Dale Anderson

1986 Iowa Wrestling Hall of Fame Inductee

It’s difficult to be considered among the “elite” wrestlers coming out of the storied wrestling program at West Waterloo, but Dale Anderson distinguished himself as one of the very best. A two-time state champion in high school, he followed up that success with two NCAA championships at Michigan State University.

A talented multi-sport athlete, Anderson excelled at Michigan State, where Olympic champion and MSU coach Doug Blubaugh said, “Dale was everything you want in an athlete—hard-nosed, skilled, and very smart. His leadership was the key to those great Michigan State teams, no doubt about it. When he was out there on the mat, he gave you everything he had. He’s also a great person with great character.”

Dale was such a sensational wrestler that he lost just one match in his final two years at MSU, an overtime decision to another West Waterloo standout, Dan Gable, at the Midlands Championships. Gable has often said that Dale was one of the athletes he respected the most and admitted to being apprehensive about wrestling him due to Anderson’s tremendous conditioning.

Dale’s first NCAA title came in 1967 when the Spartans became the first Big Ten school to win the NCAA team championship. As team captain, he defended his 137-pound title as a senior and was voted MSU Athlete of the Year—ranking him above all the university’s football and basketball players. He was a three-time Big Ten Champion and a three-time All-American.

Anderson’s wrestling career ended after college when he pursued and earned a law degree from the University of Virginia. Wrestling historians have noted that he would likely have been a top candidate for the Olympic team, as the wrestler who placed behind him in the NCAA Tournament went on to make two Olympic teams and win a bronze medal.

At West Waterloo, Anderson wrestled for another legendary figure, Coach Bob Siddens. Siddens, reflecting on his 40-year career in high school athletics, called Anderson the best all-around athlete he ever coached at West High. Recently, West High opened a new athletic facility and Hall of Fame, where Anderson was named one of the school’s “Elite Eight.”

In addition to being the starting quarterback at West, Anderson was also a state doubles tennis champion (Jaycees), a YMCA state table tennis champion, and later an Arizona State racquetball champion. He also completed two marathons.

Anderson further excelled in his legal career, serving as a professor at MSU and as Special Counsel to Dennis Hastert, Speaker of the U.S. House of Representatives. He authored numerous legal publications focusing on constitutional law and the justice system.

Dale was inducted into the Iowa Wrestling Hall of Fame in 1986 with Merrill “Doc” Frevert.