IWHOF celebrates grappling history
Wed, 03/04/2026 - 2:58pm
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By:
Nate Troy TPD Sports Editor
By Nate Troy
TPD Sports Editor
CRESCO - If you are a sports fan who likes, loves or adores wrestling, there is one place in Cresco that will make you think you’ve gone to heaven - The Iowa Wrestling Hall of Fame.
The IWHOF is located at 101 2nd Ave. SW in the Cresco Chamber of Commerce building, across from Beadle Park on Highway 9 in Cresco. The Hall started modestly in the basement of the Cresco Theatre in Champlin Hall in 1970, and it has grown into an impressive establishment at the Cresco Chamber of Commerce, where the IWHOF has been located since 1995.
The roots for the Hall started a couple years before it came into being.
“People in the area were following (former Cresco/Crestwood wrestler) Tom Peckham during his college career at Iowa State (in the late 1960s),” IWHOF Director Jim Turvold noted. “Iowa State won a national team title and Peckham won individual titles in 1968 and 1969.
“Fans wanted to honor Tom, so they decided to have a banquet in Cresco in 1968 or 1969. Russ Smith, a sports writer for the Waterloo Courier, came to Cresco for the banquet. Everyone at the event had a great time.
“They started discussing what they could do to honor wrestlers, and they came up with the idea for the Hall of Fame. Russ Smith went one step further and noted it was time to start a selection committee for the Iowa Wrestling Hall of Fame. That’s how it all started. The individuals on the selection committee has changed throughout the years, but it’s always a who’s who of wrestling.
“The selection committee makes the recommendations as to who is inducted into the Hall. They bring (the names) to our Board of Directors, and we approved them. We’ve always had a rich wrestling history in Cresco.
“Our Hall of Fame is one of the oldest in the country. Having the Hall here is important because Cresco is one of the leaders in the country in terms of keeping wrestling alive,” Turvold said.
Jason Passmore added, “From the Howard County Business and Tourism perspective, having the Hall of Fame here is phenomenal. Visitors to the Hall know that one of the top things Cresco is recognized for is wrestling.”
The original members of the selection committee in 1970 included: Russ Smith of Waterloo, Bob Howard of Cresco, M. E. (Space) Harmon of New Hampton, Keith Young of Cedar Falls and Finn Ericksen of Waterloo.
The 2026 Selection Committee includes: Dan Gable, Jim Miller, Kyle Klingman, Jason Christenson, Stewart Carter, Bill Roths and Tom Fye.
The Board of Directors include: Dennis Meirick, President; Tom Fye, Vice President; Cindy Butikofer, Secretary/Treasurer; Merle Sovereign, Jim Turvold, Jerome Hruska, Jason Passmore, Hunter Slifka, Mike Galvin and Justin Sovereign.
“It takes many local people to take ideas and form it into reality, and that’s what Cresco had,” Passmore said. “Cresco has always been a hotbed for wrestling with coaches, wrestlers and Olympians.
“It took locals (to get the Hall started). Those locals, who were founding members, included: Don Gooder, Nehl McKone and Bob Howard. They really took the idea from when people were here (during the banquet in the late 1960s) and said, ‘We’ll make it happen. We’ll do the dirty work, get things set up and do all the extra things (to make the Hall of Fame) happen. It took people who were enthusiastic about wrestling (to create the IWHOF), which is what Cresco had,” Passmore said.
“And it still has those people,” Turvold added. “Our board of directors are administrators. We make sure the Hall of Fame stays open. We go for the funding and make the banquet happen here every year, and we keep the Hall up to date. However, we have nothing to do with who is selected, except for approving them. The selection committee chooses the inductees.”
“It means a lot more (to the inductees) to know that Dan Gable was a part of the selection process,” Passmore said.
“If I was to call an inductee to tell that person (about their induction), they wouldn’t know who I am,” Turvold said. “However, if Dan Gable calls them, I guarantee they’ll pay attention.”
