Clyde Bean

1993 Iowa Wrestling Hall of Fame Inductee

May 25, 1929 – May 20, 2016

Clyde Bean had limited exposure to wrestling in his youth but went on to leave a profound impact on the sport through his coaching career. In 1946–47, during his senior year at McKinley High School in Cedar Rapids, Iowa, he was introduced to wrestling when Lloyd Wilson started the school’s wrestling program.

Bean enrolled at Iowa State Teachers College (now the University of Northern Iowa) in the fall of 1948. He competed for three years under Hall of Fame coach Dave McCuskey. As a sophomore, he wrestled at 145 pounds, and as a junior and senior, he competed at 137 pounds. His most notable collegiate achievement was placing third at the 1951 AAU National Championships.

He began his teaching and coaching career at West Union High School in 1952. In 1956, he moved to Iowa City, where he joined City High School’s faculty. Bean dedicated the next 35 years there to education and athletics, retiring in 1991. Over this period, he served as head wrestling coach and also led the football program as head coach from 1968 to 1980.

During his tenure, Bean’s wrestling teams compiled an outstanding dual meet record of 268 wins, 125 losses, and 17 ties. Under his guidance, City High produced 17 individual state champions, 57 additional state place-winners, and 64 more state qualifiers. His commitment to developing student-athletes left a lasting legacy within the program.

In recognition of his remarkable contributions, Clyde Bean was inducted into both the Iowa High School Wrestling Hall of Fame and the Iowa High School Football Coaches Hall of Fame. He was also honored as Iowa Wrestling Coach of the Year in 1984.

Clyde was inducted into the Iowa Wrestling Hall of Fame in 1993 with Ray Cheney.