Within the history book of high school wrestling in Iowa, and specifically Eagle Grove, many names of both quality coaches and individual, highly successful wrestlers show up in the records. One of those, namely Marvin Reiland, is certainly near, if not at, the top of the list. Consider this: His teams won three state titles and one state duals title under his watch. He also coached nine state champions and 11 runner-up wrestlers. I caught up with the now retired coach for an interview to look back on those great years spent here.
“My favorite part, and most rewarding memory, of coaching in Eagle Grove is the relationships that were built with my wrestlers, their families and coaches I worked with,” said Reiland. “I have been able to maintain many of those contacts and relationships and to this day still enjoy talking and reminiscing about the battles we all went through together.” Competing in the North Central Conference at that time, Reiland’s teams took conference titles in 1973, 1978, 1982 through 1985 and 1987. “The NCC was the premier 2A wrestling conference in the state during the 70’s and 80’s,” said the former coach.
His legacy here started in the fall of 1970 when he took a teaching and coaching job after graduating from UNI in Cedar Falls. He took over as head coach after Dave Harty stepped away from the job after ten years. “He was my coach during my time here in wrestling.” said Reiland. The success came pretty quickly, as they took a second-place team trophy at state in 1973 and followed it with the school’s first-ever team title the next year. After another second-place in 1982, back-to-back team titles came in 1986 and 1987 along with a Dual Tournament title in 1987 as Iowa debuted that addition to state wrestling week. In total, he had 14 individual state championships and 14 state runner-up individuals (see accompanying box).
He stated that his coaching philosophy at the time was pretty simple. “I always told the kids that if you can take anybody down, and you don’t let anybody ride you, you will never lose.” He said. “We tried to tie that philosophy in with the idea of being a pinner and in better physical condition than your opponent. We worked very hard in practice, and very seldom where we out-conditioned in competition.”
Obviously, coach Reiland has some great memories of his time spent here and shared some of those for this story. “One of them is our first state team title in 1974, which was the first in school history,” said Reiland. “We had been runner-up six previous years (’34, ’39, ’42, ’46, ’58, ’73). I remember school custodian Bob Umstead, himself a former Eagle wrestler, saying ‘always the bridesmaid but never the bride.’ We had finally gotten over the hump!”
He remembers 1982 when the school qualified a record 10 wrestlers for state. “I will never forget the roar from our fans at Vet’s Auditorium when the Eagles took the mat. I still get goose bumps recalling that moment.” He also includes his final year as coach of the Eagles. “Being able to say we were the very first school to win both the state duals and traditional team title, along with the fact I was able to coach my son (Mark) to his second state championship and also all his teammates that he grew up with is special to me. Seeing the smiles and satisfying looks on all their faces after the job was completed will forever be etched in my mind.”
He admits that there are many kids that stand out in his mind. “We had some great kids and families in the program during my time here,” said the coach. “I could go on and on with that list, but I will highlight five (in no particular order) who all happen to have been state champs. However, there are many who did not win a state title that I will always remember.”
Dave Morgan was a three-time state champ who later became head coach here for a time. “He was a National junior college champion at Iowa Central, the school’s first ever,” said Reiland. “He’s a member of both the IHSAA Hall of Fame and the Iowa Central Hall of Fame.”
Dave Prehm was a two-time state gold medal winner who then went on to become a two-time All-American as a UNI Panther wrestler. “He also coached the sport at both North Scott-Eldridge and New Hampton, and was one of the best artists and art teachers I have ever seen!” said Reiland.
John Schaumburg was a state champion and two-time state finalist who also became a junior college National champ at Iowa Central. “He was the second one following Morgan, and is also a distinguished member of their Hall of Fame,” said Reiland.
Jeff Coltvet was also a two-time state champ and a four-time state finalist who went on to further success wrestling at the University of Nebraska. “With the Cornhuskers, he was a four-time NCAA qualifier and most valuable wrestler,” said Reiland. “He is also a distinguished member of the IHSAA Hall of Fame.”
He could not leave out his son Mark, who was a two-time state champion and a three-time state finalist. “He went on to have a great career with the University of Iowa Hawkeyes,” said Reiland. “He became a two-time All-American and National champion. He is a member of the IHSAA Hall of Fame, the Iowa Wrestling Hall of Fame and the Glen Brand Hall of Fame”. He became an assistant coach at Iowa City West for two years, then became head wrestling coach at Solon for two years. He returned to Iowa City West as a head coach and had a very good run there with several state titles.
He recalled for me other coaches that have spent a tour of duty here, beginning with Ray Stone who took the Eagles to a State runner-up finish in 1958. Dave Harty took over in 1959, followed by Reiland taking the job in 1970. Coaches after that (hopefully in this order) include Mike Woodall, Darin Schreck, Dave Morgan, Aaron Schafer and current coach Jake Groth.
He stepped aside from the head-coaching chair after the 1986-87 season because he was also the full-time athletic director (AD) and taught four classes during the day. “My son was also starting his collegiate wrestling career with the Hawkeyes,” said Reiland. “I didn’t feel that I had enough time in the day to maintain the program at a high level. I did stay on as an assistant for three years until we moved to Iowa City.”
Reiland left the district in 1990 to become the AD at Iowa City West (ICW), serving in that capacity for the next 22 years before retiring in 2012. That gave him a total of 42 years in education, with the first twenty spent here. “An AD at a large 3A school doesn’t have a lot of free time due to the size of the athletic program and the number of sports that are offered,” he said. “I will say it was a very enjoyable 22 years in working to build ICW into one of the elite high school programs in the state.” He also pointed out that, when he started coaching here in 1970 he also took up officiating of wrestling due to his love of the sport. “I continued that through the 2015 state tournament, which gave me a total of 45 years as a certified official,” said Reiland. “That was sort of my release from my AD duties, and it kept me connected to the sport.”
He has also been recognized with several honors and awards. “I’ve been fortunate to receive some nice recognition over the course of my career, and that was because I was surrounded by outstanding athletes and coaches and that was both as a coach at Eagle Grove and an AD at ICW. Some of the best of those include:
1982-State 2A Coach of the Year
1989-Induction into the IHSAA Coaches Hall of Fame
1996-State Official of the Year
1998-State AD of the Year
2000-National Wrestling Hall of Fame Lifetime Service Award
2008-National AD of the Year
2010-Induction into the IHSAA Officials Hall of Fame
2012-Induction into the Iowa Wrestling Hall of Fame (located in Cresco)
2015-State Official of the Year (2nd time)
2020-Induction into the Glen Brand Hall of Fame (located in Waterloo)
His best advice to today’s high school wrestlers is to simply enjoy the sport and have fun. “Build relationships with your teammates and coaches,” said Reiland. “Wrestling is a tough sport and requires a lot of hard work to be successful. Embrace and enjoy that journey with your friends. Don’t be concerned with the wins and losses. Concentrate on what you need to work on to be better tomorrow that you are today. Some kids enjoy wrestling year-round, while others need a break. As a parent, coach and AD I wanted multi-sport athletes in my program. That means your wrestling training may be less intense at certain times of the year when other sports are in season.”
Some good, sound advice from a man considered as being one of the legends of this sport in Iowa. His name, alongside many other familiar names, grace the pages of a rich history in the number one wrestling state in the nation.
State Champions under Reiland
Mike Morphew – 1971
Dave Morgan – 1972, 73, 74
Mike Asche – 1973
Dave Prehm – 1974, 75
John Schaumburg – 1977
Troy Johnston – 1982
Jeff Coltvet – 1982, 84
Shawn Nessa – 1985
Mark Reiland – 1986, 87
State Runners-up
Dan McCart – 1972, 73
Mike Woodall – 1973, 74
Kevin Finch – 1975
John Schaumburg – 1978
Dave Kist – 1979
Jeff Coltvet – 1981, 83
Scott Wilcox – 1982
Mark Reiland – 1985
Brad Gazaway – 1986
Rick Coltvet – 1987
Dave Messerly – 1987
