The induction banquet for the David Bartelma Wrestling Hall of Fame was held on Wednesday, March 1, 1995, at the Holiday Inn East, I-94 & McKnight Road, St. Paul, MN.
Jim Beshey and Jeri Beshey – Contributors
Jeri and Jim were both born and raised in Britt, Iowa. Both attended and graduated from Britt High School. While in high school, Jim participated in football and wrestling, and Jeri was actively involved in many sports activities. Following high school, she went on to receive her degree from Upper Iowa University, while Jim attended Mason City Junior College and later completed his post-secondary education at Mankato State University. Jeri earned a degree in Elementary Education, and Jim received his in Health and Physical Education. Upon graduation, Jim accepted his first teaching and coaching position at Brownton High School. From 1968 to 1974, his teams compiled a record of 56-28-1 and won a District 12 Title. Jim then moved on to Glencoe, where his teams established a record of 104-73-6. In 1977, Jim’s Glencoe team won the Region 4A title and placed 6th in the State Team Tournament. In 1986, Jim retired from coaching wrestling with an overall record of 160-101-7. He coached 11 individual state qualifiers, one state champion and one third-place winner. During Jim’s coaching span, he served as a Region 4A Representative and MWCA President. In 1985, he served as the “Team Leader” for the Minnesota team in the Minnesota-Iowa Classic. Jeri began her teaching in Nashua, Iowa, for one year, and then married Jim. They moved to Lake Crystal and taught while Jim completed college at Mankato State. She and Jim then moved to Brownton, where Jeri took a break from teaching to raise their three children. She returned to teaching and is currently a Chapter 1 teacher in Glencoe. The Besheys accepted a new challenge in 1987 when they decided to purchase “The Guillotine” from one of Jim’s former wrestlers, Jim Bartels and his wife, Konnie. As editors for “The Guillotine,” both Jeri and Jim have played an important part in the success of Minnesota Wrestling. In 1993, their hard work and dedication to wrestling paid off when “The Guillotine” was awarded the National Wrestling Media Association State Wrestling Publication of the Year. Jeri and Jim reside in Glencoe and have three children, Mark, Jeff, and Dawn. Sons Mark and Jeff started wrestling at an early age and were members of the Glencoe High School wrestling team. Jeff was a two-time state entrant, while Mark has worked as a wrestling official. Daughter Dawn has been active as a wrestling cheerleader and is currently a statistician for the Glencoe-Silver Lake team. All three have continued their involvement in wrestling by contributing to the success of “The Guillotine”.
David Erickson – Coach
Dave is a graduate of Westbrook High School. He attended Waldorf Junior College and completed his college education at Mankato State University in 1960. Dave accepted his first teaching and coaching position at Hayfield High School. In his thirty-three years at Hayfield, Dave has established a record of 268-118—4. He has coached nine individual state champions, 14 state place winners and 41 state tournament qualifiers. In 1993, Hayfield qualified for the State Team Tournament, where they finished second. Dave was recognized for his dedication to wrestling by being selected Section 2A’s Coach of the Year in 1993. That same year, he was selected to coach the “A” team for the Minnesota-Wisconsin Classic. During a banquet last spring, one Hayfield wrestler said it best, “Mr. Erickson was more than a coach. He was like a father out there.” Dave Erickson has been like a father to many past and present Hayfield wrestlers. Dave and his wife, Marilyn, have four children, Kent, Kurt, Kyle and Karin. Dave and Marilyn reside in Hayfield.
Evan Johnson – Athlete
Evan began his wrestling career at Orono High School, where he wrestled for David Sohn. While wrestling at Orono, he served as team captain, earned all-conference honors, was a two-time District 18 Champion, and was a Region 5A champion, placing 5th in the 1972 State Individual Tournament. Evan went on to wrestle for Wally Johnson at the University of Minnesota. While at the U of M, he won the 1976 NCAA Championship at 190 pounds and placed second in that same weight class in 1977. In 1976, Evan was a member of the U.S. Greco-Roman Olympic team. Because of his outstanding career, Evan was inducted into the Minnesota Olympic Hall of Fame. Upon graduating from the University of Minnesota with a degree in Mechanical Engineering, Evan has excelled in the business world. He owns and manages Thermetic Products, Inc. and is a retired commercial pilot for Express Airlines, a division of Northwest Airlines. Evan and his wife, Shea, have two children, Bryant and Peter. Evan and Shea reside in Eden Prairie.
Lewis Kennedy – Athlete
Lewis “Lew” Kennedy wrestled for Albert Lea High School under the direction of Paul Ehrhard. While wrestling for Coach Ehrhard, he had an outstanding career. He compiled a record of 60-2-5, won three District Championships and was a three-time Region 1 Champion. In 1959, he placed second in the state individual championships (133#) and won the 1960 Individual State Championship in the 133-pound class. Lew then continued his wrestling career at the University of Minnesota. At Minnesota, he had an outstanding career record of 80-2-10. He served as team captain, was twice a Big Ten Champion, and twice placed fourth in the NCAA Championships (1962 – 130 pounds and 1963 – 130 pounds). Lew graduated from the U of M with a degree in Education. Lewis has been involved in many business interests. Upon his return to Minnesota, he started his own business called Title Wave. He was named United States Music Retailer of the Year in 1990, Video Retailer of the Year in 1992 and Minnesota Emerging Business Entrepreneur of the Year in 1991. With his many successes in business, Lew hasn’t forgotten Wrestling. He founded the Vern Gagne Minnesota Wrestling Golf and Tennis Classic, which has raised over $50,000 for Minnesota Wrestling over the past seven years. Lew also initiated the drive to host the NCAA Wrestling Championships in Minneapolis, resulting in the city being selected as the site for 1996. The University of Minnesota will host the event at the Target Center. Lew has devoted a significant amount of his time, resources, and energy to this and other worthwhile projects. Lew and his wife, Jean, reside in Long Lake, Minnesota. Lew and Jean have two children, Leslie and Greg.
Mike Niemczyk – Coach
Mike began his wrestling career at Forest Lake High School. While at Forest Lake, he established a career mark of 43-12-0. Mike was a State Tournament qualifier at 127# in 1966. Mike continued his wrestling career at Bemidji State University. At Bemidji State, Mike placed second in the 1970 NAIA National Championships. He served as team captain and established a career record of 65-12-0. Mike graduated with a degree in Education in 1971. Mike accepted his first teaching and coaching position at Janesville-Waldorf-Pemberton High School in 1971. Over the past twenty-four years, his teams have compiled a record of 222-107-6. His teams have won seven District 6A Championships, nine Gopher Conference Titles, and twice have won Region 2A Team Championships. Mike’s teams have placed 8th in the 1982 State Team Championships and 4th in the 1986 State Team Championships. Mike has had 44 state tournament qualifiers, 18 state tournament place winners, and two individual state champions. For his outstanding accomplishments, he has been twice named “Region 2A Coach of the Year”. Mike has been very involved in wrestling at the state level as well. He has served as the MWCA President, directed many wrestling camps and clinics, and led a Cultural Exchange Team to Turkey in 1976. Mike and his wife, Rene, have two children, Mike and Jill. Mike and Rene reside in Janesville.