This was the first Glen Brand Hall of Fame class since the National Wrestling Hall of Fame & Museum in Stillwater, Oklahoma, and the National Wrestling Hall of Fame Dan Gable Museum in Waterloo, Iowa, formed its historic partnership.
On hand for the event were Lee Roy Smith, executive director of the Hall of Fame, and Dan Gable, 1972 Olympic champion and namesake of the Dan Gable Museum.
"Our staff in Waterloo did a great job of planning and implementing a new format for the ceremonies this year," said Smith. "The formality of this event elevated its prestige. It was a great turn out and I learned a great deal about the heritage of wrestling in the state of Iowa.
"This event is what we are all about: showcasing, telling, and preserving the story of our sport through the lives of those individuals, teams, and contributors who make our sport great."
Individual inductees included Joe Scarpello (University of Iowa), Jason Smith (Iowa State University), Bill Zadick (University of Iowa), and Doug Schwab (University of Iowa).
Scarpello was an NCAA champion in 1947 and 1950. He also has the distinction of being the only wrestler inducted into the Glen Brand Wrestling Hall of Fame of Iowa (2011) and the George Tragos/Lou Thesz Professional Wrestling Hall of Fame (2003). Both halls of fame are located in the National Wrestling Hall of Fame Dan Gable Museum. Scarpello died on Nov. 9, 1999.
"I walked by Joe Scarpello's picture a 1000 times at the University of Iowa wrestling room," said Bill Zadick during his induction speech. "It is an honor to be inducted in the same hall of fame class as someone who inspired me to become an NCAA champion."
Zadick and Schwab were NCAA champions with distinguished international careers. Zadick was an NCAA champion in 1996 and a World champion in 2006. Schwab was a 1999 NCAA champion and an Olympian in 2008. Smith was an NCAA champion for Iowa State in 1969 and 1970.
The highlight of the evening was inducting the first team into the Glen Brand Wrestling Hall of Fame of Iowa. The 1947 NCAA championship team from Cornell College (located in Mount Vernon) was recognized for its historic achievement of becoming the first team outside the state of Oklahoma, and the first in the state of Iowa, to win an NCAA team title.
Members of the team, and family members of the team, were on hand to accept the award. There was also a special reception at Cornell College in Mount Vernon prior to the banquet at Five Sullivan Brothers Convention Center in Waterloo.
Arno Niemand, author of "The Dream Team of 1947," presented the award to the team, while team member Al Partin provided the induction speech. R.K. Scott, son of Hall of Fame coach Paul Scott, accepted the award on behalf of his later father. Paul Scott was the head wrestling coach at Cornell from 1941 through 1950.
"It was a wonderful thing for this team to be honored, especially in Waterloo," said Niemand. "As many as four out of the eight starters on the team came from West Waterloo High School. I like that this hall of fame will honor the tradition of great teams in the state of Iowa."
In addition to the individual and team inductions, Steve Knipp, former head wrestling coach at East Waterloo, was presented with the Russ Smith Community Impact Award at the induction ceremony. The award is given to a person demonstrating exceptional local impact on wrestling.
Closing remarks at the banquet were provided by Dan Gable.
"Since I have been going to the hall of fame inductions this was one of the most successful," said Gable. "There were a couple new angles, and inducting the team in addition to what we've been doing before added to the event."
Next year's class will be selected in the coming months. The 13-member selection committee includes 10 past Glen Brand Hall of Fame inductees and three members of the media. Nominations for the hall of fame will be accepted until July 31, 2011. Contact the National Wrestling Hall of Fame Dan Gable Museum at (319) 233-0745 for more information.
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