Phil Henning

2026 Iowa Wrestling Hall of Fame Inductee

Phil Henning was born in the wrestling-rich town of Cresco in 1947. His father, Lloyd Henning, had been a wrestling teammate of the legendary Harold Nichols at Cresco High School, setting a foundation for a life defined by the sport. Henning grew up in Decorah, Iowa, and began his own wrestling journey in the eighth grade with a humble 1-8 record, noting later that the only boy he defeated quit the sport the following week. Despite that slow start, he quickly became a standout at Decorah High School under Coach Larry Poock, and in 1965, he became the school’s first-ever state champion.

Henning earned a scholarship to the University of Iowa, where he competed under Hall of Fame coaches Dave McCuskey and Gary Kurdelmeier. As a Hawkeye, he earned three varsity letters and captured the 167-pound Big Ten title in 1970. That same year, he fought his way to the NCAA finals, finishing as the National Runner-up while leading a team that placed second in the Big Ten and fifth in the nation. His teammates recognized his leadership and tenacity by voting him the Hawkeyes’ Most Valuable Wrestler for the 1969-70 season.

Henning’s transition to coaching began at Belle Plaine High School, where he spent three years guiding six state qualifiers and four state place-winners. In 1973, he was hired by Marshalltown High School, where he would become a fixture of Iowa wrestling for the next 31 years. By the time he retired in 2005, Henning had amassed a staggering 350-264-3 career dual record, which at the time ranked him third on the state’s all-time most wins list for high school coaches. His impact was measured in the elite talent he developed, including 158 state qualifiers, 60 state place-winners, and 6 state champions. Five of his former wrestlers became NCAA All-Americans, including Mike Mann, a rare four-time All-American at Iowa State who later recalled Henning’s patience in coaching athletes of all skill levels. Perhaps Henning’s greatest tribute is the seventeen former wrestlers who followed him into coaching, including Aaron Tecklenburg of Johnston, the 2025 Class 3A Iowa State Coach of the Year.

Beyond coaching, Henning served the sport as an official and administrator for decades. He officiated high school and college meets for 16 years, including the first athletic event ever held in Carver-Hawkeye Arena in 1983. He was known for his integrity on the mat; former Iowa State star Eric Voelker once thanked him after a match for “giving me a chance to get off my back before calling the pin,” a testament to Henning’s veteran presence and fairness. Henning also served as President of the Iowa Wrestling Coaches and Officials Association in 1985-86 and helped initiate the first IWCOA convention in Des Moines.

Off the mat, Henning revolutionized wrestling record-keeping by developing the Predicament Wrestling Scorebook in 1980. Frustrated by the lack of comprehensive scoring tools, he designed his own system, which has since sold over 140,000 copies to thousands of schools nationwide. Reflecting on a life dedicated to the sport, Henning once noted, “Wrestling has been very good to us… I have totally enjoyed our sport while competing, teaching, coaching and publishing this scorebook”. His legacy is cemented through inductions into the IHSAA Wrestling Hall of Fame (1996) and the National Wrestling Hall of Fame, Iowa Chapter (2008).

Phil Henning was inducted into the 2026 Iowa Wrestling Hall of Fame with Jon McGovern, Matt McDonough, Dan Glenn and Mike Finn.