GOLDEN, Colo. -- Colorado School of Mines dedicated the Jack Hancock Wrestling Center on July 20, honoring the long-time Mines coach with plans announced to renovate the complex's locker room area.
Nearly 150 alumni, friends, family, and current Mines wrestlers gathered in honor of Hancock, coinciding with the announcement of the final piece of the center - the locker room - that will complete the facility and make it the best in NCAA Division II.
"I'm overwhelmed by the number of people here for this special occasion," Hancock said at the dedication, with dozens of his former wrestlers in attendance. "You have no idea what your presence here today means to myself and my family."
Hancock, a member of the Mines, RMAC, Northern Colorado, and NCAA Wrestling Halls of Fame, served in numerous roles over 37 years including the head wrestling and tennis coach, assistant football coach, and head athletic trainer. He was the head wrestling coach during his entirety at Mines, coaching the team to second-place finishes at the 1961 and 1964 NAIA National Championships. He coached tennis from 1955-66 and 1979-92, and led the Orediggers to 1974 and 1978 RMAC titles. During his time, Hancock produced 33 All-Americans.
"Coach led me through many, many stages of life, first as a coach and teacher, and then as I got a little older as a mentor and confidant and close friend. But most importantly, I can still call him coach," said Mines Hall of Famer Marv Kay, who wrestled for Hancock before going to a distinguished career as an Oredigger coach and athletic director.
The first piece of the Hancock Wrestling Center was completed in 2010, when the former pool space within Volk Gymnasium was decked over to create a dedicated practice facility for the program. However, the team has used the same locker room since the opening of Volk in 1959. With the roster more than doubling in size since the 1950s, the team has far outgrown the space it needs, and a new addition with modernized lockers, bathrooms, and a study lounge will be built in space occupied by the current wrestling and former men's soccer locker rooms.
To learn more about the project that will shape the future of Mines Wrestling, visit giving.mines.edu/wrestlingrenovation.
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