Mike Land

2007 Iowa Wrestling Hall of Fame Inductee

It would be difficult to call someone a “late bloomer” when he compiled a high school wrestling record of 105–12, but Mike Land saved his best wrestling for a stellar college career.

Iowa State’s Mike Land truly distinguished himself during his collegiate career. He went unbeaten his junior year while winning the 126-pound national title and followed that up with a one-loss NCAA runner-up finish at 134 pounds. Over the course of his career, Land was a four-time All-American, a three-time Big 8 champion, and was named Athlete of the Year at ISU in 1979.

“I didn’t have a great high school career, but a key to my success was the opportunity Iowa State gave me,” Land noted. “My freestyle background was a key to going to Iowa State… and then my freshman year in college, I became a Christian. That helped tremendously.”

Land did win one state high school title for Valley High School of West Des Moines, going 26–0 at 126 pounds as a senior. In his previous years, he was 25–5 at 98 pounds as a freshman, 27–4 at 105 pounds as a sophomore, and 34–4 at 119 pounds as a junior.

During that same time, Land distinguished himself on the freestyle circuit, winning national junior titles in 1973 and 1974. “One of my most memorable matches came in the junior national freestyle finals,” Land recalls. “I won by fall in just over 20 seconds. The guy shot in on me and I pancaked him.” Land also recalls beating a defending city champion on his 15th birthday—a 4–3 win over a senior.

In college, Land wrestled as a freshman and placed third in the Big 8 tournament (32–8 overall). In 1977, he won the Big 8 crown at 126 pounds with a 34–4 overall record. Land followed that with an undefeated NCAA championship season his junior year (48–0). He remained unbeaten through his senior year until losing in the championship match to Lehigh’s Darryl Burley at 134 pounds. His 150 career wins are the second-most in ISU history.

After college, Land continued to compete and placed fifth in the world in 1981.

Land also noted that he has coached over 20 state champions and more than 125 wrestlers who have qualified for or placed in the state wrestling tournament. Perhaps even more impressive is that he coaches these wrestlers through a private wrestling program.

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