History & Memorable Moments

The history of a century of Panther wrestling runs deep. Here is just a snapshot of some of the most notable moments in the 100 year history of UNI wrestling!

Gerald Leeman - 1946 NCAA Championships Most Outstanding Wrestler — Gerald Leeman - 1946 NCAA Championship
Most Outstanding Wrestler

1923 – Under the leadership of head coach Paul Bender, the State College of Iowa wins its very first dual meet over Cornell College by a score of 16-8.

1925 – On Nov. 28, 1925, the university’s historic West Gym officially opened its doors. UNI wrestling was one of many sports to call the building home during its 98-year history, including volleyball, basketball and swimming.

1931 – Jesse Arends, Finn Eriksen and Orville Orr became the program’s first-ever All-Americans.

1932 – Maynard Harmon became the first Panther to make the U.S. Olympic Team, qualifying for the Games of the Tenth Olympiad in Los Angeles.

1946 – Gerald Leeman wins the 128-pound national championship as a sophomore in Stillwater, Oklahoma. He would be named the tournament’s Most Outstanding Wrestler.

1947 – Bill Koll is named the Most Outstanding Wrestler of the 1947 NCAA Wrestling Championships in Champaign, Illinois after winning a national title at 145 pounds. Koll would repeat the following year as the tournament MVP and capture a second national title in Bethlehem, Pennsylvania.

1948 – A trio of Panthers represented the United States at the Olympic Games in London. Gerald Leeman earned a silver medal in his weight class, while Bill Koll earned fifth-place and Bill Nelson competed in the qualifying rounds.

1950 – The University of Northern Iowa (then known as the Iowa State Teacher’s College) played host to and won the NCAA Wrestling Championships inside the West Gym. The Panthers edged out second-place Purdue by 14 points with seven athletes earning All-American honors, including national champions Keith Young, Bill Nelson and Bill Smith.

1951 – On Jan. 26, 1951, the Panthers win their 32nd consecutive dual meet with a 22-6 win at Iowa State, the longest dual meet winning streak in school history dating back to the second meet of the 1947-48 season.

1952 – Bill Smith became the university’s second-ever Olympic gold medalist and first in wrestling with a title won at the 1952 games in Helsinki. UNI’s official competition mat today in named in his honor.

Bill Smith gold medal — Bill Smith - 1952 Olympic Gold Medalist

1964 – Chuck Patten begins his 18-season tenure as the Panther head coach. Patten would lead UNI to two NCAA Division II national championships, coach 21 All-American selections and win a program record 218 duals.

1975 – UNI wins its second national team championship and first as a Division II program in East Stroudsburg, Pennsylvania. Jim Miller, Ken Snyder and Randy Omvig led the way for the Panthers with national title performances.

1975 – Mike McCreedy wins a gold medal at the Pan American Games in Mexico City.

1978 – The Panthers host and win their second Division II national team title in four years in Cedar Falls. Keith Poolman and Kirk Myers both picked up championship titles as UNI beat second-place Cal State Bakersfield by 23 ½ points.

1982 – Kirk Myers, a three-time NCAA champion and six-time All-American, finishes his career with a program record 134 career wins and 61 pins. Rich Powers would tie Myers’ record ten years later with the two standouts remaining atop the list to this day.

1984 – On Nov. 30, 1984, UNI rolls past Missouri State 57-0 for its largest margin of victory in a dual meet in program history.

1986 – Mark Schwab caps his 1985-86 season with a school record 49 wins.

1987 – Led by head coach Don Briggs, UNI wins a program record 18 duals. The Panthers would send seven athletes to the NCAA Championships that season.

1997 – The UNI-Dome plays host to the NCAA Division I National Championships. The University of Iowa would win its 17th national title during the three-day event.

1997 NCAA WRE Championships in UNI-Dome — 1997 NCAA Championships in the UNI-Dome

2000 – Tony Davis secures UNI’s first Division I individual national title in 37 years with a 149-pound championship in St. Louis, Missouri.

2005 – Future UNI Hall of Fame inductee Sean Stender concludes his collegiate career with his third All-American honor, becoming at the time one of eight Panthers to earn at least three All-American nods.

2010 – Doug Schwab, a 1999 NCAA Champion and three-time All-American at Iowa, is hired as the ninth head wrestling coach in UNI history.

2017 – UNI joins the Big 12 Conference as an affiliate member for wrestling.

2018 – Joe Colon captures bronze at the 2018 World Championships in the 61-kilogram freestyle bracket.

2019 – Sixth-seeded Drew Foster wins the 184-pound national championship in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania.

2023 – Parker Keckeisen wins his third straight Big 12 title at 184 pounds, becoming UNI’s first-ever three-time Big 12 champion. The Panthers have won the 184-pound weight class as the Big 12 Championships every year since joining the league.

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History & Memorable Moments