National Wrestling Hall of Fame Dan Gable Museum announces Glen Brand Wrestling Hall of Fame of Iowa Class of 2025

WATERLOO, Iowa — The Glen Brand Wrestling Hall of Fame of Iowa’s Class of 2025 features 11 individual state championships, 42 NCAA All-Americans, 12 NCAA champions, an NCAA championship team, and one of the state of Iowa’s top wrestling contributors.

Kevin Darkus, Daniel Dennis, Felicity Taylor, Joe Zuspann and the 1985-86 University of Iowa wrestling team will be inducted into the GBHOF while the Ballweg Family will be recognized with the Bowlsby Family Legacy Award, Michael Doyle will receive the Bob Siddens High School Coaching Excellence Award and Johnnie Johsnon will be presented with the Russ Smith Community Impact Award.

Located inside the National Wrestling Hall of Fame Dan Gable Museum in Waterloo, Iowa and named in honor of 1948 Olympic gold medalist Glen Brand from Clarion, Iowa, the GBHOF was established in 2002 to honor native-born Iowans and those who wrestled or coached for an Iowa school who have made an impact on wrestling on a national level or who have done extraordinary work in Iowa.

A banquet honoring the Class of 2025 will be held at Prairie Links Golf & Event Center in Waverly, Iowa, on June 20, 2025. For more information, contact the National Wrestling Hall of Fame Dan Gable Museum at (319) 233-0745 or dgmstaff@nwhof.org.

Kevin Darkus, a native of Erie, Pennsylvania, was one of the most successful lightweight wrestlers in Iowa State University history. At Cathedral Prep, he went undefeated in his junior and senior years, winning two Pennsylvania Interscholastic Athletic Association state championships. He continued his dominance at Iowa State winning an NCAA title, reaching the national finals twice and being a three-time All-American. Darkus was a three-time Big Eight Conference champion and finished his career with a remarkable 118-12-6 record. In addition to collegiate success, he won a silver medal at the 1985 World Championships and was an alternate for the 1984 Los Angeles Olympics. After completing his competitive career, Darkus returned to Iowa State as an assistant coach and contributed to developing the next generation of wrestlers. Kevin and his wife, Karien, have two daughters, Naiah and Piave.

Daniel Dennis, a native of Grant, Illinois, was a two-time Illinois state finalist for Grant Community High School while also winning two conference titles. He had a career record of 153-28 and set school records for most wins, most technical falls, and most team points earned. Dennis was a two-time All-American for the University of Iowa, finishing seventh in 2009 and second in 2010. After not wrestling for several years, Dennis returned to the mat and demonstrated his perseverance by earning the opportunity to wrestle for the United States in the 2016 Rio de Janiero Olympics. He was also a University Nationals Freestyle champion and won both the Grand Prix of Germany and the Grand Prix of Spain. Dennis is currently the head coach of the Hawkeye Wrestling Club.

Felicity Taylor, a native of Spillville, Iowa, is a trailblazer in women’s wrestling. Competing for McKendree University, she won the National Collegiate Women’s Wrestling Championships in 2021 while reaching the national finals four times and helping the Bearcats win three NCWWC team titles. After transferring to the University of Iowa, Taylor capped off her career with her second national title in 2024. She concluded her collegiate career as a two-time national champion and five-time finalist. Taylor also succeeded on the international level, competing for the United States in the U23 World Championships in 2019 and 2022 and as a member of the Senior National Team in 2022 and 2024. She remains a passionate advocate for wrestling and has dedicated herself to mentoring and empowering the next generation of wrestlers at Big Game Wrestling Club in North Liberty, Iowa.

Joe Zuspann, a Fort Dodge, Iowa native, was an Iowa state champion for Fort Dodge High School after a runner-up finish as a sophomore and a third-place finish as a junior. Zuspann was a three-time All-American for Iowa State University and helped the Cyclones capture the 1977 NCAA team title with a runner-up finish as a junior. He finished third as a sophomore and fourth as a senior. A two-time Olympic Trials participant, Zuspann became an assistant coach at Iowa State and the University of Rhode Island. He then built a successful wrestling program at Lawton High School, winning three Oklahoma state championships and a national title in 1993.

The University of Iowa Wrestling Team was dominant in 1985-86, compiling a 16-1 record and winning its ninth consecutive national title in record-breaking fashion. Despite not having a wrestler competing at 118 pounds and heavyweight, the Hawkeyes scored 158 team points — the most in history at the time — and crowned five national champions while outpacing second-place Oklahoma by 73.25 points. Led by head coach Dan Gable and assistant coaches Mark Johnson and Keith Mourlam, Iowa also secured its 13th straight Big Ten title. The Hawkeyes champions were Brad Penrith at 126, Kevin Dresser at 142, Jim Heffernan at 150, Marty Kistler at 167, and Duane Goldman 1st at 190. The other place-winners were Greg Randall, 2nd at 134, Royce Alger, 5th at 158, and Rico Chiapparelli, 4th at 177.

The Bowlsby Family Legacy Award recipient, the Ballweg Family is comprised of four wrestlers. The family tradition began with Tom Ballweg, a Wisconsin state champion for Sauk Prairie High School who went on to wrestle for the University of Wisconsin. Tom and his wife, Prudy, moved to Waverly, Iowa in 1985 and raised their four children - Jessica, Matt, Mark, and Jake - there. Wrestling for Waverly-Shell Rock High School from 2002-10, brother Matt, Mark and Jake had a combined record of 501-21 while winning seven individual state titles. During their tenure, the Go-Hawks achieved historic milestones, including: first outright Northeast Iowa Conference team title, first Class 3A traditional and dual team state titles, and the prestigious Clash National Duals championship. In total, the Ballweg brothers helped Waverly-Shell Rock win eight conference titles, four traditional state championships and four dual team state titles.

Matt had a 164-9 career record, including a 45-0 and 51-0 record as a junior and senior while winning back-to-back state titles after finishing fourth and fifth as a freshman and sophomore. He was named Outstanding Wrestler after winning the 138.5-pound title at the FILA Cadet Nationals in 2005. Matt placed fifth at the 2004 Cadet Nationals and eighth at the 2006 Junior Nationals.

Mark had a 158-6 career record, going undefeated and winning state titles as a freshman and senior while finishing third as a sophomore and fourth as a junior. He placed fifth at the 2006 Junior Nationals and seventh at the 2007 Junior Nationals.

Jake had a 179-6 career record, including 46-0 as a senior, while winning state titles as a sophomore, junior and senior after reaching the finals as a freshman. He finished fourth at the 2009 Junior Nationals and won the 2010 Junior Nationals. Jake was also the valedictorian of his graduating class.

All three brothers wrestled for the University of Iowa, where Mark was a Big Ten runner-up and NCAA qualifier as a senior.

The Bowlsby Family Legacy Award is named after the Bowlsby Family from Waterloo. John Bowlsby and Bob Bowlsby wrestled for legendary coach Bob Siddens at Waterloo West High School while their parents, Bob and Pat, and sisters, Ann, Sarah, and Jane, were instrumental in their careers.

Michael Doyle will receive the Bob Siddens High School Excellence Award, presented to a current Iowa high school wrestling coach who exemplifies the high standards that Siddens set during his coaching career at Waterloo West. Siddens was inducted into the GBHOF in 2003 and was the inaugural recipient of the coaching award in 2012. A 1991 graduate of West Delaware High School, Doyle placed fifth in the Iowa state tournament at 145 pounds as a senior. He went on to compile an 81-33 record at Wartburg College while winning an Iowa Conference title and being a three-time NCAA All-American and a two-time Academic All-American. Doyle began teaching math and coaching at Independence High School in 1995 and has remained a fixture in the program ever since. He served as an assistant coach for four years before becoming the ninth head coach in Independence history in 1999. Under his leadership, the program has amassed 493 dual wins, multiple WaMaC Conference dual and tournament titles, and several top finishes at the traditional and dual state tournaments. Doyle has coached 110 state qualifiers, nine state champions and dozens of state place-winners. He was named Iowa Wrestling Coaches and Officials Association Coach of the Year in 2009 and 2010. In addition to his coaching success, he has dedicated countless hours to wrestling, serving in a variety of leadership roles with the IWCOA, the Iowa High School Wrestling Advisory Board and Iowa/USA Wrestling.

A multifaceted contributor to wrestling, Johnnie Johnson will receive the Russ Smith Community Impact Award, presented to individuals who demonstrate exceptional local impact on wrestling in Iowa. A longtime coach, official, photographer, broadcaster, and journalist, Johnson has dedicated his life to promoting and advancing wrestling at all levels. He currently serves as an assistant girls wrestling coach at East Buchanan Schools. As a wrestling journalist and photographer, his contributions are unparalleled. A five-time recipient of the National Wrestling Photographer of the Year award, he has also served as president of the National Wrestling Media Association. Johnson has received the Dan McCool Media Award from the Iowa Wrestling Coaches and Officials Association and the Iowa High School Athletic Association Media Award. He serves as the Small College Editor for Amateur Wrestling News and is a national staff photographer for Wrestling USA. In addition to his media contributions, Johnson has officiated high school and collegiate wrestling matches for over 40 years. He received the Lifetime Service to Wrestling award from the Iowa Chapter of the National Wrestling Hall of Fame in 2023 and is also a member of the National Junior College Athletic Association Wrestling Hall of Fame and a Distinguished Member of the Iowa Central Community College Hall of Fame.