Iowa Hawkeye Wrestling
Our History
Our Past
Speaks
For Itself
The Hawkeye Wrestling Club Exists to promote wrestling in Iowa and America by producing honorable elite level athletes through high level wrestling opportunities.
There are very few who can deny the sense of pride felt when one of our nation’s athletes stands atop the podium on the world stage, with a gold medal draped around his neck. Especially when it’s a homegrown talent from the state of Iowa.
Since its inception in 1973, the focus of Hawkeye Wrestling Club has always been to provide the training, coaching and resources necessary to help our athletes pursue their dreams of becoming World and Olympic Champions. The money raised through the HWC goes directly to benefit the athletes helping with living expenses, training and traveling needs. Maybe the most important aspect of the HWC is its pursuit in trying to get the best post-collegiate athletes to train with the HWC together in Iowa City to attain the ultimate prize in wrestling… World and Olympic gold medals.
With this goal, Hawkeye Wrestling Club has played an important role in the dominance of Iowa Wrestling. By no coincidence, the Iowa wrestling team started its string of 25 Big Ten titles in 1974. The HWC has had 14 Olympians, of which four have won gold medals–and that number is sure to rise.
Of course the success on the wrestling mats wouldn’t be possible without the generosity of many. Be part of something special. Find out how you can help our athletes pursue their Olympic dreams.
University of Iowa Coach
(1910 - 1915)
University of Iowa Coach
(1915 - 1920)
University of Iowa Coach
(1921 - 1952)
University of Iowa Coach
(1952 - 1972)
University of Iowa Coach
(1972 - 1976)
University of Iowa Coach
(1976 - 1997)
University of Iowa Coach
(1997 - 2006)
University of Iowa Coach
(2006 - Present)
HWC Coach
(2003-2018)
HWC Coach
(2017-2020)
HWC Coach
(2020-Present)
Hall of Fame Member
- 2004 Glen Brand Wrestling Hall of Fame
- 2012 Lifetime Service to Wrestling – Iowa Chapter
- 2018 Bob Siddens Iowa High School Coaching Excellence Award
Hall of Fame Member
- 2005 Dave Schultz High School Excellence Award – Midwest, Michigan
- 2019 Glen Brand Wrestling Hall of Fame
Hall of Fame Member
- 2004 Glen Brand Wrestling Hall of Fame
- 2009 Meritorious Official
- 2017 Distinguished Member
Hall of Fame Member
- 2010 Glen Brand Wrestling Hall of Fame
- 2022 University of Iowa Athletics Hall of Fame
Hall of Fame Member
- 2008 Glen Brand Wrestling Hall of Fame
- 2016 Lifetime Service to Wrestling – Colorado Chapter
Hall of Fame Member
- 1996 Dave Schultz High School Excellence Award – Iowa
- 2002 Glen Brand Wrestling Hall of Fame
Hall of Fame Member
- 2004 Lifetime Service to Wrestling – Illinois Chapter
- 2009 Glen Brand Wrestling Hall of Fame
Hall of Fame Member
- 2003 George Tragos and Lou Thesz Professional Wrestling Inductee
- 2011 Glen Brand Wrestling Hall of Fame
Hall of Fame Member
John Oostendorp
- 2023 Glen Brand Wrestling Hall of Fame
Hall of Fame Member
- 2013 Lifetime Service to Wrestling – Virginia Chapter
- 2018 Glen Brand Wrestling Hall of Fame
Hall of Fame Member
Lee Fullhart
- 2024 Glen Brand Wrestling Hall of Fame
Hall of Fame Member
Lennie Zalesky
- 2023 Glen Brand Wrestling Hall of Fame
Hall of Fame Member
- 2002 Outstanding American
- 2006 Glen Brand Wrestling Hall of Fame
Hall of Fame Member
- 2010 Glen Brand Wrestling Hall of Fame
- 2019 Lifetime Service to Wrestling – Iowa Chapter
- 2023 Bob Siddens Iowa High School Coaching Excellence Award
Hall of Fame Member
- 1997 Dave Schultz High School Excellence Award – Montana
- 2015 Glen Brand Wrestling Hall of Fame
Hall of Fame Member
- 2017 Dave Schultz High School Excellence Award – Northeast, Pennsylvania
Hall of Fame Member
- 1985 Distinguished Member
- 2011 Lifetime Service to Wrestling – Illinois Chapter
Hall of Fame Member
- 2001 Dave Schultz High School Excellence Award – National, Northeast, New Jersey
- 2019 Glen Brand Wrestling Hall of Fame
Hall of Fame Member
- 1977 Distinguished Member
- 2002 Glen Brand Wrestling Hall of Fame
- 2015 Lifetime Service to Wrestling – Illinois Chapter
Hall of Fame Member
- 2009 Dave Schultz High School Excellence Award – Illinois
- 2024 Glen Brand Wrestling Hall of Fame
Hall of Fame Member
Trizzino Family
- 2022 Bowlsby Family Legacy Award
OLYMPIAN
- 1928 Amsterdam Games (A) (158.5lbs)
OLYMPIAN
- 1948 London Games (A) (174lbs)
OLYMPIAN
- 1960 Rome Games GOLD Medalist (125.5lbs)
OLYMPIAN
- 1968 Mexico City Games (171.5lbs)
OLYMPIAN
- 1980 Moscow Games (149.5lbs)
OLYMPIAN
- 1980 Moscow Games (180.5lbs)
- 1992 Barcelona Games BRONZE Medalist (198lbs)
OLYMPIAN
- 1980 Moscow Games (136.5lbs)
- 1984 Los Angeles Games GOLD Medalist (136.5lbs)
OLYMPIAN
- 1984 Los Angeles Games GOLD Medalist (198lbs)
OLYMPIAN
- 1984 Los Angeles Games GOLD Medalist (220lbs)
OLYMPIAN
- 1984 Los Angeles Games SILVER Medalist (125.5lbs)
- 1988 Seoul Games (125.5lbs)
OLYMPIAN
- 1996 Atlanta Games GOLD Medalist (136.5lbs)
OLYMPIAN
- 2000 Sydney Games BRONZE Medalist (127.75lbs)
OLYMPIAN
- 2000 Sydney Games BRONZE Medalist (152lbs)
OLYMPIAN
- 2004 Athens Game (163lbs)
OLYMPIAN
- 2008 Beijing Games (132lbs)
OLYMPIAN
- 2008 Beijing Games (145.5lbs)
OLYMPIAN
- 2008 Beijing Games (264.5lbs)
OLYMPIAN
- 2016 Rio Olympic Games (125.5lbs)
OLYMPIAN
- 2020 Tokyo Games BRONZE Medalist (125.5lbs)
World Team Member
- 1974 Istanbul, Turkey
- 1977 Lausanne, Switzerland
World Team Member
- 1977 Lausanne, Switzerland
- 1979 San Diego, United States
World Team Member
- 1977 Lausanne, Switzerland
- 1981 Skopljie, Yugoslavia (GOLD)
- 1990 Tokyo, Japan (SILVER)
- 1991 Varna, Bulgaria
World Team Member
- 1978 Mexico City, Mexico
- 1982 Edmonton, Canada
World Team Member
- 1983 Kiev, Soviet Union
World Team Member
- 1983 Kiev, Soviet Union
- 1986 Budapest, Hungary (BRONZE)
- 1987 Clermont-Ferrand, France (SILVER)
World Team Member
- 1989 Martigny, Switzerland
- 1991 Varna, Bulgaria (SILVER)
World Team Member
- 1990 Tokyo, Japan (SILVER)
World Team Member
- 1990 Tokyo, Japan
World Team Member
- 1993 Toronto, Canada (GOLD)
- 1994 Istanbul, Turkey
- 1995 Atlanta, United States
World Team Member
- 1993 Toronto, Canada (GOLD)
- 1994 Istanbul, Turkey
- 1995 Atlanta, United States (GOLD)
World Team Member
- 1995 Prague, Czech Republic
World Team Member
- 1997 Krasnoyarsk, Russia
- 1998 Tehran, Iran (BRONZE)
- 1999 Ankara, Turkey (SILVER)
World Team Member
- 1999 Ankara, Turkey
- 2001 Sofia, Bulgaria (BRONZE)
- 2002 Tehran, Iran
- 2003 New York, United States
- 2005 Budapest, Hungary (BRONZE)
- 2007 Baku, Azerbaijan
World Team Member
- 2001 Sofia, Bulgaria
- 2006 Guangzhou, China (GOLD)
World Team Member
- 2006 Guangzhou, China (SILVER)
- 2007 Baku, Azerbaijan
- 2010 Moscow, Russia
World Team Member
- 2007 Baku, Azerbaijan
World Team Member
- 2010 Moscow, Russia
- 2013 Budapest, Hungary
- 2014 Tashkent, Uzbekistan
- 2015 Las Vegas, Nevada
World Team Member
- 2014 Tashkent, Uzbekistan
- 2015 Las Vegas, Nevada
World Team Member
- 2017 Paris, France (SILVER)
- 2018 Budapest, Hungary
- 2021 Oslo, Norway (GOLD)
NCAA Tournament Outstanding Wrestler
- 1977 (150lbs)
NCAA Tournament Outstanding Wrestler
- 1979 (150lbs)
NCAA Tournament Outstanding Wrestler
- 1985 (126lbs)
NCAA Tournament Outstanding Wrestler
- 1986 (167lbs)
NCAA Tournament Outstanding Wrestler
- 1992 (134lbs)
NCAA Tournament Outstanding Wrestler
- 1993 (150lbs)
NCAA Tournament Outstanding Wrestler
- 1997 (150lbs)
NCAA Tournament Outstanding Wrestler
- 1998 (167lbs)
NCAA Tournament Outstanding Wrestler
- 2008 (149lbs)
NCAA Tournament Outstanding Wrestler
- 2020 (125lbs)
Dan Hodge Trophy Winner
- 1998 (134lbs)
Dan Hodge Trophy Winner
- 2008 (149lbs)
Dan Hodge Trophy Winner
- 2020 (125lbs)
- 2021 (125lbs)
Claim Your Place On the Podium
After half a century of unparalleled victory, we want to make sure each and every one of our champions gets recognized. If you or someone you know grabbed the gold or stood out from the crowd in the name of Hawkeye Wrestling, enter their information below, and we’ll add their name to our history of legends.
Pioneers
of the Sport
We were the first post college wrestling club of its kind in 1973. Dan Gable’s visionary leadership blazed a path for wrestling nationwide. Now, every viable/competitive program has a club – but none quite like ours!
Because of the Hawkeye Wrestling Club’s influence on the wrestling community in America, in 2008 the USA Wrestling Governing Body moved to further prioritize the use of post collegiate wrestling clubs by approving Regional Training Centers (RTC) for college programs. The RTCs provide qualified youth athletes and Olympic hopefuls access to elite level coaches, high level training partners, and world class facilities in a safe, local environment.
Programs nationwide witnessed first-hand the incredible development at the Hawkeye Wrestling Club and USA Wrestling instinctively wanted to extend those opportunities to every college team by rewriting the rule book. In-turn, this has elevated American wrestlers’ skills and has helped USA Wrestling bring home more international medals every year. It has also created a more competitive arms race for post-collegiate clubs…that’s why support now is so vital.
Historic
Arena
The first event ever held inside Carver-Hawkeye Arena was a wrestling meet between the Iowa Hawkeyes and the Oklahoma Sooners, a match Iowa won 35-7. Rumor has it, there was still dust on the floor when the doors opened for the first time in January 1983 and there was a dusty haze hanging over every match!
In 2006 Tom Brands became Iowa’s Head Coach. Since then his program has led the nation in home attendance 20 times in the last 21 seasons, including every year since 2007. Average attendance to watch the Hawks in the Tom Brands era is a sell-out crowd, right around 14,905!
Iowa is 273-26 all-time in Carver, and 127-11 under current head coach, Tom Brands.
“Tradition, history, the present, and the future, most importantly. That’s what goes through my mind,” Tom Brands said, “we have to keep a good thing going”.
No team has dominated collegiate wrestling like the University of Iowa. The Hawkeyes’ prominent wrestling history has led to the opportunity to host the world’s top senior level and international wrestling events, including the U.S. Olympic Trials and the United World Wrestling Cup, which have attracted thousands of wrestling fans from around the world to Iowa City. The new world-class training facility will celebrate Iowa Wrestling’s past, provide for the present, and build for the future.
The training facility is located near Carver-Hawkeye Arena’s south entrance. The upper level includes a lobby and exhibition space highlighting Iowa Wrestling’s tradition and history. It also houses coach’s offices, a student-athlete lounge and a viewing suit and recruiting room overlooking the wrestling practice room. The lower level will include the wrestling practice room, strength and training space, and locker rooms. An underground tunnel connects to the current court level at Carver-Hawkeye Arena.
HWC DONATIONS
Hawkeye wrestling club survives on donations from people like you. With your support we can make the Hawkeye Wrestling Club the best Wrestling Club in the world!
