Coach Steve DeVries inducted in NWCA Hall of Fame

Cornell College's Steve DeVries was inducted in the National Wrestling Coaches Association Division III Hall of Fame Thursday night at the La Crosse Center in La Crosse, Wis.

DeVries, the winningest wrestling coach in Cornell history, was honored for his long-time contributions to the sport, specifically at the NCAA Division III level. He was among seven new inductees recognized in a ceremony preceding this weekend's NCAA Division III Championships hosted by UW-La Crosse.

The 2011 Hall of Fame Class features two other coaching icons in Dave Kemmy of Roger Williams and Gene Nightman of SUNY Cortland, along with former wrestlers Terry Shockley of Augustana, Zack Kallai of Case Western, Jason Ott of UW-La Crosse and Nick Fornicoia of Augsburg.

DeVries carried on Cornell's rich tradition on the wrestling mat, compiling a 130-122-3 dual mark as head coach from 1982-2000. Under his guidance, the Rams won 10 Midwest Conference team championships - including five straight from 1984-88 - and finished second four other times in 15 years in the league. DeVries had 68 individual conference champions go through his program.

DeVries led his teams to seven top-25 finishes at the national championships, marked by an 11th-place showing in the 1988 tournament. He coached 19 all-Americans, including the program's last national champion in Shawn Voigt, who claimed the 150-pound title in 1990.

DeVries was a member of the NCAA Wrestling Committee from 1998-02 and served as Division III Chair from 2001-02. He was enshrined in Cornell's Athletics Hall of Fame in 2008.

DeVries has been a professor in Cornell's kinesiology department since 1982. He currently serves as a Faculty Athletics Representative at the college.

DeVries, a native of Rochester, Minn., turned in a distinguished wrestling career at the University of Iowa. He was a three-year letterwinner (1969-71) and two-time team captain for the Hawkeyes. DeVries was a Big 10 champion at 177 pounds in 1971 and named Most Outstanding Wrestler of the tournament. He carried a 35-0 record and No. 1 national ranking until an injury ended his NCAA tournament bid his senior season.

DeVries finished second in the Big 10 at 177 as a junior, and took third at 167 as a sophomore. He won a Midlands title in 1970. In 1972, he was runner-up at 180.5 at the U.S. Olympic Trials.

After graduating from Iowa in 1971, DeVries served as an assistant coach for the Hawkeyes and at Mankato State. He held head coaching positions at Blue Earth (Minn.) High School and Cambridge (Minn.) High School.

DeVries is the third Cornellian to be inducted in the NWCA Division III Hall of Fame. He joins former Cornell coach Barron Bremner (1993 inductee) and four-time all-American Voigt (2002).