Bill Koll*
IowaBill Koll was born in 1923 in Fort Dodge, Iowa. As a high school senior, he captured the Iowa State Championship while competing for Fort Dodge High School.
How good was Bill Koll as a collegiate wrestler? Take a look at the record-he wrestled 3 1/2 years and won every match in devastating style. Along the way, he earned three consecutive National Collegiate championships.
In the midst of his first season, he left college to serve three years with the combat engineers in World War Il, earning the Bronze Star. He returned to become a ringleader of the great Northern Iowa teams developed by coach Dave McCuskey in the late 1940s.
In 1946, at the first post-war NCAA tournament, he won the award for the most falls in the least amount of time. A year later, in 1947, he was voted outstanding wrestler of the collegiate championships. When he was selected outstanding wrestler again in 1948, he became the first contestant ever to win the NCAA's most coveted individual trophy a second time. His collegiate won-loss record was 72-0.
Bill Koll won three consecutive National AAU titles and, in 1948, he won the U.S. Olympic trials at 147.5 pounds and placed fifth in the unfamiliar international style at the London Games.
After graduation, Koll turned his masterful skills to coaching, where he established another outstanding career. Starting at the University of Chicago, then moving to Cornell College, he returned to the University of Northern Iowa to succeed Coach McCuskey.
During his 11 years at UNI, his Panthers won 71 dual meets. He was instrumental in inaugurating the NCAA's College Division national tournament and served as host and tournament director of the first two events in 1963 and '64.
He then succeeded Charlie Speidel at Penn State University, where his teams always ranked high in the Eastern and national standings, with more than 100 dual meet victories. He coached five Nittany Lion teams to undefeated seasons in 1967, 1970, 1971, 1972 and 1974.
As one of the truly great wrestlers of the modern era, and a coach of national stature, Dr. William H. Koll was inducted in 1977 as a Distinguished Member of the National Wrestling Hall of Fame.
Koll, the father of Cornell University head coach Rob Koll, passed away in 2003 at the age of 80 while residing in Centre Hall, PA.
Doug Moses
New MexicoWRESTLING
COACHING
AWARDS
James "Chico" Hernandez
MaineHernandez competed and wrestled for Reavis High School, Chicago State University, the University of Maine at Presque Isle and the US Army National Team.
Hernandez is the First Illinois wrestler to be featured on Wheaties (Wheaties Energy Crunch).
Hernandez won his first Gold medal at the United States Wrestling Federation Illinois District #4
Jr. Freestyle Wrestling Championships in the 154 lbs weight class in April 1972. He won a
Bronze medal at 154 lbs in the 1972 Amateur Athletic Union Illinois State Jr. Freestyle
Wrestling Championships held at Loyola Academy. At the 1973 City of Chicago Park District City-Wide Open Wrestling Championships, Hernandez won the 155 lbs weight class finals.
In January 1975 he was awarded a wrestling scholarship to Chicago State University. He won his first NCAA victory at 158 lbs at a tournament held at Carthage College in Kenosha, Wisconsin. He took second place at the 1976 National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics District #20 at 158 lbs. He qualified for the NAIA National Wrestling Championships held at Edinboro University in Edinboro, Pennsylvania.
Hernandez transferred to the University of Maine at Presque Isle in August 1976. Hernandez won first place at the 1979 USA Wrestling Maine State Freestyle Wrestling Championships, third place at the Northern New England Championships and fifth place at the National Collegiate Athletic Association Northeast Regional. He was an 3 time All-District selection in NAIA #5, 1979 All-New England and NCAA Northeast Regional Teams. The State of Maine AAU Olympic Freestyle Wrestling All-Star Team selected him to compete against The
Netherlands Olympic Freestyle Wrestling Team. Hernandez graduated with a Bachelor Arts Degree in Social Science.
Hernandez was named head wrestling coach at University of Maine at Presque Isle for the 1980-
81 season. He coached 3 Northern New England Champions, 3 All-New England NAIA Wrestlers, 2 All-New England D-3 NCAA Wrestlers and 3 NAIA National Qualifiers. He was selected as NAIA District 5 Wrestling Coach of the Year. He was the State of Maine Report Editor for WRESTLING USA Magazine in 1980–1981.
He enlisted in the United States Army in October 1981. In November 1982, he won the Fort
Riley, Kansas Post Freestyle Wrestling Championship in the 158 lbs weight class. In
January 1983, Hernandez was selected to the All-Army National Wrestling team at Ft. Bliss,
Texas. Hernandez won a Bronze at the Texas Tech Wrestling Invitational and helped the Army
National Team win the team title. In November 1983, he won his second Ft. Riley Post Wrestling Championship in the 158 lbs weight class and was selected the "Outstanding Wrestler" of the 3 day tournament.
In April 1984, he participated in the 1984 US Olympic Greco-Roman Wrestling Trials. Hernandez attended a Sambo clinic during the Olympic Trials, where he was introduced to the sport of Sambo by Jim Schneweis, a US National Sambo Champion. Coach Schneweis cornered Hernandez during the Olympic Trials. In April 1985, he won the USA Wrestling Vermont
State Freestyle Championships in the 163lbs weight class and in April 1986, he won the USA Wrestling Massachusetts State Freestyle Wrestling Championships in the 180lbs weight class.[In July 1986, he was a Bay State Games Freestyle Wrestling finalist.
Hernandez was named Outstanding Wrestler as he won his first United States National Sambo Championship in May 1987 at the Amateur Athletic Union National Sambo Championships by defeating Earl Norman of Washington, D.C. 12-0 in the 163lbs weight class. He won the AAU National Greco-Roman Masters Championships in the 163 lbs weight class pinning
Yohnnie Shambourger of Washington, D.C. in 54 seconds in the finals. In the Greco-Roman
Masters All-Around 163 lbs weight class championship final, he defeated Omar Malik of
Maryland. Hernandez placed 4th in the Greco-Roman Open losing 12-2 to Pan-American Greco-Roman Champion Mark Black of Ohio.
In June 1989, Hernandez competed in the 180lbs and 163lbs weight classes and won 3 National
AAU Medals at the Amateur Athletic Union National Masters and Open Free-Style Wrestling
Championships held in Battle Creek, Michigan. He lost in the National Open Division Finals 109 to Charles Cody at 180 lbs. In the 163 lbs All-Round Masters Division Finals he was defeated by Randy Lex. He finished 4th in the Masters 163 lbs 35-40 year old age group.
In July 1991, Hernandez won two Gold Medals at the 1991 Amateur Athletic Union National Masters Free-Style Wrestling Championships in the 180 lbs weight class. He won the 35-39 agegroup by defeating Bruce Gabrielson by fall in 2 minutes, 30 seconds. In the Masters All-Round Championships he won Gold by defeating Gene Butler in the Masters All-Round Finals 4-1. He was selected and won the “Most Outstanding Wrestler Award” .Hernandez was named to WRESTLING USA “National Honor Roll of Champions” in 1983 and in 1992.
In 1995 he took fifth place as a member of the USA Wrestling National Veterans Team at the
Fédération Internationale des Luttes Associées World Veterans Freestyle Wrestling
Championships held in Sofia, Bulgaria.
Hernandez at age 43 won three Gold medals, two Silvers and two Bronzes at the Grand National AAU Wrestling Championships. He participated in Sambo, Greco-Roman and Freestyle wrestling contested at the 3 day event in 1997, held at Rabobank Arena in Bakersfield, California.
In 1999 he won the 1999 Fédération Internationale Amateur de Sambo Pan-American Gold and
Bronze medals in the 180lbs weight class. Hernandez competed as a member of the USMC
National Sambo Team which won the US National Sambo Team Championships held at Marine Corps Base, Quantico, Virginia in 1999.
In April 2000, Hernandez won the XXV National AAU Sambo Championships held at Disney's
Wide World of Sports Complex in Orlando, Florida. Hernandez defeated 22 year old Eric Wagner of Virginia in the Open Finals by armbar submission. He won the Fédération
Internationale Amateur de Sambo Pan-American Silver medal by defeating Canadian Amateur Wrestling Association Greco Roman Silver Medalist Josh Albright of Nova Scotia, Canada by a score of 7-2. In July 2000, the 46-year-old Hernandez won the middleweight (163 pounds), Gold medal in the 45-49 age group at the Federation International Association Sambo World
Championships held at the Hara Arena in Dayton, Ohio. He also earned the Silver medal in the Masters of the Sport category, which combines champions from all masters’ age groups. He won the Bronze medal in Combat Sambo and a Bronze medal in the open division finishing behind Venezuela and Switzerland. He was selected to represent the USA at the World Cup of Sombo in Nice, France. In November 2000, Hernandez led the United States to a second place finish at the FIAS West World Cup of Sambo Wrestling held in Nice, France, himself winning a Silver medal by defeating Martial Bouchaud of France and losing in the finals to defending World Champion Vanyo Todorov of Bulgaria.
In May 2003, he won 2 Gold medals at the 6th World AAU Iron Man Wrestling Championships in Open and Masters division held in Knoxville, Tennessee. He pinned Glen Tolleson of Florida in 1:23 in the Greco Roman Championship finals. Hernandez from 1987 to 2003 has achieved AAU All American status as a wrestler 31 times.
In 2004 he represented the USA at the FIAS British Sambo Championships held at the Swallows
Leisure Centre, Sittingbourne, Kent, England. He defeated British Middleweight MMA Fighter Grant Waterman of Portsmouth, England 14-4 to win the Silver medal.
In 2005, at age 51, Hernandez represented the USA at the FIAS British Sambo Championships held in Sittingbourne, England, winning the Silver medal in his weight class.
In June 2006 representing Team Irish, he won Gold and Silver medals at the North American Grappling Association New England Championships held at Bryant University. In November later that year; he won Silver and Gold medals at the North American Grappling Association Championships held at Sacred Heart University William H. Pitt Center in Fairfield, Connecticut.
In 2007 Hernandez represented the USA and the American Sambo Association at the FIAS/BSF British Sambo Championships held in Sittingbourne, Kent, England. He took the Silver medal by defeating Oktam of Uzbekistan, 1-0 in the semi-finals. He was defeated by FIAS World Sambo medalist and World Cornish Wrestling champion Darrin Richardson of Gosport, England, 2-0, in the Championship finals.
Hernandez has won 2 Gold, 3 Silver and a Bronze medal in Open and Masters Expert divisions at the Maine Skirmish competitions in 2003, 2005 and 2007 held at Winslow High School.
In April 2008 at the North American Grappling Association's World Championships at Essex
County College in Newark, New Jersey, Hernandez won a pair of world titles in the Executive
Expert Heavy Weight NO-GI division. He won a Bronze No-Gi Championship by defeating Phil
Kavowski of New York, New York by choke submission and the Silver Medal in the Gi competition losing to World NAGA Champion Neal Keegstra of New Jersey (Royce Gracie) by a score of 2-2 overtime split decision.
In April 2009 he won a Silver medal in the Executive Expert Heavy Weight No-Gi North
American Grappling Association's World Championships held at Essex County College in Newark, New Jersey. He lost to World NAGA Champion Neal Keegstra of New Jersey by a score of 4-2, and further won the Bronze medal in the Gi competition by forfeit.
In November 2009 Hernandez won a Bronze medal in the Executive Expert Heavy Weight division at the NAGA North American Grappling Championships held at Essex County College in Newark, New Jersey. He defeated NO-GI Executive Cruiserweight Grappling NAGA World Champion George Sommers of New Jersey by a score of 8 - 0. He won the Bronze medal in the Gi Executive Expert Heavy Weight division competition.
In July 2010 Hernandez won two Bronze medals at the FIAS Scottish Sambo Open and Judo Championships held at the DG1 Leisure Centre, Dumfries and Galloway, Scotland. He was defeated by Jack Tinning of Closeburn, Dumfries and Galloway, Scotland and former British Judo Olympian Team member John Imrie Edinburgh, Scotland in the Heavy Weight division.
On May 5, 2012, Hernandez won the Executive Expert Heavy Weight GI division at the NAGA Arizona State Grappling Championships held at Phoenix College, Phoenix, Arizona. He defeated Al Guinee of Arizona by a score of 2-1. He lost to Ken Smith of Idaho in the Executive Expert Heavy Weight No-Gi Championship finals. He further won another Silver medal in the Gi competition as he was defeated by Mike Myers of Arizona in the Championship finals.
Paul Basinger
Ohio
Tom McCann
NebraskaHIGH SCHOOL
Aviation High School, Redondo Beach, Calif. 4 years varsity letterman – Conference Champion, Regional Champion, C.I.F. State Runner-up Sr. year, Wrestling “Athlete of the Year” – also played football.
COLLEGE
El Camino College California/Adams State College, Colorado
Metropolitan Conference Champion 2x, Regional Champion 2x, Calif. State Champion 2x,
U.C.L.A. Invitational Champion & Runner-up, Cal Poly Invitational Champion 2x, Rocky
Mountain Conference Champion, N.C.A.A. and N.A.I.A. Competitor, M.I.W.A.- 3rd, California
AAU Champion, Olympic Regional- 2nd
Olympic Final Trials competitor- 1964
POST- COLLEGE
National A.A.U. Invitational Runner-up-1974, Great Plains Champion 1974, Nebraska U.S.W.F. Champion, Nebraska vs. Japanese All-Stars 1975, 9x National A.A.U. Freestyle/Greco - Masters Champion
TEAM CHAMPIONSHIPS
College – Member of 4 Conference Championship teams, 2 California State Community College Regional and State Championship teams, 2 Mountain Intercollegiate Championship teams and 1 N.A.I.A. National Runner-up team.
