.
Dick was also wrestling coach at the University of Minnesota from
1958-59. In addition he officiated the sport for twenty-five years.
Dick, was a “terror” on the wrestling mat, as he earned three state
titles at Anoka High School. Dick is one of only two wrestlers to win
three Big 10 Conference titles under Wally Johnson at The University of
Minnesota. He won the NCAA Title at 123 pounds in 1953, preserving the
team title for Penn State. The Gophers also won the Big 10 Title as a
team in 1957 under Mueller’s leadership, after he came back from The
Army. Dick was also an Olympic Alternate in 1956. He is a member of The
MWCA Bartelma Hall of Fame and U of M Hall of Fame.
Dave Sohn
Dave was a high school coach for 21 years at Litchfield and Orono High
Schools from 1965 to 1986. Dave coached in the summers also, serving as
Minnesota Juniors freestyle and Greco-Roman coach for the USWF, Team
Director for Minnesota Juniors (FS and GR), USWF National Juniors
Development Camps (Coach/Counselor), Tournament Pairings USWF Juniors
and Kids, and Minnesota State Wrestling Tournament Committee (Original).
Dave wrote a weekly Wrestling Individual Points Leader for The
Minneapolis Star and Tribune. He coached eight Minnesota State
Tournament place winners, twenty-two individual state entrants, two
state champions, and Evan Johnson, who went on to win an NCAA Division
I title in 1975 (also second in 1976). Dave was a state champion in
1956 and placed fourth in 1955 for tradition-rich Blue Earth. Dave was
selected to The MWCA Bartelma Hall of Fame in 1976.
Mike Sterner
Dr. Mike Sterner served Southwest Minnesota State University in
Marshall for thirty-nine years as a professor in the HPER Department
(several years as chairperson). Mike served as the head wrestling coach
at SMSU for 29 years. His teams won six NSIC Conference titles and they
were regular finishers in the top-ten at NAIA Nationals. Sterner
coached forty-two All-Americans, including two national champions, one
being named the Outstanding Wrestler. His son, John, succeeded him as
head wrestling coach.
Mike’s a member of The NAIA National Hall of Fame, NSIC Hall of Fame,
SDSU Hall of Fame, and Southwest State Athletic Hall Of Fame. A
graduate of Boys Town, Nebraska, this orphan certainly has
distinguished himself. He had a tremendous athletic career at SDSU,
where he was an All-American guard in football, and a three-time NCAA
Division I qualifier in wrestling. He earned MVP Honors in both sports
in The NCC. Mike was a wrestling coach for thirty-six years.
Pete Veldman
Pete Veldman was one of the top officials in the state of Minnesota and
the nation for forty-two years. Pete, a former University of Minnesota
wrestler, coached wrestling for five years from 1959-1964, before
becoming a school athletic director. Pete officiated five NCAA Division
I Championships, seven NCAA Division II Championships, twelve Big 10
Conference Championships, and was the Co-Coordinator of twenty-five
MSHSL state wrestling tournaments. He officiated many state tournaments.
Pete also is the driving force behind the LeRoy Maas Wrestling
Scholarship Fund at Albert Lea High School that has generated over
$150,000.
Pete served two years in the Military, including sixteen months in
Korea. Pete won the Minnesota high school state heavyweight
championship in 1951. He placed third and fourth in the Big 10 and
competed in three NCAA Division I national tournaments.
Pete’s a member of MWCA Bartelma Hall of Fame, MN State Athletic
Directors Hall of Fame, and the Minnesota State High School League Hall
of Fame. Pete has the wrestling room and an invitational tournament
named after him at South St. Paul High School.
-Submitted by Spencer Yohe, Minnesota Chapter President