University of Northern Iowa Athletics
Hall of Fame
- Induction:
- 2025
- Class:
- 1970
A successful Panther on the mat, in the coaches corner and in the world of officiating, Marv Reiland is the latest member of the UNI wrestling family to be selected to Northern Iowa's Athletic Hall of Fame.
An Eagle Grove, Iowa native, Reiland wrestled for the Panthers from 1966 to 1970 under Hall of Fame Coach Chuck Patten, becoming a successful lightweight competitor and three-year letter winner. He captured two North Central Conference (NCC) individual titles in his career. He finished second at the 1969 NCAA Division II Championships at 130 pounds to earn All-American honors qualifying for the Division I Championships where he placed sixth and also earned Division I All-American status. He added a third All-American honor as a senior in 1970 at 134 pounds, placing fourth, at the Division II NCAA Championships.
Reiland's wrestling legacy however may be best remembered for his impact as a coach and official following his career at UNI. After his time with the Panthers he returned to his hometown and became the head wrestling coach at Eagle Grove High School, a position he would hold for 17 years. During that time the Eagles became a perennial state power in wrestling.
Reiland's teams captured three Iowa High School State Team Championships (1974, 1986, 1987) , finished runner-up twice (1973, 1982) and won the first Iowa State Dual Team Championship in 1987. Of the 71 state qualifiers Reiland coached at Eagle Grove, 14 would win individual state championships, with another 14 finishing as runners-up. His teams posted a career dual record of (129-62-5). The Iowa Wrestling Coaches and Officials Association (IWCOA) selected him as Class 2A Coach of the Year in 1982 and he was inducted into the Iowa High School Athletic Association (IHSAA) Wrestling Hall of Fame in 1989.
Throughout his coaching career and post coaching days, Reiland continued to give back to the sport he loved by working as an official. He was a certified wrestling official for 45 years and worked 22 IHSAA State Wrestling Traditional Tournaments and 17 IHSAA State Dual Team Tournaments. He was selected by the IWCOA as Iowa Wrestling Official of the Year twice (1996, 2015). Reiland was selected to the IHSAA Officials Hall of Fame in 2010.
In 2000, the National Wrestling Hall of Fame recognized him with the Lifetime Service Award to Wrestling. He was also selected to the Iowa Wrestling Hall of Fame in 2012 and the Glen Brand Hall of Fame in 2020.
Reiland worked in education for 42 years after graduation from UNI. He and his spouse Marlys currently reside in Iowa City.
