CRESCO – A good-sized crowd gathered at the Heritage Event Center in Cresco on Monday, April 8, to witness the induction of six new members into the Iowa Wrestling Hall of Fame during its 53rd Annual Awards Banquet. The six new inductees increased the total number of members in the Hall of Fame to 147.
The 2024 inductees included: Mike Allen, Jay Borschel, Travis Paulson, Trent Paulson, Leslie Beers and Arthur Holding. Beers and Holding were inducted posthumously into the Hall of Fame.’
Jason Passmore, who served as the Master of Ceremonies, opened the banquet by welcoming everyone. He noted that since the banquet began in 1970, the Hall of Fame has inducted several Cresco natives. “It’s also worth noting that the National Wrestling Hall of Fame also includes several native Iowans,” Passmore said. Passmore then offered a brief prayer before the meal.
After the meal, Passmore opened the program by acknowledging the coaches and wrestlers in attendance. Crestwood Wrestling Coaches Keith Anderlik, Jerry Steffen, Gary Steffen, Mike Adams and Tom Schmauss were recognized as well as Cadet Grapplers Mitchell and Carter Schmauss, who both placed fifth at the 2024 State Tournament.
Other coaches at the banquet included: Brent Jennings and Thatcher Goodale of Osage, Dave Mitchell of Luther College, Wartburg Coaches Todd Becker and Mark Kist.
Passmore noted that many past Hall of Fame inductees were in attendance including Stewart Carter, Dan Mashek, Jim Miller, Arlen Severson, Jason Christenson, David Ripley, Jesse Whitmer, Jim Gibbons and Dan Gable.
Members of the selection committee were recognized including Gable, Gibbons, Chuck Yagla, Jim Miller, Bill Roths, Tom Fye and Kyle Klingman.
Board of Directors for the Hall of Fame were noted including Dennis Meirick, president; Tom Fye, vice president, Cindy Butikofer, secretary and treasurer; Mike Galvin; Jason Passmore; Jerome Hruska; Merle Sovereign; Hunter Slifka; Justin Sovereign; and Jim Turvold.
Klingman then posthumously inducted Beers and Holding into the Hall of Fame as the 142nd and 143rd members.
He noted that Beers, who was from Pocahontas, was the first University of Iowa wrestling to win a national title and earn All-American honors. Beers won the 158-pound title at the NCAA Championships in 1928, captured a Big Ten Championship in 1926 and 1928 and was a member of the United States Olympic team at the 1928 Games. Holding, who was from Bancroft, was then inducted into the Hall by Klingman. Holding was Iowa State’s first NCAA champion, the school’s first three-time conference champion and finished his college career undefeated. He was also the first Iowa State wrestler to compete in the 1928 Olympics.
Miller inducts Mike Allen
Following Holding’s induction, Jim Miller presented the 144th inductee – Mike Allen.
“Mike was always the best-dressed man wherever he went,” Miller said. “Mike also served as an official at 20 Iowa High School Championships and 23 NCAA Championships.
“During the 1999 Big Ten Championship held in Michigan, Mike served as the head official. Mike asked Chuck Yagla for a key to the bathroom before the tournament, which was scheduled to start at 10 a.m. It wasn’t until 10:20 that Mike came back. It turned out that Mike locked the key in the bathroom, opened a window to get into the locker room at the football stadium next door, climbed a fence to get into the wrestling arena and had to beg his way into the arena because he had no ticket.
“Mike told people he had two families – his biological family and his family of coaches. He had a 35-year career as an official and was the first African American to officiate in the finals for high school and college. Mike’s parents set strong family values for him and his siblings. He always said, ‘I didn’t need role models in sports because I had my mom and dad.’”
Miller noted that Allen was working as a wrestling coach when he decided to make a career change and start officiating. Allen’s first big dual he officiated was Iowa State versus Oregon State in 1981. “Mike always stood out as the best official wherever he went,” Miller said.
Gable inducts Jay Borschel
Dan Gable, former University of Iowa coach and Olympic champion, inducted Jay Borschel as the 145th member of the Hall of Fame.
“Even though I was not Jay’s full-time coach when he wrestled at Iowa, I noticed Jay had style and he was hard to beat,” Gable said. “He could ride and pin. When he was in high school at Linn-Mar, he had more pins than I did in high school. He was a mat wrestler who could wrestle on the top or the bottom. When you get 98 pins in high school, you know how to control people.”
Borschel was the 16th wrestler to win four high school titles and had three undefeated seasons at Linn-Mar. He then continued his domination for the Hawkeyes as he won a Big Ten title and an NCAA title in 2010.
“I remember what Jay’s coach at Iowa, Tom Brands, said about him. Brands noted that Jay was tough, learned to stay in there (as a wrestler) and went to a new level. When there was adversity, Jay stayed in there. “Jay practiced with tough guys, which gave him the chance to win a National Championship. I love the expertise of all the people in this room who had faith in wrestling, and I’m happy to induct Jay into the Hall of Fame,” Gable noted.
“I don’t like to talk about myself,” Borschel noted, “but I did learn how to say thanks. I want to thank Dan Gable for his introduction and the selection committee for nominating me. I also want to thank Jason Passmore, Mike Allen and Travis and Trent Paulson. “I want to thank my parents, who gave me the chance to visit Iowa’s 99 counties and for their support. I give thanks to my wife, Jillian, who is my rock of support.
“I’ve had to deal with some difficult things in my life, such as transferring from Virginia Tech to Iowa, buddy carries, being locked in a sauna, living with Lee Fullhart for six weeks and many difficult wrestling matches. All of these things make you wonder why you do it. For me, life is about embracing the difficult aspects and trusting in your support system. I wouldn’t change anything. It’s all about the journey,” Borschel said.
Gibbons inducts Paulson twins
“I’m very excited to talk about both Travis and Trent Paulson and induct them into the Hall of Fame,” Jim Gibbons noted. “Both wrestled at Council Bluffs Lewis Central and put Southwest Iowa wrestling on the map. Both brothers had an immediate impact at Iowa State.”
Trent Paulson followed with his speech.
“We are both being inducted into the Hall of Fame on our mom’s birthday, which is special,” Trent noted. “Mom always had tough love for us and taught us tough lessons.
“I want to thank the selection committee for being inducted. I also want to thank Dan Gable for his support and Jay Borschel for his impressive comeback win in college.
“I’ve coached several places but one thing I’ve noticed is that the sport of wrestling is truly revered in Iowa. When you are a wrestler and you go to a bar in Iowa, people know who you are. “I express my thanks to the Cyclone Wrestling Club, my college teammates, my best friend in college, Mark Becker and Keith Massey, a coach who almost got out of coaching because of Travis and I.
“I also want to thank Jason Christenson, Coach Cael Sanderson, Bobby Douglas, Randy Lewis, my brother, my wife and my two sons. I’m also thankful to my late father, who always told his boys to work hard and be humble. I am here because of the people who trusted in me. It’s important to keep things in perspective, glorify God for your blessings and realize that wrestling is a sport. It’s not life or death,” Trent noted.
Travis Paulson speech
Gibbons then inducted Travis Paulson as the 147th member of the Hall of Fame.
“I want to thank the Hall of Fame committee, my family and God for all the people he brought into my life,” Travis said. “The state of Iowa is a factory to develop elite wrestlers. I’ve lived in Virginia, Iowa and Nebraska, and I have noticed that Iowa is spoiled to have so many great wrestlers and a lot of talent in Iowa.
“I thank my dad for the work ethic he instilled in us. Dad was a man of character and set a great example for everyone. I also want to thank our mom, who took us to tournaments and always had our back. “I am grateful to Trent because he never accepted less than the best. He gave me tough love. I look up to him because of his boldness and confidence.
“What I’ve learned (through wrestling) is this – don’t let someone tell you that you can’t accomplish something because you can. There is always something you can do. You need to focus on what you can do (in any situation). “Because of wrestling, I’ve had more opportunities in life and I realize I can make a difference. I want to thank everyone who has invested in me over the years. I am very grateful,” Travis Paulson said.
Article courtesy of Nate Troy, Cresco Times Plain Dealer
