The hall is located in the Dan Gable International Wrestling Institute and Museum here, and is named for Alan and Gloria Rice, a husband-and wife team that has been one of the most influential forces in American wrestling history. Greco-Roman wrestling is a style that allows only holds above the waist, and Alan Rice has been one of its staunchest advocates for half a century.
The four Greco-Roman champions to be inducted are:
• Steve Fraser, 1984 Olympic champion and a coach of the 2007 World championship team in Greco-Roman;
• Mike Houck, 1985 World champion, the first in U.S. history;
• Dennis Hall, 1995 World champion and a silver medalist in the 1996 Olympics;
• Joe Warren, 2006 World champion and two-time national champion.
In addition, Dennis Hastert, former Speaker of the House of the United States Congress, will receive the Sport of Lincoln Award for his longtime contribution to the sport. A 10-term Congressman from Illinois, Hastert was a successful college wrestler and high school coach, and has been a major supporter of the sport for decades. He has been an advocate for modifying Title 9 rules to allow for protection of all male sports while supporting growth for women's athletics, and played a key role in keeping several colleges from dropping the sport.
Hastert was Speaker from 1999 to 2007 and is the longest serving Republican House Speaker in U.S. history. He resigned his Congressional position on Nov. 26, 2007, and today is in demand as a public speaker and as an adviser on a number of prominent issues. His biography, "Speaker," will be available for purchase.
The event will include a free Greco-Roman clinic by Dennis Hall and Joe Warren at 6 p.m. Friday (July 18) at the Dan Gable Teaching Center in the museum; an Olympic Spirit Festival at the museum, starting at noon Saturday (July 19); the official inductions at 2:30 p.m. in the new hall of champions, and the induction banquet at the Five Sullivans Brothers Convention Center, at 7 p.m. (social starting at 6 p.m.).
"This is a wonderful opportunity to honor some of America's greatest athletes and to meet a man who was third in line to the Presidency," said Mike Chapman, the museum's executive director. "This is a huge event for the sport of wrestling and we invite all sports fans and Olympic fans to come share this day with us."
Admission to the museum is $5 per person. The banquet is $25 per person and is limited in seating. Banquet reservations must be made by July 14, by calling the museum at 319-233-0745.
The Olympics Spirit Festival is designed as a lead-in to the 2008 Olympics in Beijing, China. The Olympics are scheduled for August 8-24.
"We want to help people get into the Olympic spirit and be a part of the festivities," said Kent Sesker, marketing director at the museum. "We have scheduled an exciting festival, which features a discussion panel with past Olympians, some giveaways and some Olympic raffle items."
The Olympic panel will be moderated by Kyle Klingman, associate director. The audience will be invited to participate in a question-and-answer session.
Members of the panel invited to participate will include Glen Brand, 1948 Olympic champion from Iowa State; Bill Smith, 1952 Olympic champion who wrestled for Iowa State Teachers College; Dan Gable, 1972 Olympic champion from Waterloo; Chuck Yagla, Waterloo native who made the 1980 Olympic team but was denied an opportunity to compete by the boycott of President Jimmy Carter; Ed Banach, Olympic champion in 1984; Randy Lewis, Olympic champion in 1984; Steve Fraser, 1984 Olympic champion in Greco-Roman; Tom Brands, 1996 Olympic champion, and Cael Sanderson, 2004 Olympic champion.
"This is a great event for all of wrestling and the entire State of Iowa," said Gable, who also coached the 1980 and 1984 Olympic freestyle teams. "We are pleased to have Alan and Gloria Rice be such a special part of the museum. They have made a huge contribution to the sport over the decades and this is a perfect way to let Alan know we appreciate all his work for the sport."
A two-time Big Ten champion and an All-American at the University of Minnesota, Rice was a national champion in both freestyle and Greco-Roman wrestling in 1956. He also made the 1954 World freestyle team, placing fifth, and was a member of the 1956 Greco-Roman Olympic team.
He coached the 1972 Olympic team in Greco-Roman and has coached two World teams. He and his wife, Gloria, helped found the Minnesota Wrestling Club. The club enjoys the unique distinction of placing a wrestler on every World and Olympic team since 1964, a record unequalled in American wrestling history.
Gloria Rice was also a key player in wrestling circles. She was the first woman to learn the complicated international pairings system and then taught it to other American officials. Her attention to detail at the 1969 World Championships played a role in the winning of the first gold medal at that level by an American when she caught a pairing error that could have eliminated the American entrant.
Gloria and Alan Rice traveled the world to attend wrestling events at the highest level. She passed away on Sept. 1, 2001. In an editorial in a Minnesota newspaper, Gloria was lauded for her great work in the church, her community and in wrestling.
"This is a tremendous honor for Greco-Roman wrestling, and for Gloria and me," said Rice. "Greco-Roman is a very tough, physical style that demands total commitment and dedication. I am thrilled that the Dan Gable International Wrestling Institute and Museum has chosen to honor these special athletes in such a fashion."
There are two other halls of recognition in the Gable Museum: the Glen Brand Wrestling Hall of Fame of Iowa and the George Tragos/Lou Thesz Professional Wrestling Hall of Fame. In addition, the AAU National Wrestling Hall of Fame has its own wall in the museum.
The Alan and Gloria Rice Greco-Roman Hall of Champions will be positioned between the Glen Brand Wrestling Hall of Fame of Iowa and the Dan Gable Teaching Center. It will house various artifacts from Greco-Roman wrestling history.
There are a total of nine spots in the museum named after various people:
• Dean Rockwell Library and Research Center
• Glen Brand Wrestling Hall of Fame of Iowa
• Dan Gable Teaching Center
• Alan and Gloria Rice Greco-Roman Hall of Champions
• Arno Niemand Video Room
• Warren and Jayne DePrenger MATMAN Gift Shop
• Bob Siddens-Keith Young-Dave Natvig Lounge
• Abe Lincoln Lobby
• George Tragos/Lou Thesz Professional Wrestling Hall of Fame
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