University of Northern Iowa Athletics
Former UNI Athletic Director Bob Bowlsby to be inducted into National Wrestling Hall of Fame
11/1/2022 2:30:00 PM | Wrestling
Bowlsby served as UNI's Director of Athletics from 1984 to 1991; Later served as Big 12 commissioner from 2012 to 2022
STILLWATER, Okla. --- Bob Bowlsby, former UNI Director of Athletics and former commissioner of the Big 12 Conference, has been announced as a member of the National Wrestling Hall of Fame's induction class of 2023, as made public by the Hall of Fame on Tuesday morning.
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Bowlsby will be inducted into the Hall of Fame on June 2-3, 2023 in Stillwater, Oklahoma as this year's Outstanding American inductee, presented to an individual who has used the disciplines of wrestling to launch notable careers in other walks of life, such as science and technology, business and industry, government and the military, and the arts and humanities.
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Other inductees in the 2023 class include Rich Bender, Jimmy Jackson, Patricia Miranda, Joe Williams, Ed Kelly, Frank Popolizio and Richard Perry.
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"Bob Bowlsby has been one of the preeminent voices in college athletics for several decades," said UNI Director of Athletics David Harris. "His leadership at the campus, conference and national level has helped to shape college athletics and we are all indebted to him for his years of service. The UNI Athletics department continues to benefit from the foundation that was laid during his time as our athletics director. I am personally thankful to Bob for the advice and counsel that he has given to me since joining the Panther family. We congratulate him on this well-deserved honor as an inductee to the National Wrestling Hall of Fame."Â
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A native of Waterloo, Iowa, Bowlsby served as UNI's Director of Athletics from 1984 until 1991 before taking over leadership of the athletic department at the University of Iowa and later at Stanford University. He was named the fourth commissioner of the Big 12 Conference in 2012, where he helped guide the league through growth and financial success until his retirement earlier this year.
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Under his leadership, the Big 12 won 32 national team championships, including an all-time high eight national titles in 2021-22, and 175 NCAA individual event crowns.
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Bowlsby oversaw several major changes in Big 12 membership, including the addition of UNI as an affiliate member for wrestling in 2017. During his tenure, Bowlsby finalized one of the most lucrative television deals in college athletics and oversaw the expansion of the existing ESPN rights agreement with the 2019 debut of Big 12 Now on ESPN+. Hundreds of additional Big 12 sports events and original programming are distributed annually on the digital platform, including wrestling.
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A national leader in intercollegiate and amateur athletics, Bowlsby served on the United States Olympic Committee from 2007 to 2014 and also for two years in the 1990s. He was named National Athletics Director of the Year in 2004 and served as a member of the Commission on Opportunities in Athletics. He served as president of the NCAA Division I-A Athletics Directors' Association, chair of the NCAA Division I Men's Basketball Committee and chaired the NCAA Management Council. He has also served on NCAA committees on Financial Aid and Amateurism, the Special Committee to Review Amateurism Issues and the Special Committee to Review Financial Conditions in Athletics.
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"It's a great honor to see Bob Bowlsby join the National Wrestling Hall of Fame as a fierce advocate of the sport and after a great career as an administrator," said UNI head wrestling coach Doug Schwab. "There is no greater honor in wrestling for an individual to become part of this special hall. From his time at UNI, to Iowa and Stanford and lastly in the Big 12, he helped move the sport forward in his conference and in the nation thanks to his forward-thinking leadership. The wrestling community is extremely grateful for his contributions to the sport."
Bowlsby wrestled at Waterloo West High School for legendary Hall of Fame coach Bob Siddens and at Minnesota State University Moorhead, where he was team captain and Northern Sun Intercollegiate Conference champion. A lifelong advocate for wrestling, Bowlsby served as the Chair of the NCAA Wrestling Committee, and the National Wrestling Hall of Fame Dan Gable Museum's Glen Brand Wrestling Hall of Fame of Iowa's Bowlsby Family Legacy Award is named in honor of his family. His brother John was an Iowa state high school champion and a three-time All-American and two-time Big Ten Conference champion for the University of Iowa while parents, Bob and Pat, and sisters, Ann, Sarah and Jane, were instrumental in their careers.
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In 2013, he was named to the NCAA 40th Anniversary Tribute Team, which recognized the 40th anniversary of NCAA Division II competition, and received the MSU Moorhead Alumni Achievement Award. He was inducted into the Dragon Sports Hall of Fame in 1998 and the University of Northern Iowa Hall of Fame in 2007. He received his bachelor's degree from MSU Moorhead in 1975 and his master's degree from the University of Iowa.
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Bowlsby will be inducted into the Hall of Fame on June 2-3, 2023 in Stillwater, Oklahoma as this year's Outstanding American inductee, presented to an individual who has used the disciplines of wrestling to launch notable careers in other walks of life, such as science and technology, business and industry, government and the military, and the arts and humanities.
Â
Other inductees in the 2023 class include Rich Bender, Jimmy Jackson, Patricia Miranda, Joe Williams, Ed Kelly, Frank Popolizio and Richard Perry.
Â
"Bob Bowlsby has been one of the preeminent voices in college athletics for several decades," said UNI Director of Athletics David Harris. "His leadership at the campus, conference and national level has helped to shape college athletics and we are all indebted to him for his years of service. The UNI Athletics department continues to benefit from the foundation that was laid during his time as our athletics director. I am personally thankful to Bob for the advice and counsel that he has given to me since joining the Panther family. We congratulate him on this well-deserved honor as an inductee to the National Wrestling Hall of Fame."Â
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A native of Waterloo, Iowa, Bowlsby served as UNI's Director of Athletics from 1984 until 1991 before taking over leadership of the athletic department at the University of Iowa and later at Stanford University. He was named the fourth commissioner of the Big 12 Conference in 2012, where he helped guide the league through growth and financial success until his retirement earlier this year.
Â
Under his leadership, the Big 12 won 32 national team championships, including an all-time high eight national titles in 2021-22, and 175 NCAA individual event crowns.
Â
Bowlsby oversaw several major changes in Big 12 membership, including the addition of UNI as an affiliate member for wrestling in 2017. During his tenure, Bowlsby finalized one of the most lucrative television deals in college athletics and oversaw the expansion of the existing ESPN rights agreement with the 2019 debut of Big 12 Now on ESPN+. Hundreds of additional Big 12 sports events and original programming are distributed annually on the digital platform, including wrestling.
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A national leader in intercollegiate and amateur athletics, Bowlsby served on the United States Olympic Committee from 2007 to 2014 and also for two years in the 1990s. He was named National Athletics Director of the Year in 2004 and served as a member of the Commission on Opportunities in Athletics. He served as president of the NCAA Division I-A Athletics Directors' Association, chair of the NCAA Division I Men's Basketball Committee and chaired the NCAA Management Council. He has also served on NCAA committees on Financial Aid and Amateurism, the Special Committee to Review Amateurism Issues and the Special Committee to Review Financial Conditions in Athletics.
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"It's a great honor to see Bob Bowlsby join the National Wrestling Hall of Fame as a fierce advocate of the sport and after a great career as an administrator," said UNI head wrestling coach Doug Schwab. "There is no greater honor in wrestling for an individual to become part of this special hall. From his time at UNI, to Iowa and Stanford and lastly in the Big 12, he helped move the sport forward in his conference and in the nation thanks to his forward-thinking leadership. The wrestling community is extremely grateful for his contributions to the sport."
Bowlsby wrestled at Waterloo West High School for legendary Hall of Fame coach Bob Siddens and at Minnesota State University Moorhead, where he was team captain and Northern Sun Intercollegiate Conference champion. A lifelong advocate for wrestling, Bowlsby served as the Chair of the NCAA Wrestling Committee, and the National Wrestling Hall of Fame Dan Gable Museum's Glen Brand Wrestling Hall of Fame of Iowa's Bowlsby Family Legacy Award is named in honor of his family. His brother John was an Iowa state high school champion and a three-time All-American and two-time Big Ten Conference champion for the University of Iowa while parents, Bob and Pat, and sisters, Ann, Sarah and Jane, were instrumental in their careers.
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In 2013, he was named to the NCAA 40th Anniversary Tribute Team, which recognized the 40th anniversary of NCAA Division II competition, and received the MSU Moorhead Alumni Achievement Award. He was inducted into the Dragon Sports Hall of Fame in 1998 and the University of Northern Iowa Hall of Fame in 2007. He received his bachelor's degree from MSU Moorhead in 1975 and his master's degree from the University of Iowa.
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