Hugo Otopalik

Hugo Otopalik (1890 – July 11, 1953) was an American football player, wrestler, coach, and athletic director primarily at Iowa State University. He was the architect of the first NCAA Championships in both the sport of wrestling and golf.

Hugo Otopalik
Biographical details
Born1890
David City, Nebraska, U.S.
DiedJuly 11, 1953 (aged 63)
Ames, Iowa, U.S.
Playing career
Football
1915–1917Nebraska
Wrestling
1916–1917Nebraska
Position(s)Halfback (football)
175 lb (wrestling)
Coaching career (HC unless noted)
Wrestling
1920–1923Iowa State (assistant)
1924–1953Iowa State
Golf
1931–1946Iowa State
1948–1953Iowa State
Football
1919Kearney State
Basketball
1919–1920Kearney State
Administrative career (AD unless noted)
1918–1920Kearney State
1923–1924Iowa State
Head coaching record
Overall159–66–5 (Wrestling)
Accomplishments and honors
Championships
  • NCAA Championship Wrestling (1933)
  • Big Six Wrestling (1929, 1933, 1937, 1941, 1947)
  • Big Six Golf (1940, 1947)
  • Big Seven Golf (1953)
Awards
National Wrestling Hall of Fame Distinguished Member (1976)

Early life

Otopalik, a native of David City, Nebraska, attended the University of Nebraska competing in football, wrestling, and track & field. On the gridiron Otopalik played halfback[1] and his squads were three time MVIAA champions in 1915,[2] 1916[3] and 1917.[4] He was also a standout wrestler at Nebraska. He was an All-American and the 175 lb Western Conference champion in both 1916 and 1917.[5]

Post-college, Otopalik fulfilled his military duty by serving in the Army during WWI. He served under General John Pershing[6] and rose to the rank of First Sergeant before the end of the War in 1918.[7]

Wrestling

Otopalik was recruited to become the assistant wrestling coach at Iowa State under head coach Charles Mayser in 1920. In 1923 Mayser unexpectedly resigned and Hugo volunteered to take over on a temporary basis.[8] He remained the head coach for 29 years until his death in 1953.[9]

Otopalik took over an Iowa State program that was in its infancy and was able to establish the groundwork of a powerhouse. He led the Cyclones to their first ever NCAA team title in any sport, in 1933.[10] Additionally he coached seven individual NCAA champions: Arthur Holding, Hugh Linn, Richard Cole, Robert Hess (twice), Merrill Frevert and George Martin.[11] He also coached the team to five conference titles in 1929, 1933, 1937, 1941 and 1947.[12][13][14]

At the international level, Otopalik coached the U.S. squad at the 1932 Los Angeles Olympics.[15] Under his leadership, Robert Pearce,[16] Jack van Bebber[17] and Peter Mehringer[18] brought home gold while Edgar Nemir[19] and Jack Riley[20] took silver.

Otopalik assisted in organizing the first NCAA Wrestling Championship. It was hosted by the Cyclones in Ames, Iowa.[21][22]

Hugo served as the first secretary of the National Wrestling Coaches Association from 1932 to 1936, and served in leadership positions developing AAU wrestling in the United States.[23]

Golf

When the Big Six began sponsoring men's golf as an official sport, Iowa State needed a coach. Golf was not as elevated as football or basketball so the athletic administration didn't see a need to "hire a real coach". Otopalik was free because the golf season didn't overlap with the wrestling season, so he added head golf coach to his job description.[24]

Otopalik helmed the golf program from 1931 to 1953, except the 1947 season, which Jack McGuire coached.[25] His team's had Big Six Championships in 1940 and 1947 as well as a Big Seven Title in 1953. They also placed in the NCAA tournament in 1939, 1940, 1947, 1949, 1952, and 1953 with 4th, 8th, 34th, 12th, 22nd, and 19th-place finishes respectively.[26][27]

In addition to his coaching duties at Iowa State, Otopalik was also instrumental in creating the first NCAA Golf Championship. As a result, he was the Tournament Director of the first NCAA Championship held at the Wakonda Club in Des Moines, IA.[28]

Honors

In 1976, he was inducted into the inaugural class of the National Wrestling Hall of Fame as a Distinguished Member.[29]

In 2006, Otopalik was inducted into the Iowa State Cyclones Hall of Fame.[30]

References
  1. "Hugo Otopalik - Class of 1915 - Nebraska football recruits". dataomaha.com. Retrieved 2018-01-24.
  2. "1915 Nebraska football schedule -- HuskerMax™". www.huskermax.com. Retrieved 2018-01-24.
  3. "1916 Nebraska football schedule -- HuskerMax™". www.huskermax.com. Retrieved 2018-01-24.
  4. "1917 Nebraska football schedule -- HuskerMax™". www.huskermax.com. Retrieved 2018-01-24.
  5. "Wrestling Hall of Fame National Wrestling Hall of Fame". nwhof.org. Retrieved 2018-01-24.
  6. "Hugo Otopalik - Hall of Fame Class of 2006". cyclones.com. Retrieved 2018-01-24.
  7. "Wrestling Hall of Fame | National Wrestling Hall of Fame". nwhof.org. Retrieved 2018-01-24.
  8. Writers, Shane Lucas and Jake Calhoun – Daily Staff. "A look back at Iowa State's wrestling program". Iowa State Daily. Retrieved 2018-01-24.
  9. "Iowa State University, Wrestling Subject Files, RS 24/12/1, Special Collections Department, Iowa State University Library". findingaids.lib.iastate.edu. Retrieved 2018-01-24.
  10. "NCAA Division I Wrestling Championship Highlights/History" (PDF). NCAA. NCAA.org. Retrieved January 24, 2018.
  11. "Iowa State Athletics" (PDF). cyclones.com. Retrieved 2018-01-24.
  12. "Big Eight Conference Wrestling Championship History". Big Eight Sports.
  13. "2008-09 Nebraska Wrestling" (PDF). Huskers.com.
  14. "History" (PDF). Archived from the original (PDF) on 2016-03-27. Retrieved 2018-01-24.
  15. "A Perspective on the History of Amateur Wrestling in America". mwolverine.com. Retrieved 2018-01-24.
  16. "Robert PEARCE - Olympic Wrestling Freestyle | United States of America". International Olympic Committee. 2016-06-17. Retrieved 2018-01-24.
  17. "InterMat Reads: A Distant Flame". InterMat. Retrieved 2018-01-24.
  18. "KU's Greatest Grappler". KU History. Retrieved 2018-01-24.
  19. "Ed Nemir Bio, Stats, and Results". Olympics at Sports-Reference.com. Archived from the original on 2020-04-18. Retrieved 2018-01-24.
  20. "Jack Riley: Wrestling and Football: Northwestern Magazine - Northwestern University". www.northwestern.edu. Retrieved 2018-01-24.
  21. "Wrestling in the USA | National Wrestling Hall of Fame". nwhof.org. Retrieved 2018-01-24.
  22. "Hugo Otopalik - Hall of Fame Class of 2006". cyclones.com. Retrieved 2018-01-24.
  23. "Wrestling Hall of Fame | National Wrestling Hall of Fame". nwhof.org. Retrieved 2018-01-24.
  24. Sexton, Timothy (2017). A Little Gleam of Time. Bloomington, Indiana: Archway Publishing. ISBN 1480844128.
  25. "Iowa State University Department of Athletics, Men's Golf Records, RS 24/7, Special Collections Department, Iowa State University Library". findingaids.lib.iastate.edu. Retrieved 2018-01-24.
  26. "Iowa State Athletics" (PDF). cyclones.com. Retrieved 2018-01-24.
  27. "NCAA Division I Men's Golf Championship Results" (PDF). NCAA. NCAA.org. Retrieved January 24, 2018.
  28. "Wakonda Club Principal Charity Classic". Principal Charity Classic. Retrieved 2018-01-24.
  29. Hugo Otopalik. National Wrestling Hall of Fame. Retrieved September 19, 2022.
  30. "Iowa State Athletics". cyclones.com. Retrieved 2018-01-24.
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