Arlin Severson

2011 Iowa Wrestling Hall of Fame Inductee

It could easily be called a wrestling trifecta—something very few people can lay claim to.

That trifecta would be coaching his team to state tournament championships and state dual meet titles after having won his own individual state championship for the same school.

Arlin Severson did it all at New Hampton.

A quiet and unassuming individual, Severson coached his 1990 and 1993 teams to both state tournament and state dual meet titles, having previously won the 112-pound title for New Hampton in 1957.

The New Hampton native had a storied coaching career at his alma mater, with his teams winning 228 dual meets from 1968 to 1993. During that span, Severson coached eight state champions and 62 conference champions, while his squads also captured seven conference championships.

The humble coach points to “good wrestlers, good assistant coaches, and good community support” as some of the keys to New Hampton’s success. But those in the know have said Severson’s work ethic was second to none. “He worked extremely hard,” one wrestler said. “He was on the mat with us all the time.”

Quick to deflect attention from himself, Severson adds that conditioning and drilling were also keys to success.

The honors bestowed on Severson include the Lifetime Service Award for Coaching from the National Wrestling Hall of Fame in Stillwater, Oklahoma, induction into the Iowa High School Wrestling Hall of Fame in 1989, and the IWCOA Wrestling Service Award in 1993.

Severson’s high school career culminated with a Class B state title at 112 pounds his senior year, finishing with a 15-1 record. He was a state qualifier all four years at New Hampton, placing third at 95 pounds as a sophomore.

He continued his strong career at Adams State in Colorado, where he was a two-time NCAA qualifier at 123 pounds, posting an overall record of 45-5-5. Severson placed third in the Rocky Mountain Conference all three years he wrestled for Adams State and was named team captain and outstanding wrestler his senior year.

Severson was inducted into the Iowa Wrestling Hall of Fame in 2011, along with Mike VanArsdale and Stewart Carter.