Midlands Hall of Fame Inductions

Tuesday, January 29th, 2019 | Awards, Wrestling | No Comments

On Dec. 30, Mike was inducted into the Midlands Wrestling Hall of Fame at the championships held at Hoffman Estates, Illinois. Standing with Mike and presenting the award are Dan Gable, Tim Cysewski (former Northwestern coach and the Midlands director the past 14 years) and Mike Allen (the nation’s top-ranked wrestling official). Gable and both Mikes are from Waterloo. After the meet, Mike also presented the Tournament of Champions Award to Northwestern’s Sebastian Rivera.

Mike Being Inducted Into Midlands Hall of Fame

Sunday, December 9th, 2018 | Awards, Book Signing | No Comments

Mike is being inducted into the Ken Kraft Midlands Wrestling Tournament Hall of Fame on Sunday, Dec. 30. The inductions will be at 7 pm just prior to the start of the championship round. The event will be held at the Sears Centre Arena in Hoffman Estates, Illinois. It is the 11th hall of fame for Mike. On Dec. 29 and 30, Mike will have a table of his books for sale, including his latest, “Wrestling Tough: Second Edition”, which was published on Nov. 30, by Human Kinetics of Champaign, Illinois.  It is an updated version of his popular “Wrestling Tough” book that was published by HK in 2005. In addition, Dale Anderson will be at the table with Mike,  selling his book “A Spartan Journey”. Dale was a two-time NCAA champion for Michigan State at 137 pounds and a former Midlands champion. His book chronicles the rise of the Michigan State team to the NCAA title in 1967.

Tags: Dale Anderson, Midlands

Battle of Waterloo Hall of Fame

Monday, November 27th, 2017 | Awards, Wrestling | No Comments

Mike is among the five men being inducted into the Battle of Waterloo Hall of Fame in early December. The Battle of Waterloo is a multi-class tournament that hosts 32 Iowa high school teams over two days in Young Arena. The tournament is collaboration between the Waterloo East and Waterloo West athletic departments.

A reception for the Class of 2017 will be held on Thursday, Dec. 14, from 5-7 p.m. at the Cedar Valley Sportsplex, located at 300 Jefferson Street in Waterloo, across the street from the Dan Gable Museum. The public is invited free of charge.

The formal induction will take place on Saturday, Dec. 16, around 3 p.m. at Young Arena, prior to the start of the championship rounds.

“Any time a hall of fame extends such an honor, it is deeply appreciated,” said Mike, who is now a member of 10 halls of fame. “I have spent 45 years trying to promote the sport in various ways, and since I am from Waterloo, this award has very special meaning.”

Click to see the full class of 2017…

Illinois Hall of Fame honors Mike in April

Tuesday, February 10th, 2015 | Awards, Wrestling | No Comments

The Illinois Wrestling Coaches and Officials Association has announced that Mike Chapman will be among those inducted into its Hall of Fame on April 18. The hall of fame is in its 45th year of recognizing outstanding individuals who have impacted wrestling in the state of Illinois.

Though born and raised in Iowa, Mike worked on three different newspapers in Illinois, for a total of nearly 15 years. His last job in Illinois was as executive editor of Sauk Valley Newspapers in Dixon, from 1988 to 1998. While there, he created WIN magazine, the nation’s top wrestling publication; the WIN Memorabilia Show, held each year during the NCAA Division I tournament with crowds of 10,000 or more, and the Dan Hodge Trophy given each year to the nation’s top collegiate wrestler.

“This was a wonderful surprise,” said Mike, when notified of his selection. “I have great admiration for the wresting heritage of Illinois and I am delighted to be a part of it, however small.”

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