By Sam Gordon
Murphy News Service
Apple Valley wrestling is a national power now.
But long before the Eagles were the premier team in Minnesota, another program reigned supreme – particularly in the Northern suburbs.
Fridley wrestling was a force to be reckoned with, especially in the 1970s.
At the helm? Joe Frank.
Frank coached the Tigers from 1968-85, winning team state championships in 1973, 1975 and 1979. He coached five individual state champions and helped grow the sport in the city and in the community.
For years, kids called him coach. Now, he has another title. Hall of Famer.
The 74-year-old Frank will take his place with the greats when he is formally inducted into the National Wrestling Hall of Fame. The announcement was made last September and it’ll be official on May 3.
Frank and four other Minnesotans were honored with the Lifetime Service Award, rewarding them for what the Hall of Fame terms as “countless hours of their time instilling in young people the skills to succeed in all areas of life.”
Frank said he is proud the award is testament to his career as opposed to just a few good seasons.
“It’s a lifetime service award. It’s a service to wrestling,” Frank said. “It’s not like you had a group of wrestlers one time and won a state title. It’s what you’re able to do over a period of time … I just enjoyed working with the kids.
And Frank did quite a bit, as a wrestler and as a coach.
Iowa native Frank started wrestling when he was 14 and was the state champion at 127 pounds by his senior year.
He attracted attention from local colleges and wrestled four years at Iowa State University, where he was a three-year starter and eventual team captain.
Frank started his coaching career in 1965 and won three straight team state championships before making the move to Fridley, where he replaced longtime Fridley administrator Don Meyers as head wrestling coach.
“They had a good program in place. Teachers in the middle school that wanted to coach had to wait their turn until there was an opening,” Frank said. “Coaches had to wait their turn until somebody decided to give that up.”
Walt Wenholz coached on Fridley’s staff during the same period and said Frank’s practices were legendary. He said Fridley wrestlers were in premier condition, and in better condition than most, perhaps all opponents.
“He was a physical fitness fantatic,” Wenholz said, adding that Frank and his wrestlers would run around Moore Lake on a regular basis.
“[Frank] would even wrestle with the kids. He would beat them up as much as he could,” Wenholz said. “Sometimes they would beat him up.”
By 1985, Frank had had enough and retired from coaching.
He continued as a physical education teacher in the Fridley School District until his retirement until 2000.
Frank’s distanced himself from the sport to a degree. But he still goes to all the University of Minnesota’s home wrestling meets and he travels the Big Ten Tournament.
And he still has fond memories of Fridley’s glory days.
“We were the power,” Frank said.
Sam Gordon is studying journalism at the University of Minnesota.