Takedown Report

Legendary Wrestling Head Coach Grady Peninger Passes Away at 97

EAST LANSING, Mich. – Legendary Michigan State head wrestling coach Grady Peninger passed away on Thursday, October 31 at 97 years old (1927-2024).  
Peninger’s name will forever be linked with greatness, becoming the first coach in Big Ten history to win seven consecutive conference titles in any sport (1966-72) and the first Big Ten wrestling program to win a national title in 1967. His 1967 Spartans were the only team outside the states of Oklahoma or Iowa to win a national championship in wrestling over a 33-year span from 1954 to 1987. Additionally, Peninger was the first coach to take a team to Oklahoma, wrestle both the Oklahoma State Cowboys and the Oklahoma Sooners, and go home undefeated. “Grady Peninger is one of the all-time great coaches in our sport,” said Michigan State head wrestling coach Roger Chandler. “The impact he had on Michigan State and Michigan State wrestling is second to none and he will forever be etched in our history books.”
MSU won the 1967 National Championship with 74 team points, 11 ahead of runner-up Michigan.
“Before this year no team except one of the big three ever dreamed of winning the National Championship, but now it doesn’t look as impossible as it used to,” said Peninger to SI.
During his tenure from 1963-1986, Michigan State was a mainstay on the national scene placing in the top five at the NCAA Championships on six occasions. As head coach, his wrestlers earned 10 NCAA titles, 40 Big Ten titles and All-America honors 54 times. Peninger was inducted in the U.S. Wrestling Hall of Fame in 1987, the State of Michigan Wrestling Hall of Fame in 1991 and the Michigan State Athletics Hall of Fame in 2007. He also served as President of the National Wrestling Coaches Association and while a member of the NCAA rules committee, was instrumental in expanding the tournament consolation format in 1986 to include more wrestlers.
Peninger coached a slew of Michigan State wrestlers  … more at … https://msuspartans.com/news/2024/11/1/legendary-wrestling-head-coach-grady-peninger-passes-away-at-97.aspx and …
Peninger and the 1967 Spartans were the subjects of an article published in the April 3, 1967 issue of Sports Illustrated.

November 9, 2024 - Posted by The TakeDown Report | Uncategorized | news, sports, wrestling