The 2018 Minnesota Wrestling Coaches Association David Bartelma Wrestling Hall of Fame Induction Dinner will take place April 28th in Benson, Minn. Inductees will be Larry Goodnature, Mark Jensen, Ed Kane, Paul Kuznik, Pat McNamara, Chris Nelson, Jim Williams, and Roger Wilson.
Inductees:
Larry Goodnature, Coach
Mark Jensen, Coach
Ed Kane, Contributor
Paul Kuznik, Athlete
Pat McNamara, Athlete
Chris Nelson, Athlete
Jim Williams, Contributor
Roger Wilson, Contributor
Also to be honored/inducted as a Pioneer of Minnesota Wrestling:
Merv Jensen of Brainerd, Glen Gertes of Faribault, and Fed Stoecker of Owatonna
Saturday, April 28th, 2018
McKinney’s on Southside (banquet)
Country Inn (attached hotel) map
300 14th St. South
Benson, MN 56215
Phone: 320-843-4395 (rooms)
Fax: 320-843-4655
Toll-Free Hotel Reservations: 1-866-843-4395 (for rooms-block held until April 14th)
or try Benson Inn, 320-842-6990 (located at 600 22nd St. South in Benson)
Time:
4:00 PM Social *
5:00 PM Dinner
5:30 PM Induction Ceremony
* Cash Bar
Price of Dinner: $33.00
Make checks Payable to: MWCA
Send Order Form to:
Steve Ricard
405 15th St. North
Benson, MN 56215
320-843-4508 (h)
320-843-2710 (w)
320-444-0569 (cell)
sricard@benson.k12.mn.us
Ticket Order Form (pdf)
Larry Goodnature, Coach
Larry Goodnature wrestled for the Albert Lea Tigers from 1967-1971. As a senior in high school, Goodnature was the MN state champion at 145 lbs. in a one class system. The Tigers team were crowned state champs that season and still holds the record for the most points scored by a team at the state tournament. Larry went on to wrestle at Mankato State University from 1971-1976 and earned three NCAA All-American honors. In 1973 he finished fourth at 158 lbs., in 1974 he finished sixth at 158 lbs. and in 1976 he finished fifth at 158 lbs. Goodnature has been a wrestling coach for 42 years. After graduating from MSU in 1976 with a Bachelor’s Degree in Industrial Tech and Physical Education. He took a head coaching position at Hutchinson and coached there from 1976-1979 before moving back to Albert Lea. He was with the Albert Lea program for 39 years, 25 of those years as a head coach. Larry’s teams won three Suburban West Conference titles and 10 Big 9 Conference titles. His teams have reached the State tournament 7 times, the finals four times. He has coached 142 state entrants, 71 state place winners, and 8 individual state champions. Goodnature has been the Big 9 coach of the year 10 times, Section Coach of the Year 14 times, and Minnesota Coach of the Year in 2006, 2009, and 2015. He has an overall coaching record of 546-166 that ranks him 8th all-time among Minnesota High School wrestling coaches. Larry’s wife’s name is Mary, and they have three kids, Brian, Jake, and Nate.
Mark Jensen, Coach
Mark attended Brainerd High School, graduating in 1975. His high school record was 85-15, and he was a Region Champion and a two-time state participant, placing fourth at 132 lbs. in 1974. He attended Concordia College in Moorhead, and earned a 102-29 record, placing 2nd and 5th at the NCAA Div III National Tournament in 1978 and 1979 respectively. He was voted as a wild card to wrestle in the Division I Tournament at College Park Maryland. Mark earned a degree in both Physical Education and Biology, graduating in 1979. He then began teaching and coaching at Howard Lake Waverly in 1980-81. Mark married his wife Karla and relocated to the Brainerd area and was an assistant coach under Bruce Thompson in the early 80’s. Mark coached and taught Physical Education at Pierz High School from 1987-2017 His teams at Pierz had a record of 377-112-2. He was Section Coach of the year seven times and selected as MN State Coach of the Year in 2005. He coached 114 state entrants, 7 state champs, and coached 11 teams to the State tournament. Pierz was crowned team champs in both 2004 and 2005. Second in 2017, third in 2016 They earned consolation champs in 2003, 2006, and 2014. They placed sixth in 1996 and 2002. Mark is a member of the Brainerd High School Hall of Fame and their Wrestling Hall of Fame, the Concordia College Athletic Hall of Fame for both football and wrestling. Mark’s wife’s name is Karla, and they have four kids: Kristine, Kaley, Kaitlyn, and Kaari.
Ed Kane, Contributor
Ed Kane attended Faribault High School, graduating from there in 1962. After four years in the U.S. Navy, Ed attended Mankato State University, where he earned a degree in Art Education. Ed taught art in the Faribault schools for over 30 years, starting in 1970. Ed Kane made his mark on wrestling by coaching the Faribault youth program for over 30 years. He was a MN Wrestling/Federation/MN/USA official for over 40 years. Ed served as the Head Coach of Faribault Bethlehem Academy for 5 years. He was an assistant coach and junior high coach in Faribault for 7 years. He has served as the head official for several NYWA state wrestling tournaments and was one of the first freestyle officials in Minnesota. He was selected to officiate the Final Greco Olympic Team Trials. Ed has assisted with MN Freestyle and Greco-Roman teams for many years, helping to organize, chaperone, and coach many MN athletes in state, Regional, and National tournaments. Ed was the head coach of the first-ever Minnesota cultural Exchange team that went to Norway. He also took teams to Sweden and later hosted the Swedish team at Augsburg. This was all during the early years of the MN Storm Junior Greco Team. Ed, along with Doug Paulson, began taking teams to the National Duels. In 27 years they won 22 national titles. It was common to take two or even three teams there. His greatest achievement was his teams were crowned co-champions and the consolation champions in the same tournament! For years Ed Kane was the Greco Coach while Jim Short served as the Freestyle Coach. Ed was recently awarded the “Dan Drinkwine Man of the Year” for his contributions to USA Wrestling. Ed’s wife is named Sandy, and they have four kids: Jason, Justin, Shannon, and Jessica.
Paul Kuznik, Athlete
Paul Bryan Kuznik graduated from Crookston Central High School in 1986. He was an exceptional wrestler who achieved a 141-10 career record at a time when fewer matches could be wrestled. As an 8th grader, he took 3rd place in Region 8AA losing in a true second match. He was 24-4 that year. His record his freshmen year was 27-3, and he won the Region 8AA Championship and placed 4th at State. In his sophomore year, his record was 29-2, won the Region 8A Championship and placed 3rd at State. Paul became Crookston’s first Wrestling State Champion in 1985 with a record of 30-1. His only loss was in the Region 8A Championship match to Wayne Werner of Perham. Paul won his second State Championship in 1986 while compiling a perfect 31-0 record.
In the spring of Paul’s Senior Year, he wrestled for Team Minnesota against Wisconsin. He was selected Outstanding Wrestler for Team Minnesota. He was a 1986 High School All American in Wrestling as well as Academic All-State. Paul also was a Bronze Medalist in the United States Freestyle JR National Wrestling Tournament in 1986 tech falling Tom Brands twice in his route to earning All-American Status. Some of his other high school honors were as follows: Captain of the Cross Country Team and Minnesota State High School Cross Country Qualifier. First Chair in the High School Orchestra and selected to the All-State Orchestra. The 1985 Minnesota State 4-H President and State Ambassador. Paul was also named to the Guillotine’s Academic All-State Team. After high school, Paul was offered scholarships from the University of Minnesota, University of Nebraska, University of North Dakota, and the United States Military Academy at West Point. Paul attended West Point, The United States Military Academy where he majored in Leadership Management and Engineering. Former West Point Assistant Coach and Head Coach at Cornell and the University of Oklahoma Jack Spates said, “his open heel picks and head snaps were awesome and his battles with Iowa great Dan Knight were legendary”. Paul wrestled at West Point where he was Captain of the team his senior year. He was a three-time NCAA Division I EIWA place winner, placing 2nd, 3rd, and 5th. He also was a two time NCAA Division 1 national qualifier. Paul suffered a career-ending injury his senior year. He was ranked 5th at the time. While at West Point, Paul won the West Point Arvin Memorial Award for Outstanding Leadership, West Point Pierce Memorial Award for Outstanding Athletics and in 1988 set the All-Time West Point Physical Fitness Record established in 1802. He was a 1990 Graduate of West Point. Paul served in the U.S. Army as a 1st Lieutenant in the Field Artillery stationed at West Point and as the Graduate Assistant Wrestling Coach and later at Fort Sill, OK as both a Firing Platoon Leader and an Executive Officer He currently resides in Fort Lauderdale Florida with Brenda, his wife of 25 years. Paul has had a 25-year career in the medical device industry and is currently serving as the Chief Executive Officer, Bolton Medical in Fort Lauderdale, FL.
Pat McNamara, Athlete
Pat McNamara attended Jordan High School, graduating from there in 1996. He compiled a high school record of 165-18 as a Scott West Panther and was a four-time state entrant and three-time state AA champion-1994 112lbs. 1995 119 lbs. and 1996-130 lbs. Pat attended Michigan State University where he earned Division 1 All-American honors three years: 5th in 1998 at 126 lbs, 6th in 2000 at 133 lbs., and 6th in 2001 at 133 lbs. Pat was a Big Ten Champion at 133 lbs. in 1999. His career record as a Michigan State Spartan was 108-28. Pat graduated from Michigan State with a degree in Kinesiology. After his competitive career in wrestling had been completed, Pat would continue to follow his passion for the sport of wrestling as he would pursue a coaching career that would lead him across the country starting at Central Michigan University as a graduate assistant, (Pat earned a Masters in Athletic Administration) then to the University of Virginia as an assistant, that was followed by an assistant coaching position at the University of Missouri. After a short stint as the head coach at Southern Illinois University Pat became the Director and Head Wrestling Coach of the Edwardsville Wrestling Club in Illinois where he has been since 2008-09. Pat has also been one of the coaches for Team Illinois where he has helped play a role in their Cadet/Junior national Freestyle success at Fargo over the last several years. Pat’s wife is Andrea, and they have two kids: Michael and Luca. The McNamara family resides in Edwardsville, Illinois.
Chris Nelson, Athlete
Chris Nelson attended Leroy-Ostrander High School, graduating in 1987. He wrestled for Jerry Reker under the name GMLO (Grand Meadow/Leroy-Ostrander). Chris had a high school record of 85-6, having wrestled varsity as an eighth-grader. He was state champ at 185 lbs. Class A in 1986 and at Hwt in 1987. Chris also loved playing high school football. Chris was a 4-year letter winner under coach Stan Olson at Leroy-Ostrander and was selected as an All-State Linebacker. Chris played in the All-State Football game the Summer of 1987 before going on to attend the University of Nebraska. Chris was in a serious car accident in the Fall of 1988 and the doctors told him he may not be able to wrestle again. Chris defied his doctors and came back 100 percent where he earned All-American status twice (5th in 1990 and 6th in 1992 at 190 lbs.). He also was a Big 8 champion in 1992 and was voted the Outstanding Wrestler of the Big 8 Conference Tournament. Academically, Chris was voted as a Big 8 Classroom Champion and was part of the Big 8 All-Academic Team. Chris was a team captain for 3 years at the University of Nebraska, was voted Outstanding Wrestler in 1992 and finished with a 101-37 college record. After graduating with a degree in Mathematics, Chris served as the head Wrestling coach in Mound for a few years before moving back to Nebraska to go into the banking and finance industry. Today Chris lives in Gering, Nebraska with his wife Holli and sons Garrett, Nolan, and Taylor. Chris is the owner of Valley Wealth Management in Scottsbluff, Nebraska, and will long be remembered for his athletic ability, power, and his dedication to excellence.
Jim Williams, Contributor
Jim Williams has been involved in the sport of wrestling in Minnesota for over 50 years. He graduated from Clarkfield High School in 1974. He was a two time District 11 and Region 3 champion. Jim entered the state tournament twice but did not place. His high school record was 78-12-3. Jim attended college at Southwest State University (SMSU) where he wrestled for Mike Sterner. Unfortunately, his college wrestling career ended sooner than expected with injuries his freshman and sophomore seasons. Jim has devoted the majority of his life as an educator, coach, and official. Jim taught elementary school in Clarkfield, primarily 2nd through 6th grade. He was the head coach of the Clarkfield Cardinal wrestling team from 1984 to 1988, achieving district 11 runner-up twice. He had numerous state entrants, with at least 4 place winner (including 1 champion and 1 runner-up). From 1994 to 2005, Jim coached junior high wrestling for YME while his sons wrestled. Both of his sons were two-time state entrants, each of them reaching the state finals. Jim left the coaching profession but continued his involvement in wrestling through officiating. His 40+ year officiating career began in 1975 and continues today. Jim officiates high school, NCAA, NJCAA, and NAIA events. He has officiated the MSHSL tournament for 21 years, where they have leveraged his experience and expertise to assess the performance of his peers during the tournament. He is recognized as one of the top NCAA assistant officials in the Big 10. He also volunteers his time by training new officials at clinics. He is well-known as one of the top officials within Minnesota as well. Jim’s and his wife of over 40 years, Pam, have also kept busy with 4 successful children: Sara, Mike, Laura, and Matt. As educators, they’ve enjoyed spending their summers at the cabin with their 9 (almost 10) grandchildren.
Roger Wilson, Contributor
Roger attended Lincoln High School in Thief River Falls, MN, graduating from there in 1963. He was Region 8 champion at 112 lbs. his senior year, under head coach Al Shaff. Roger attended Bemidji State College and continued his college wrestling as a four-year starter while wrestling under Chet Anderson. He wrestled at 123 lbs. his first three years, then at 130 lbs. as a senior co-captain. He just missed the All-American round at the NAIA nationals his senior year. His teaching career spans across 35 years, including Holdingford, Granite Falls, St. Cloud Apollo, St. Cloud Tech, St. Cloud South Junior High, St. Cloud Tech. He has served in various capacities as a Business Education Teacher, a Physical Education Teacher, and an Administrator. He served as a head coach in Holdingford from 1967-1969, Granite Falls in 1969-1970, and St. Cloud Apollo from 1970-1978. Roger has been a wrestling official for 52 years. During that time he has served as a MSHSL Wrestling Clinician for 27 years, and a State Tournament Official for 22 seasons. Roger, along with Will Thompson started the St. Cloud Officials Association. He has served as the Assignment Secretary for 38 years, as well as the Executive Secretary of the Central Lakes Conference for 28 years. Today Roger lives in Sauk Rapids with his wife Dorothy after 47 years of marriage. They have four daughters: Holli, Heidi, Sara, and Katie as well as seven grandkids: Kacey, Emily, Hunter, Zachary, Lily, Ella, and Sawyer-and one great-granddaughter Payton.