Chuck Patten (1988) - Hall of Fame

Chuck Patten

Induction:
1988
Class:
1961

Chuck Patten took over as head wrestling coach at UNI - one of the most successful mat programs in NCAA history - in 1965, guiding UNI to even more national recognition with 17 consecutive winning seasons and a pair of Division II titles. At the time of his retirement, his 218-86-8 career caching mark made him the winningest coach in the history of UNI wrestling. His guidance helped enrich that history by yielding 58 Division I or II All-Americans, along with 16 national champions. His 1975 and '78 squads earned Division II crowns, while the 1970, '72, '74 and '80 grapplers achieved second place finishes.

His teams have the distinction of winning, placing or showing in 11 of the 18 years he coached. He twice was honored as the Division II Coach of the Year and was named Midwest Regional Coach of the Year after his 1982 squad took the regional championship. In the 14 years his teams participated in the North Central Conference tournament, his wrestlers brought back the first place trophy 10 times and the runner-up award four times. In the Mid-Continent Conference, the Panthers won five consecutive titles. He retired from coaching in 1982.

Patten is a 1956 graduate of Waterloo East High School where he wrestled under Dave Natvig. He posted a 28-5-2 dual meet record in three years at State College of Iowa, including a 10-0-2 mark as a junior. He graduated from SCI in 1961 and received his master's from Oregon a year later. He began his coaching career at Exeter (Calif.) High School, guiding that team to the state title in only its second year of competition. He then moved to Reesport, Ore., for the 1963-64 season and again won the state title, with three state champions. His other accolades include receiving UNI Alumni Service and Achievement Awards in 1974 and 1975.