Joe Corso

2019 Iowa Wrestling Hall of Fame Inductee

The love of the sport began in the 1960s and continues on for Joe Corso and, like fine wine, it seems to only get better with age.

From a state championship to a successful college career and then an unbelievable ten-year run as a national freestyle champion, Corso has topped that off with coaching successes that continue on.

The Corso era of wrestling began at West Des Moines Valley, where he won a 112-pound championship as a senior after finishing 2nd at state as a junior at 107 pounds.

It was during his college career that Corso believes he really came into his own. “I spent my first three years cutting weight to 118 pounds. My senior year I went up a weight and it made a huge difference. I concentrated on technique and mental toughness and it all came together for me.”

The transition resulted in Corso winning the Big Ten 126-pound championship and being named the 1975 outstanding wrestler of the tournament. Corso went on to place third in the NCAA championship as a senior for Purdue that year.

“It was then that I realized my head hadn’t been on right… I needed to stay mentally tough,” Corso recalled. “That resulted in me wrestling with confidence and I knew I wasn’t done with wrestling because I knew I could get better. It was not an ego thing.”

Better indeed, Corso went on to be a ten-time national freestyle champion, third in the World Championships of 1979, and 1979 Pan-American Games champion. Corso was also on the 1976 Olympic team and an alternate in 1984.

While staying active in wrestling, Corso was also an assistant wrestling coach at Purdue, the University of Minnesota, and Indiana University. From there, he transitioned into intermittent stints with the famous Sunkist program. During that time, he also coached for four years as a head high school coach, with two of his teams taking first and second at the state tournament. He was also the coach for the Gator Wrestling Club women’s program from 2005 to 2012. He returned to the Sunkist Club in 2012, where he continues as coach and recruiter.

Ever the competitor, Corso says he has few regrets. “I just wish I could do it over again. It was fun, it was a lot of work. I learned if you keep an open mind, stay mentally tough, and minimize your mistakes, you can continue to get better.”

Corso was inducted into the Hall of Fame in 2019 along with Don Buzzard, Jessie Whitmer, and Dr. Gary Steffensmeier.