The Alan and Gloria Rice Greco-Roman Hall of Fame will house memorabilia from the careers of the top Greco-Roman stars from around the nation. Greco-Roman is a form of wrestling that only allows holds above the waist, and is highly acclaimed in Europe and the former Soviet Union. It has grown considerably in popularity in America over the past two decades, particularly at the junior level.
The hall of fame will hold inductions each year at a time yet to be determined. It is named in honor of Alan Rice, one of America's foremost leaders in Greco-Roman wrestling, and his wife, Gloria.
Alan Rice competed in the 1956 Olympics in Melbourne, in the 136.5-pound class. This was the first year that the United States fielded a Greco-Roman team at the Olympics. He was also a collegiate star at the University of Minnesota, winning All-American honors in 1949 and serving as captain of the 1950 Gopher team. In 1956, he was a rare double winner – capturing national titles in both freestyle and Greco-Roman wrestling in the same year. He placed fifth in the World Championships in freestyle in 1954.
Rice started the Minnesota Wrestling Club, which has won 16 national team titles in Greco-Roman wrestling. The MWC has the unique distinction of having a member on every World and Olympic Greco-Roman team for 40 straight years. In addition, club members have won a world medal in at least 20 years of competition.
He was coach of the United States team in Greco-Roman for the 1972 Olympics in Munich and has been active on the international wrestling scene for decades. He served either as a coach or team leader for nearly a dozen teams that competed in foreign countries. He also has provided funding for numerous wrestling projects and recently donated a million dollars for the creation of a Greco-Roman training center at Augsburg College in Augsburg, Minnesota.
He is a member of several halls of fame, including the National Wrestling Hall of Fame in Stillwater, Oklahoma.
He met his wife, Gloria, while both were attending the University of Minnesota and they were married in 1957. They formed the Minnesota (Gopher) Wrestling Club in the 1960s and traveled the world attending wrestling functions. Gloria was a highly regarded pairings master who assisted in staging wrestling tournaments from coast to coast. She passed away on Sept. 1, 2000.
"Alan has been a major force in the wrestling world for decades, and we are honored to have the opportunity to name the Greco-Roman Hall of Fame for him and his wife, Gloria," said Mike Chapman, executive director of the DGIWIM. "Very few people can match their combined commitment to the sport of wrestling, and no one has a greater appreciation of Greco-Roman wrestling than Alan."
The Alan and Gloria Rice Greco-Roman Hall of Fame will occupy a special place in the museum, situated between the Glen Brand Wrestling Hall of Fame of Iowa and the Dan Gable Teaching Center. Both Brand and Gable were Olympians as well, Brand winning a gold medal in 1948 and Gable claiming a gold medal in 1972.
"We are pleased to have Alan and Gloria Rice be such a special part of the museum," said Gable. "They have made a huge contribution to the sport over the decades and this is a perfect way to let Alan know we appreciate his work in wrestling."
There are a total of nine spots in the museum named for special supporters:
(1) Glen Brand Wrestling Hall of Fame of Iowa;
(2) Dan Gable Teaching Center;
(3) Dean Rockwell Library and Research Center;
(4) Alan and Gloria Rice Greco-Roman Hall of Fame;
(5) George Tragos/Lou Thesz Professional Wrestling Hall of Fame;
(6) Arno P. Niemand Video Room;
(7) Matman Gift shop (Warren and Jayne DePrenger);
(8) Bob Siddens-Keith Young-Dave Natvig Lounge;
(9) Abraham Lincoln Lobby.
The Dan Gable Wrestling Institute and Museum is dedicated to preserving the history of Mankind's Oldest Sport in a manner that is both educational and entertaining. It moved to Waterloo in December after nine years in Newton, where it was known as the International Wrestling Institute and Museum. Dan Gable's name was attached to honor Waterloo's most famous resident. Gable was an undefeated, three-time state champion for West Waterloo High School, and won 118 consecutive matches at Iowa State University. He was a two-time NCAA champion, 1971 World champion and 1972 Olympic gold medalist.
As a coach at the University of Iowa, Gable led the Hawkeyes to unparalleled success. His teams captured 21 consecutive Big Ten team championships, and won 15 NCAA titles during his 21 years at the helm. In 2000, Sports Illustrated magazine named him the No. 1 sports figure in the history of the State of Iowa, with baseball legend Bob Feller second and Heisman Trophy winner Nile Kinnick third.
The DGIWIM is a not-for-profit organization run by a board of directors. The museum will open its doors for the first time at 10 a.m. on Jan. 12. The museum also inaugurated its own hour-long radio show on Jan. 3, on Station 1650 The Fan in Cedar Falls. It is heard live over most of the state of Iowa and is available through the Internet, as well.
The museum also has a quarterly publication called MATSIDE, which is available free by calling Kyle Klingman at 319-233-0745.
Its web site is www.wrestlingmusuem.org.
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