Many years ago, a young Kevin Dresser rode with his dad, Skip, to various Humboldt wrestling events. Skip was one of the broadcasters for the local radio station, KHBT, and he let his oldest son get a front-row seat to the action.
Humboldt was pretty good back then. Between 1967-81, 11 Humboldt wrestlers combined to win 17 individual state titles, including one every year from 1967-73. The Wildcats won the Class 2A team title in 1968, then took second in 1969.
“So here I am, a little kid going to wrestling matches,” Dresser, Iowa State’s wrestling coach, says now. “By the time you’re in kindergarten or first grade, you get exposed to wrestling. My P.E. teacher was a wrestling coach and got me interested.
“My dad started following it. I went with him to Iowa Falls, Eagle Grove, Clarion. He actually called my state championship matches when I was in high school. I still have the cassette tapes from my dad’s call.”
Dresser won a pair of state titles, in 1980-81, and led Humboldt to a runner-up team finish in 1981. He went on to Iowa and became a two-time All-American and won an NCAA title in 1986 under Dan Gable. But the memories from Humboldt have endured.
On Sunday, Dresser and his Cyclones will head back to Humboldt High School for a dual against Purdue. The Boilermakers’ coach, Tony Ersland, is another Humboldt alum and former Hawkeye wrestler. He also won two state titles, in 1991-92.
“There’s a lot of good memories in that gym,” Dresser says. “Wrestling matches were always packed when I was a kid. I had to sit up in the balcony to watch the action. The balcony sold out for Sunday, so a lot of young kids will get that same feeling.”
This particular dual has been in the works since Dresser was first hired by Iowa State ahead of the 2017-18 season. It was tentatively scheduled for last season, but the restrictions brought on by the COVID-19 pandemic forced them to back it up a year. Action starts at 5 p.m. and will be streamed on FloWrestling.
This matchup will be a small homecoming for both Dresser and Ersland and a chance to showcase their teams. Iowa State enters 2-1 overall and is ranked 18th nationally by InterMat. Purdue isn’t ranked, but is 6-0 this season. Both teams boast a combined 13 ranked wrestlers at their respective weights.
But it will also be something of a celebration of the sport of wrestling — which has deep, deep roots in Humboldt.
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Humboldt native Frank Gotch 'is the greatest wrestler who ever lived'
Bicknell Park is less than a mile from Humboldt High School, just on the other side of the Des Moines River. More than 100 years ago, this 2-acre plot of land was where Frank Gotch trained for his world championship professional wrestling bout.
Gotch was born on a farm just south of Humboldt in 1877, and became a world heavyweight champion of professional wrestling in 1908. He defended that title in 1911, winning both matches over George Hackenschmidt, whose nickname was “The Russian Lion.”
“You hear Frank Gotch stories all the time,” Dresser says. “One of the best pizza places in town, Pasquale’s, there’s a huge picture of Frank Gotch from when he won the world championship in Chicago. He wasn’t just nationwide; he was worldwide.”
Back then, Gotch and Hackenschmidt practiced a style called catch wrestling, which uses many similar techniques as collegiate folkstyle and freestyle, one of the Olympic disciplines. Wrestlers won by either submission or by pin. Most matches were contested in a best-of-three format, and sometimes lasted an hour or more.
“Frank Gotch is my all-time, No. 1 hero,” says Mike Chapman, founder of Wrestling Insider Newsmagazine and author of numerous wrestling books, including “The Life And Legacy Of Frank Gotch: King of the Catch-as-Catch-Can Wrestlers.”
“I make the claim,” Chapman continues, “of all the people who ever wrestled, if you wrestled a catch match, Frank Gotch is the greatest wrestler who ever lived.”
Humboldt was pretty good back then. Between 1967-81, 11 Humboldt wrestlers combined to win 17 individual state titles, including one every year from 1967-73. The Wildcats won the Class 2A team title in 1968, then took second in 1969.
“So here I am, a little kid going to wrestling matches,” Dresser, Iowa State’s wrestling coach, says now. “By the time you’re in kindergarten or first grade, you get exposed to wrestling. My P.E. teacher was a wrestling coach and got me interested.
“My dad started following it. I went with him to Iowa Falls, Eagle Grove, Clarion. He actually called my state championship matches when I was in high school. I still have the cassette tapes from my dad’s call.”
Dresser won a pair of state titles, in 1980-81, and led Humboldt to a runner-up team finish in 1981. He went on to Iowa and became a two-time All-American and won an NCAA title in 1986 under Dan Gable. But the memories from Humboldt have endured.
On Sunday, Dresser and his Cyclones will head back to Humboldt High School for a dual against Purdue. The Boilermakers’ coach, Tony Ersland, is another Humboldt alum and former Hawkeye wrestler. He also won two state titles, in 1991-92.
“There’s a lot of good memories in that gym,” Dresser says. “Wrestling matches were always packed when I was a kid. I had to sit up in the balcony to watch the action. The balcony sold out for Sunday, so a lot of young kids will get that same feeling.”
This particular dual has been in the works since Dresser was first hired by Iowa State ahead of the 2017-18 season. It was tentatively scheduled for last season, but the restrictions brought on by the COVID-19 pandemic forced them to back it up a year. Action starts at 5 p.m. and will be streamed on FloWrestling.
This matchup will be a small homecoming for both Dresser and Ersland and a chance to showcase their teams. Iowa State enters 2-1 overall and is ranked 18th nationally by InterMat. Purdue isn’t ranked, but is 6-0 this season. Both teams boast a combined 13 ranked wrestlers at their respective weights.
But it will also be something of a celebration of the sport of wrestling — which has deep, deep roots in Humboldt.
======================================== ==
Humboldt native Frank Gotch 'is the greatest wrestler who ever lived'
Bicknell Park is less than a mile from Humboldt High School, just on the other side of the Des Moines River. More than 100 years ago, this 2-acre plot of land was where Frank Gotch trained for his world championship professional wrestling bout.
Gotch was born on a farm just south of Humboldt in 1877, and became a world heavyweight champion of professional wrestling in 1908. He defended that title in 1911, winning both matches over George Hackenschmidt, whose nickname was “The Russian Lion.”
“You hear Frank Gotch stories all the time,” Dresser says. “One of the best pizza places in town, Pasquale’s, there’s a huge picture of Frank Gotch from when he won the world championship in Chicago. He wasn’t just nationwide; he was worldwide.”
Back then, Gotch and Hackenschmidt practiced a style called catch wrestling, which uses many similar techniques as collegiate folkstyle and freestyle, one of the Olympic disciplines. Wrestlers won by either submission or by pin. Most matches were contested in a best-of-three format, and sometimes lasted an hour or more.
“Frank Gotch is my all-time, No. 1 hero,” says Mike Chapman, founder of Wrestling Insider Newsmagazine and author of numerous wrestling books, including “The Life And Legacy Of Frank Gotch: King of the Catch-as-Catch-Can Wrestlers.”
“I make the claim,” Chapman continues, “of all the people who ever wrestled, if you wrestled a catch match, Frank Gotch is the greatest wrestler who ever lived.”
