The Glen Brand Wrestling Hall of Fame was established in 2002 to honor the people who have made an impact on the sport on a national level, or who have done extraordinary work in the state of Iowa. The hall recognizes native-born Iowans, and those who achieved their fame while wrestling or coaching for an Iowa college.
Thompson is a native of Janesville, Iowa and is one of Nebraska wrestling’s most decorated performers, winning the 1995 national championship in the Heavyweight division. It was the first of three All-America honors for Thompson, who also won a trio of conference titles and set Husker school records for career victories (157) and career falls (72). He continued his wrestling career on the international level and won three U.S. Open freestyle titles and was a member of two World teams, earning a bronze medal at the 2005 World Championships. Prior to Nebraska, Thompson was a two-time state runner-up for Janesville (Iowa).
The hall is named after Glen Brand, an NCAA champion for Iowa State in 1948, who won an Olympic gold medal the same year, at 174 pounds in London. He graduated with a degree in civil engineering and by 1983 he owned two companies in Omaha – Brand Hydraulics and Brand Fluid Power. The companies had over 50 distributors around the world. He attended every hall of fame inductions, and passed away on Nov. 15, 2008, in Omaha, at the age of 85.
“This is a chance to honor six worthy inductees and a chance to honor Glen Brand,” said executive director Kyle Klingman. “Brand continues to influence wrestling through his remarkable contributions.”
Thompson will be providing a free youth clinic in the Dan Gable Teaching Center located inside the Museum. The clinic will take place at 11 a.m. on Saturday, April 17 prior to the induction ceremony. Coaches and parents are welcome to attend. The Kids Clinic is limited to the first 25 wrestlers who sign up. For more information or to sign up, contact Kent Sesker at (319) 233-0745 or kent@wrestlingmuseum.org.
Recommended Comments
There are no comments to display.
Create an account or sign in to comment
You need to be a member in order to leave a comment
Create an account
Sign up for a new account in our community. It's easy!
Register a new accountSign in
Already have an account? Sign in here.
Sign In Now