Bruce Kinseth

2007 Iowa Wrestling Hall of Fame Inductee

Winning and dominating are usually common traits of athletes who achieve “Hall of Fame” status in their sport. Those traits are present in Bruce Kinseth—but perhaps with an asterisk—as the former Iowa wrestler used the senior seasons of both his high school and collegiate careers to reach a dominant level of wrestling.

“I wasn’t a ‘Mr. Athlete’ like Randy Lewis or Jeff Kerber,” Kinseth stated. “I got good in high school through a lot of freestyle wrestling. I worked hard at it throughout my career and managed to get there at each stage.”

Kinseth did indeed “get there,” winning the 150-pound NCAA championship for the Hawkeyes in 1979. He capped off his collegiate career by pinning his way through both the Big Ten and NCAA tournaments. He was named Outstanding Wrestler at the national championships and finished the season with 23 falls—another Iowa record.

“Going to Iowa was instrumental in my wrestling success. I had the two best coaches in the country—Dan Gable and Jay Robinson,” Kinseth said. “I thrived in that environment because I was willing to put in the time to be successful.”

“I was lucky because Gable was my size, and after practice he’d work with me. Two, three, or four times a week, he’d beat on me like a drum,” Kinseth recalled. He noted that a West Waterloo wrestler had consistently beaten him before he got to Iowa, but after just three months in the Iowa wrestling room, Kinseth beat that same individual 12–0.

Kinseth continued wrestling after college and became a three-time National Open Champion. During that time, he defeated Olympic champion Dave Schultz twice—once at 163 pounds and once at 180 pounds.

In high school, Kinseth recalled being on the junior varsity team as a sophomore until the varsity wrestler was injured. “I got beat a lot that year, and then my junior year I lost two or three times. My senior year, I was unbeaten,” he said.

Lessons learned from wrestling translated into a successful business career for Kinseth. He pointed out that hard work and perseverance lead to success. “Every time I’ve worked hard, I’ve been successful. That’s helped me develop confidence,” he said.

Kinseth currently owns Kinseth Hospitality Companies, which owns and operates 33 hotels and 15 restaurants across eight states.

Bruce Kinseth was inducted into the Iowa Wrestling Hall of Fame in 2007, along with Jeff Kerber, Mike Land, and Sherwyn Thorson.