Tracy Borah graduated from Colorado State University in 1950. As a student there he participated in four years of football and three years of wrestling. Following graduation Tracy spent four years teaching and coaching football, basketball, and track at the high school level. In 1954 Tracy started his collegiate wrestling coaching career which would span the next thirty-one years. His first two years were spent at Northeastern Junior College in Sterling, Colorado where he started the program and his team compiled a perfect 24-0 dual meet record. His next stop was at Western State College where he became the head wrestling coach as well as an assistant in football and track. For the next twenty-nine seasons from 1956 to 1985, Tracy built Western State College into one of the finest small college wrestling programs in the country. His teams won the first two NCAA College Division National Championships in 1963 and 1964, and followed that up with five more top ten finishes in the next six years. His athletes earned NCAA II All-American honors a total of thirty times and NCAA I All-American honors five times. Six of his wrestlers won a total of seven NCAA II National Championships. Tracy's career dual meet record at Western State was 205-133-2.
Tracy's contribution to wrestling and the NCAA go beyond the success of his teams. He served as the President of the NCAA College Division Wrestling Coaches Association in 1971 and was a member of the NCAA National Wrestling Rules Committee from 1975-78. Tracy was one of the founders and first president of the Mountain Intercollegiate Wrestling Association. He also created the Colorado Collegiate Championships which is still in existence today. Tracy was a pioneer in the development of the wrestling camp concept. His Rocky Mountain Wrestling Camp, which he founded in 1963 and directed until 1985, and is still in existence, had over 7,700 young men attended these camps under his direction. For his success and contributions Tracy was selected as the Colorado Coach of the Year during his career and in 1990 was elected to the Colorado High School Coaches Association Hall of Fame. In 1992 Tracy received the Colorado Wrestling Coaches Association Meritorious Distinguished Service Award. These awards paid tribute to the fact that over 150 of Tracy's former students and athletes have gone on to coach the sport of wrestling.
In 1985, Tracy retired from Western State College after spending twenty-nine years teaching and coaching, and eighteen years as Director of Athletics. Since retirement, Tracy has stayed involved with Western State College athletics as a part time recruiter and he helps to organize athletic reunions. He also has sold life insurance for Pan American Insurance. Tracy and his wife Jan are the parents of five children. Tracy and Jan still live in Gunnison, Colorado.
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Jack Hancock started his wrestling career as a high school wrestler in the 1940's and was a state placewinner in Colorado. After graduating from high school Jack first attended the University of Iowa. There he participated on their wrestling team before he returned to Colorado and enrolled at Colorado State College (now know as the University of Northern Colorado) where he competed on the wrestling team and played football. His wrestling coach at Colorado State College was his father John Hancock for whom the Butler Hancock Arena at the University of Northern Colorado is named after. After graduating from CSC in 1951, Jack spent four years coaching and teaching at the high school level before moving to the Colorado School of Mines.
In the fall of 1955 Jack started a thirty seven year career as the wrestling coach at the Colorado School of Mines. Despite the schools very rigorous academic standards and their engineering curriculum he developed some very competitive teams and some outstanding individual wrestlers. Prior to the start of the NCAA College Division Tournament which began in 1963, four of Jack's teams finished among the top thirty teams in the NCAA National Championships which were dominated by the large universities. In 1961 Jack hosted the fourth annual NAIA National Championships and his team placed second with four of his athletes earning All-American honors. When the NCAA started the NCAA College Division Wrestling Championships, Colorado Mines was a dominate team in the early years. In 1964, the second year of the tournament Mines placed second, only two points behind the champions. In 1965 Jack hosted the NCAA College Division Nationals and his team placed tenth. In 1967 his team placed fourth. Jack's wrestlers earned NCAA II All-American honors a total of thirty three times and NCAA I All-American honors twice. Jack was a Colorado Collegiate Coach of the Year and he served the National Wrestling Coaches Association as the Chairman of the Twenty-Five Year Service Committee.
During Jack's thirty-seven year career at Colorado Mines he was also the head tennis coach, an assistant football coach, the head trainer, and taught several classes in Physical Education. Since retiring in 1992, Jack and his wife Mildred continue to reside in Golden, Colorado. They are the parents of three daughters.
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Larry Kristoff has earned his place in the NCAA II Wrestling Hall of Fame both as a wrestler and as a coach. Larry was a member of the wrestling team at Southern Illinois University at Carbondale and was the Heavyweight National Champion at the first two NCAA College Division Tournaments in 1963 and 1964. He led his team to a second and a third place finish in those two meets. Larry also placed second in the 1964 NCAA University Division Nationals as a senior. After graduation Larry blossomed into the greatest American heavyweight of his era. He represented the United States in two Olympics placing seventh in 1964 and fifth in 1968. Larry wrestled and earned medals in five World Championships. He was the Runnerup in the World in 1966, 1969, and 1970, and he was third in the world in 1965 and 1967. In 1966 Larry was the Pan American Champion. During his career he won eleven AAU Freestyle and Greco Roman National Championships. Twice he was a finalist for the prestigious Sullivan Award. His total record including high school, college and international wrestling was 313-13.
In 1969 Larry became the head coach at Southern Illinois University at Edwardsville. In his twenty seven seasons he has developed his program into an NCAA II dynasty. The SIU-E Cougars won three consecutive NCAA II National Championships in 1984, 1985 and 1986, but equally impressive is the fact that from 1974 to 1988, a span of fifteen years, his team finished no lower than seventh place in the NCAA II National Championships. During Larry's career his athletes have earned 103 NCAA II All-American awards, eleven NCAA I All-American awards, and have won eighteen NCAA II National Championships. Larry's career dual meet record against a largely NCAA I schedule is 203-156-12. Two times he has been selected as the NCAA II Coach of the Year in 1974 and 1984. He has twice been the U.S.A. World Cup Coach in 1975 and 1976. Larry served as a member of the U.S. Olympic Committee from 1973-76.
Larry and his wife Doris life in the Edwardsville area. Larry is an associate professor at SIU-E as well as the wrestling coach. Larry's two sons, Mark and Kip both won NCAA II National Championships wrestling for their father and are now successful teachers and coaches.
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Chuck graduated from the University of Northern Iowa (then known as Iowa State Teachers College) in 1961. He wrestled under Hall of Fame Coach Bill Koll and compiled a 28-5-2 record. He was a champion in the 137 pound weight class of the first ever North Central Conference Tournament in 1961. The following year he received his Masters Degree from the University of Oregon. Staying on the west coast he became the head coach at Exeter High School in California and in one year guided them to a 14-1 record and a state title in only the school's second year of competition. The next year he moved on to Reedsport, Oregon and again won the state title with a 14-1 record. When Bill Koll resigned from the University of Northern Iowa (then known as State College of Iowa) to become the coach at Penn State University, Chuck returned to his alma mater in the fall of 1964, at the age of twenty six to become their head wrestling coach.
Chuck guided the University of Northern Iowa Wrestling program for the next eighteen seasons from 1964 to 1982. After a rough first season when his team suffered through a 2-8-1 record and a twenty-third place finish in the NCAA College Division Nationals, his teams never again had a losing dual meet record, and for the next fifteen years never finished out of the top ten at the NCAA II Nationals, and only four times finished lower than third place. His 218-86-8 career coaching mark computes to a .699 winning percentage which is the second highest in the rich seventy-three year history of UNI wrestling. Chuck's teams won the NCAA II National Championship in 1975 and 1978 and finished second four times and third five times. The two championships that his teams won were the only breaks in the stranglehold that California Poly (SLO) and California State (Bakersfield) held on NCAA II wrestling from 1968 through 1983. Chuck's athletes earned NCAA II All-American honors a total of sixty-seven times and NCAA I All-American honors a total of thirteen times. Twelve of his wrestlers won a total of twenty individual NCAA II National Championships, including two wrestlers Gary Bentrim and Kirk Myers who won three each. In the thirteen years his teams participated in the North Central Conference, they won the first place trophy nine times and finished second four times. When UNI left the NCC to join the Mid-Continent Conference, his teams won five consecutive titles. During Chuck's last two years of coaching at UNI, his school had joined the NCAA I and his teams finished twelfth and tenth in that tournament.
Chuck's contribution to wrestling and the NCAA go beyond the success of his teams. He served as the president of the NCAA II Wrestling Coaches Association in 1972 and the National Wrestling Coaches Association in 1983. He served on the NCAA National Wrestling Rules Committee from 1974 to 1978. He conducted state level Coaches Association Clinics for twelve different states. He was selected by his fellow coaches three times as the NCAA II Coach of the Year, winning the award in 1969, 1973, and 1978. He was also the U.S.A. Wrestling Coach of the Year in 1978. He was chosen to be the coach of the West team in the East-West All-Star Meet in 1981. Twice Chuck served as the host coach at the NCAA II National Tournament in 1978 and 1979. He was elected to the UNI Hall of Fame in 1988 and the Iowa Hall of Fame in 1995.
When Chuck stepped down from coaching and teaching as an Associate
Professor at UNI, he served as an Assistant to the Athletic Director
at UNI for two years before moving to Everett, Washington and
taking a position with the Everett School District. From 1984
to 1992 he was the Director of Community Relations. Since 1992
Chuck has served as the Athletic Director. Chuck and his wife
Lynn live in Everett, Washington.
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Rick's career was like a meteor - a streak of brilliance, then tragically, he was gone. But for ten years, Rick Sanders was the golden boy of wrestling. He was America's first ever World Champion. He left an indelible impact on our sport.
Rick won three Oregon State Championships wrestling for Lincoln High School in Portland. His high school record was 80-1. When Rick arrived at Portland State University, he quickly led his team to national prominence. As a freshman he highlighted an undefeated season by winning the 1965 NAIA National Championships at 115 pounds and earned the Outstanding Wrestler Award. As a sophomore Rick lost the first match of his career when he moved up to the 123 pound class and placed third in the NCAA College Division Nationals. Two weeks later he dropped down to the 115 pound class and won the 1966 NCAA University Division National Championship. As a junior Rick had a perfect season going undefeated and winning both the 1967 NCAA College and University Division National Championships at 115 pounds. He was selected as the Outstanding Wrestler in both meets. As a senior Rick moved up to the 123 pound class and went undefeated during the regular season. He won his second NCAA College Division National Championship and was again selected as the Outstanding Wrestler. Two weeks later at the NCAA University Division Nationals, Rick lost for only the second time in his collegiate career when he placed second. His total collegiate record was 103-2. He led his Portland State team to a first place finish in the 1967 NCAA College Division Nationals, a second place finish in 1968, and a third place finish in 1967. The same three years Portland State also finished fifth, sixth, and eighth in the NCAA University Division Nationals. Rick is the only collegiate wrestler to win National Championships in the NAIA, NCAA College Division, and the NCAA University Division, and be outstanding wrestler in each.
As early as his freshman year in college, in 1965, Rick won his first of five national freestyle championships and made the U.S. World Team. In 1966 he placed third in the World Championships, in 1967 he placed second in the World, and won the Pan American Games. In 1968, Rick won an Olympic Silver Medal for the U.S.A. A year later, at 114.5 pounds, Rick became the first American to ever win a World Championship. He returned to the Olympics in 1972 and captured another Silver Medal. Of the eleven bouts, he won in two Olympics, nine came by fall. But suddenly, Rick was gone, he was killed in an automobile accident on October 18, 1972 in Yugoslavia while touring Europe after the Olympic Games in Munich.
Rick died at the age of twenty seven. His life was short but his accomplishments were many. His technique and his expertise were ahead of his time. His goal was to follow in the footsteps of his Portland State Coach Howard Westcott and pursue a career in coaching. He loved working with young wrestlers, giving free clinics anywhere and anytime. His hobbies besides wrestling included fly fishing and writing poetry. He was inducted in the Oregon Athletic Hall of Fame in 1984. Rick received wrestling's highest honor when he was enshrined into the USA National Wrestling Hall of Fame in 1987.
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Chuck graduated from Redmond High School in Redmond, Oregon where he won three Oregon State Championships. He was recruited to Portland State University to continue his education and to wrestle for coach Howard Westcott. When Chuck arrived at Portland State University he was part of a talented group of wrestlers that included fellow Hall of Famers Rick Sanders and Masaru Yatabe, as well as teammates Rich Green, Freeman Garrison, Tony Campbell, Mike McKeel, Richard Wright, and Wayne Karney. During their era they were the top team on the west coast and one of the best in the country.
As a freshman in 1966, Chuck had a 23-3 record, but did not compete in the nationals due to freshman eligibility rules. In Chuck's sophomore year he won the 152 pound NCAA College Division National Championship and helped his team win the National Title. Two weeks later he placed third at the NCAA University Division Nationals and his team placed fifth. As a junior Chuck placed second in the NCAA College Division Nationals at 145 pounds and his team also finished second. Chuck did not place in the 1968 NCAA University Division Nationals but his team finished in sixth place. In Chuck's senior year he won his second NCAA College Division National Championship wrestling at 145 pounds and his team finished fourth. Two weeks later Chuck finished his collegiate career by placing sixth at the NCAA University Division Nationals and earned All-American honors for the fifth time. His total collegiate record was 110-14-1.
Since graduating from Portland State with a degree in Physical Education, Chuck has taught school. He currently is employed by the Kings Canyon School District in Reedley, California. Chuck and his wife Louise have two children, Tara and Travis, and they live in Reedley, California.
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Warren Williamson started his wrestling career as the head coach at South Dakota State University in 1956. Like many coaches in that era, his background in wrestling was very limited. As a student at SDSU, Warren was an outstanding football player and a track athlete, but knew little about wrestling. He spent the next seventeen years learning and teaching the sport of wrestling, and in the process he developed South Dakota State University Wrestling into one of the elite NCAA II programs in the country. He also earned the title of "Father of High School Wrestling in South Dakota," as he was instrumental in many South Dakota High Schools starting the sport of wrestling.
In the first four seasons of Warren's coaching career, wrestling was not a conference sport and the NCAA only sponsored one national tournament which was dominated by the large universities. In 1961, Warren, with the help of his friend Bill Koll the coach at State College of Iowa, hosted the first ever North Central Conference Tournament. While it was considered unofficial because only four schools participated, SDSU and SCI tied for the championship. In 1963, due to the urging of Warren, Bill Koll, and other coaches from smaller schools the NCAA sponsored the first NCAA College Division Wrestling Tournament. South Dakota State finished a respectable fourth place in that initial tournament. For the next ten years Warren's teams were near the top in both the North Central Conference and the NCAA College Division Tournaments. His teams won the NCC Conference three times, placed second four times, third twice, and fourth once. At the College Division NCAA Nationals his teams placed in the top ten, out of almost 100 schools participating, seven times.
Warren's career dual meet record at SDSU was 134-74-9. He coached twenty four NCAA College Division All-Americans and two National Champions. He also served as the president of the NCAA College Division Wrestling Coaches Association in 1970 and was a member of the NCAA National Wrestling Rules Committee from 1970-73. In 1973 Warren was the NCAA II National Tournament Host Coach. In 1966, he was selected the South Dakota College Coach of the Year, in 1987 he was selected as a charter member of the South Dakota Wrestling Hall of Fame, and in 1990 he was elected to the South Dakota Hall of Fame.
Warren stepped down from coaching at SDSU in 1973, but continued as a professor and as the Director of Intramural Sports until his retirement in 1987. He and his wife Dorothy still live in Brookings, South Dakota.
Masaru attended and graduated from Tatebayashi High School in Tokoyo, Japan in 1964. Masaru was a runnerup in the Japanese National High School Championships as a senior. One of his teammates and close friends at Tatebayashi High School was Yojiro Uetake. Yojiro pursued his education at Oklahoma State University where he won three NCAA National Championships and won two Olympic gold Medals for Japan. Masaru decided also to pursue his education and his wrestling career in the United States and enrolled at Portland State University. His wrestling coach was Howard Westcott. With teammates Rick Sanders, Chuck Seals and others, Masaru helped develop Portland State University into one of the top wrestling schools of that era.
As a freshman in 1965, Masaru competed in the NAIA National Championships and earned his first of seven All-American Awards at 137 pounds as he placed fifth and his team placed sixth. In Masaru's sophomore year he placed third in the NCAA College Division Nationals and fifth in the NCAA University Division Nationals, with his team placing third and eighth in those meets. As a junior, he won the 1967 NCAA College Division Nationals and went on to place second in the NCAA University Division Nationals losing an overtime match in the finals to Dale Anderson of Michigan State. His team won the College Division National Championship and placed fifth in the University Division meet. As a senior, Masaru had a repeat performance of his junior year in that he again won the NCAA College Division Nationals and lost a close match in the NCAA University Division finals to Dale Anderson. His team placed second and sixth in the two meets. Masaru was able to avenge his two championship losses when he was selected to participate in the 1968 East-West All Star Match which at that time took place after the season was over. He defeated Dale Anderson by a 7-6 score. Masaru's total collegiate record was 79-11-4.
Since graduating from Portland State University in 1969 with a degree in Business Administration, Masaru has remained in the United States. He is a Vice President with the Azumano Group, a company that does banking, travel service, and insurance. He lives in Portland, Oregon and is the father of four children - Alice, Lisa, Michael, and Mark.
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