Ken Gallagher

2023 Iowa Wrestling Hall of Fame Inductee

Wrestlers, like all athletes, set goals for themselves. High schoolers seek state titles, college wrestlers work for All-American status, and the truly elite wrestlers pursue national titles. Ken Gallagher checked off all those boxes, and more, during his wrestling career.

Gallagher caught the wrestling world’s attention in his junior year at Columbus High School in Waterloo when he placed second at the state tournament. He followed that up with a senior-year state championship at 145 pounds. “I got beat three times by the same guy my junior year, and I lost one match my senior year. Clearly, I remembered the losses more than the wins,” Gallagher noted.

From there, Gallagher was recruited by six colleges. “It finally came down to Iowa or the University of Northern Iowa. I wrestled with Gable and Yagla, but in the end, it was all about Chuck Patten,” Gallagher recalled.

The University of Northern Iowa was his choice. During his redshirt freshman year at UNI, Gallagher placed third in the nation in Division II at 150 pounds. In 1980, he followed that up with a National Championship at the same weight. In 1981, UNI moved from Division II to Division I, where the program continued to succeed.

In 1981, Gallagher became an All-American when he placed fifth in the nation at 142 pounds. He earned his fourth All-American status in 1982 by placing seventh at the same weight.

“I really don’t remember much about my last year at 142 pounds. I went down a weight to keep a teammate from quitting wrestling because he couldn’t make weight. I only wrestled half a year at 142 the first year, but the second year I was cutting so much weight I just didn’t have much left in me,” Gallagher explained.

A few key notes about Gallagher’s college career include winning four conference championships, finishing with a 113-41-4 career record, and ranking third in all-time dual meet wins in school history. His UNI Panther team also placed fourth at the NCAA tournament in his final year, with three wrestlers earning All-American honors. That season, the Panthers posted an impressive dual meet record of 15-2.

Gallagher wasn’t done with wrestling yet. Gene Doyle, a 2012 Iowa Wrestling Hall of Famer, asked him to help coach the Cedar Falls High School squad. Over the next 15 years, those Cedar Falls teams won three state team titles, one dual meet title, and secured three other state dual meet placements.

“Gene did the tough stuff, scheduling, dealing with parents, all the head coach responsibilities. All I did was show kids the moves. I wasn’t a teacher, just an assistant coach,” Gallagher modestly stated.

Gallagher was inducted into the Iowa Wrestling Hall of Fame in 2023 with Dan McCool, Jason Christenson, and Cliff Moore.