Save Boise State Wrestling, the organization established in March 2017 when the school announced it had eliminated its intercollegiate wrestling program effective immediately, posted this message on Facebook Tuesday:
"It is with heavy hearts that we announce the passing of Boise State Wrestling alum Larry Quisel who died while elk hunting this weekend...
"He was active in the efforts to #SaveBSUWrestling.
"R.I.P. Larry."
Larry Quisel
Larry Quisel earned All-American honors at back-to-back NCAA championships. At the 1999 NCAAs at Penn State, Quisel placed third in the 157-pound bracket, and earned the Gorriaran Award for the most pins in the least amount of time. The following year at the NCAAs in St. Louis, Quisel made it to the finals at 157, falling to Brett Matter of the University of Pennsylvania, 4-2, in the title match.
Those same years, Quisel won consecutive Pac-10 conference crowns for the Broncos.
Before enrolling at Boise State, Quisel was a four-time placer -- and two-time state champ -- for Park High School in Livingston, Mont. Quisel won back-to-back state titles at 135 pounds in 1995 and 1996.
Quisel's high school coach, Greg Cervantes, shared his memories of the wrestler and the man.
"He was just a solid human being," Cervantes told MontanaSports.com. "He married his high school sweetheart (Heather West Quisel) from Park High and they had three kids. Like I said, it's just a crushing blow. He was a hometown hero for Park High in Livingston. It's just really hard to comprehend (his death)."
"Larry was a quiet leader," Cervantes continued. "He would lead by example on the mats. He wouldn't say a lot, but whatever he said the kids followed. I think it was the same when he was at Boise State. The kid lifted religiously every morning in high school, or maybe after school, it was like clockwork. I knew he had the mental toughness, the intelligence and especially the work ethic to compete at the Division I level. I just thought, 'This kid has it all.'"
"His integrity, sportsmanship, he was just a solid guy, really unassuming and very humble. He did all of his actions, I'm saying that as a human being, too, but on the wrestling mat he was just a ferocious competitor, just a great competitor. But off the mat he was soft-spoken, humble," Cervantes said. "He would never talk about himself, just really soft-spoken and a quiet leader. He was that way in life, too. I know he was a great father, husband, friend and son. He was truly an all-American guy off the mat. I guess that's what it boils down to. He was your typical, epitome of an all-American off the mat. He was a great student, an engineering major at Boise State. It's a big loss. He was one of the best."
Quisel's college teammate and training partner at Boise State, Kirk White, wrote the following on Facebook:
"Larry Quisel, the best teammate, friend, and workout partner that I could ever want. I had the time of my life climbing to the top with you. You always brought out the best in me. Nobody imagined the success we would achieve together. You always challenge and inspire me to be a better person and competitor."
UPDATE 10/3/18
Larry Quisel's widow Heather posted the following message on her husband's Facebook page:
"We will be holding his services on Monday, October 8 at 2:00 pm...reception to follow.
Please share far and wide. Larry would hope his buddies would send him off with a good roast🤣 at the reception.
Cloverdale Funeral Home
1200 N Cloverdale Rd
Boise, Idaho
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