Iowa Hall of Pride – Iowa High School Wrestling Tournament Kick-Off

Tuesday, January 29th, 2019 | Wrestling | No Comments

From 6 a.m. to 10 a.m.on Thursday, Feb. 14,  the Iowa Hall of Pride will be hosting Chris Cakes of Iowa to kick off the Iowa High School State Wrestling tournament. Wrestling historian/author Mike Chapman, Wartburg wrestling Coach Jim Miller, and IAwrestle will all be present to talk with fans and parents. 

The event is sponsored by Perficut, E.P. True Chiropractic, and IAwrestle.  Admission will be $5.00 per person, which will get fans all-you-can-eat pancakes, sausage, orange drink/coffee, and all-day admission into the Iowa Hall of Pride! 

The Iowa Hall of Pride is located on the Southeast corner of the Iowa Event Center on the lower level, right next to where wrestlers will be weighing in. Join us to “pin a pancake” and kickoff the 2019 Iowa State Wrestling Championships at the Iowa Hall of Pride! Event: “State Cakes” at the Iowa Hall of Pride

Date: Thursday, February 14, 2019

Time: 6:00 AM to 10:00 AM

Location: Iowa Hall of Pride
330 Park Street
Des Moines, IA 50309

Tags: Chris Cakes, Iowa Hall of Pride, Iowa High School State Wrestling Tournament

Midlands Hall of Fame Inductions

Tuesday, January 29th, 2019 | Awards, Wrestling | No Comments

On Dec. 30, Mike was inducted into the Midlands Wrestling Hall of Fame at the championships held at Hoffman Estates, Illinois. Standing with Mike and presenting the award are Dan Gable, Tim Cysewski (former Northwestern coach and the Midlands director the past 14 years) and Mike Allen (the nation’s top-ranked wrestling official). Gable and both Mikes are from Waterloo. After the meet, Mike also presented the Tournament of Champions Award to Northwestern’s Sebastian Rivera.

Curran “The Giant Slayer” Jacobs

Friday, August 17th, 2018 | Columns, Wrestling | No Comments

They are now calling him “the Giant Slayer”.

It is the result of a stunning performance on July 14, in Hamilton Township, New Jersey. The event was the Snake Pit USA World Catch Wrestling Championship and it featured a packed 8-man bracket, with some of the toughest combat-style wrestlers in America, all with long resumes.

Catch derives from the old catch-as-catch-can style that was popular in Europe and America in the late 1890s and early 1900s.

And the winner was a former Michigan State Spartan named Curran Jacobs, who earned the world championship belt by overcoming three very tough, much larger wrestlers who came with the expressed intent of defeating Jacobs.

What this young warrior accomplished was amazing. He entered weighing 193 pounds; by far the lightest wrestler in the competition.  Matches consisted of five minute rounds, with a one minute break in between. Chokes and submission holds are permissible in the Snake Pit version of catch wrestling. Curran is part of an organization called the Catch Wrestling Alliance, and the CWA does not allow chokes.

That conflict led to considerable tension between the two groups leading up to the event, with social media going wild. Supporters on each side wanted desperately to see their champion triumph.

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Battle of Waterloo Hall of Fame

Monday, November 27th, 2017 | Awards, Wrestling | No Comments

Mike is among the five men being inducted into the Battle of Waterloo Hall of Fame in early December. The Battle of Waterloo is a multi-class tournament that hosts 32 Iowa high school teams over two days in Young Arena. The tournament is collaboration between the Waterloo East and Waterloo West athletic departments.

A reception for the Class of 2017 will be held on Thursday, Dec. 14, from 5-7 p.m. at the Cedar Valley Sportsplex, located at 300 Jefferson Street in Waterloo, across the street from the Dan Gable Museum. The public is invited free of charge.

The formal induction will take place on Saturday, Dec. 16, around 3 p.m. at Young Arena, prior to the start of the championship rounds.

“Any time a hall of fame extends such an honor, it is deeply appreciated,” said Mike, who is now a member of 10 halls of fame. “I have spent 45 years trying to promote the sport in various ways, and since I am from Waterloo, this award has very special meaning.”

Click to see the full class of 2017…