Cedar Falls, IA
By Colin McDonough
Northern Iowa Sports Information
Former Northern Iowa wrestling standouts Gene Lybbert and Don Parker are among seven men who will be inducted into the Glen Brand Wrestling Hall of Fame of Iowa, class of 2007. The inductions will be held April 14 in Waterloo.
This will be the sixth class of individuals inducted in the hall of fame. The hall of fame honors those individuals who have achieved greatness in the sport of wrestling and competed in the state of Iowa during their careers.
Lybbert was a two-time All-American for State Teachers College (now Northern Iowa), placing third at 130 pounds in 1951 and winning the NCAA title at the same weight class in 1952.
After college, Lybbert embarked on a remarkable coaching career at Blue Earth high school in Minnesota. During his four-year tenure, his teams won three consecutive state titles and were runners-up once. Retired and living in Cedar Falls, Lybbert is actively involved with the Northern Iowa wrestling program.
Parker was a two-time Division II national champion at 177 pounds, winning titles in 1966 & ’67 at Northern Iowa. Parker earned All-American honors three times and posted a 65-16-3 career record. He was a Division I All-American in 1967, as well.
From 1973 through 1977 Parker was the head coach at Upper Iowa before taking over at the University Wisconsin-Eau Claire in ’77. Parker has coached 12 All-Americans and 18 conference champions during his 30 years at UW-Eau Claire.
Parker was a state champion for North Fayette high school in West Union in 1963 at 165 pounds. He was paralyzed in a hunting accident in 1998, and still continues to coach, serving as an incredible testimony to wrestling’s ability to provide support in overcoming adversity in life. The wrestling museum has recently moved from Newton to Waterloo and opened to the public on Jan. 12 of this year. In addition to the move, the facility was renamed the Dan Gable International Wrestling Institute & Museum.
The class of 2007 will be the first induction ceremony held at the new facility located at 303 Jefferson Street. Festivities will take place on April 13-14, 2007.
In addition to the hall of fame inductions on Saturday, April 14, Championship Productions will be hosting their fourth annual Coaches’ Clinic in conjunction with the wrestling museum during the weekend. The clinic is being held one block away from the museum at the Five Sullivan Brothers Convention Center.
For more information on the event you can call the museum at (319) 233-0745 or visit www.wrestlingmuseum.org
:: Class of 2007 ::
Al Baxter was a legendary coach at both Lisbon high school and Buena Vista College. During his nine years at Lisbon, his teams won five traditional state titles. In 1978 he embarked on a 26-year coaching career at Buena Vista, a Division III school. Baxter compiled an overall dual meet record of 376-119-5 and won eight conference team championships. He also coached 71 All-Americans and six national champions. As a wrestler, Baxter was a state champion at Morning Sun in 1965 and an All-American at Morningside College.
Tim Johnson is entering his 21st year as the “voice “of Iowa Public Television’s long-running sports series COLLEGE WRESTLING. During this time, Johnson has broadcast over 150 college wrestling meets for IPTV, the Fighting Illini Wrestling Network, ESPN, and Real Pro Wrestling. In 1984 he was director of wrestling for the Los Angeles Olympic Games. A native of Morning Sun, Johnson graduated from Coe College in 1976 and was a successful wrestling coach at Mount Vernon high school, which produced four-time state champion Greg Randall. Currently, Tim is head of the Midwest chapter of the Fellowship of Christian Athletes and organizes the champions breakfast each year at the NCAA Division I tournament, one of the highlights of the weekend.
Gene Lybbert was a two-time All-American for State Teachers College (now Northern Iowa), placing third at 130 pounds in 1951 and winning the NCAA title at the same weight class in 1952. After college, Lybbert embarked on a remarkable coaching career at Blue Earth high school in Minnesota. During his four-year tenure, his teams won three consecutive state titles and were runners-up once. Retired and living in Cedar Falls, Iowa, Lybbert is actively involved with the Northern Iowa wrestling program.
Don Parker was a two-time Division II national champion at 177 pounds, winning titles in 1966 & ’67 at Northern Iowa. Parker earned All-American honors three times and posted a 65-16-3 career record. He was a Division I All-American in 1967, as well. From 1973 through 1977 Parker was the head coach at Upper Iowa before taking over at the University Wisconsin-Eau Claire in ’77, where he is currently the head coach. Parker has coached 12 All-Americans and 18 conference champions during his 30 years at UW-Eau Claire. Parker was a state champion for North Fayette high school in West Union in 1963 at 165 pounds. He was paralyzed in a hunting accident in 1998, and still continues to coach, serving as an incredible testimony to wrestling’s ability to provide support in overcoming adversity in life.
At the 1956 NCAA tournament Simon Roberts broke new ground in the college wrestling world. As a junior, competing at the 147-pound weight class, Roberts became the first black wrestler to ever win an NCAA title. Entering the tournament seeded sixth, Roberts upset the second and fourth seeded wrestlers on his way to a hard-fought championship victory. A native of Davenport, Roberts was also the first black wrestler to win an individual state title in Iowa. He was a state champion in 1954 at 133 pounds. He is retired from a long career in education and lives in Los Angeles.
From 1975 through 1978, Frank Santana was one of the most imposing wrestlers to ever wear an Iowa State singlet. Competing at 190 pounds, Santana was a three-time finalist and an NCAA champion 1977. He was also a two-time Big Eight champion and finished his college career with an 86-8 record. Santana was an integral part of leading Iowa State to an NCAA team title in ’77 and runner-up finishes in ’76 and ’78. He is currently heavily involved with marketing and promoting wrestling around the state of Iowa and the nation, on several fronts. A businessman, he lives in Des Moines.
Sherwyn Thorson was a two-time All-American wrester, winning the NCAA title in 1962 at heavyweight after finishing runner-up in 1960. He opted not to wrestle the 1961 season as he spent considerable time in the weight room, working to improve his football skills. He was a three-year regular on the Hawkeye football team who went on to a ten-year career in the Canadian football league. He is a member of the Winnipeg Blue Bomber Hall of Fame.
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