BURNSVILLE, Minn. - The Northern Sun Intercollegiate Conference (NSIC) has announced their 2011 Hall of Fame Inductees and this year's class includes former St. Cloud State University wrestling standout Jim Hazewinkel.

The induction ceremony will be held Wednesday, July 13th at the Best Western Kelly Inn/St. Cloud at the NSIC’s 12th annual Summer Kickoff event. A social hour will begin at 6:00 p.m. followed by the ceremony at 7:00 p.m. Reserve your tickets for the banquet by visiting www.NorthernSun.org and filling out a Hall of Fame Banquet Registration Form. Registrations are due by July 1st as space is limited for this event.

The class of 2011 also includes: Trip Hedrick, Bemidji State University; Kerrick Johnson, University of Minnesota Duluth; Mike Berg Minnesota State University Moorhead; Don Meyer, Northern State University; Julie (Thein) Boom, Southwest Minnesota State University and Nate Gruber, Winona State University.

Hazewinkel began wrestling in high school when he was in the eleventh grade in 1960, at Anoka High School. He reached the state finals as a junior and senior, placing second both years. From there he attended St. Cloud State University from 1962-1970, which included years of service in the U.S. Army.

Jim became a two-time Northern Intercollegiate Conference Champion and a four-time NAIA National Champion while at St. Cloud State. At that time, Hazewinkel was the third wrestler in the nation to win four college national titles and the first to do it at two different weight classes (115 & 123 lbs).

Following college, Hazewinkel went on to win six senior national championships in Greco Roman Wrestling. He was named “Outstanding Wrestler” in the Nation three times and awarded “Most Falls” twice. In 1971 the Outstanding Wrestler Award was shared with twin brother Dave. The two of them entered as a “team” that year and they won the second place National “Team” Trophy for the Minnesota Wrestling Club.

Starting in 1966, Hazewinkel made seven USA Teams in a row; five World Teams, and two Olympic Teams. He wrestled in three different weight classes in International competition (114.5, 125.5, & 136.5). It is believed that Hazewinkel is the first wrestler from the U.S. to make a World or Olympic Team in three different weight classes (114.5, 125.5, & 136.5).

In 1971, Jim became an Instructor and Head Wrestling Coach at Pillsbury Baptist Bible College in Owatonna, MN. He taught and coached there for twenty years. His teams won two Little College National Titles.

In 1991, he moved to Pensacola, Fla. and became an Instructor and Head Wrestling Coach at Pensacola Christian College. He taught and coached there for fifteen years. Jim inaugurated the first wrestling team at Pensacola Christian College. While there his teams won four NCCAA National Titles and two NCWA National Titles.

In 2006, he moved to Marion, Ala. and is now teaching and is Head Wrestling Coach at Marion Military Institute, a two year Military College. Dave is an assistant coach at Marion as well.

Hazewinkel has been coaching for 41 years and have an overall dual record to of 377-220-11 with 16 conference titles and nine National Team Titles. He has been voted national coach of the year on six different occasions.

The NSIC Hall of Fame will be the seventh that Hazewinkel has been inducted to. In 1975 he was inducted into the NAIA National Wrestling Hall of Fame. In 1983 it was the St. Cloud State Hall of Fame. In 1997 he was inducted into the Minnesota State Wrestling Hall of Fame. In 2004 he was inducted again to the St. Cloud State Hall of Fame, this time with the team from 1963. The National Wrestling Hall of Fame honored him in 2005 with the Lifetime Service to Wrestling Award and in 2007 the National Collegiate Wrestling Hall of Fame inducted him.

Hazewinkel’s first National AAU tournament was in 1964 winning his first title in 1966. He won his last National AAU title (Masters Division) in 2004 at age 60, which is a span of forty years. His opponent in the finals was 17 years younger in age.

Founded in 1986, the Northern Intercollegiate Conference (NIC - the former men’s conference) Hall of Fame was established to recognize and honor those who made significant contributions to the conference, to create favorable publicity and public relations for the league and to help preserve the history of the NIC, its member institutions, student-athletes, and other significant individuals affiliated with the league. For the first two inductions (1986 and 1990) each selection hailed from the NIC. In 1992-93, the Northern Sun Conference (NSC - the former women’s conference) and the NIC merged creating the current Northern Sun Intercollegiate Conference (NSIC). After annual inductions since 2000, today’s NSIC Hall of Fame now boasts 149 members and one team.

The 23-member Class of 2000 was the first to include standout female student-athletes in the former NSC. The 2000 inductees entered the Hall at the inaugural NSIC Summer Kickoff Event in Becker, Minn. The distinguished class of 2001 was enshrined in Willmar, Minn., as the conference moved the annual Summer Kickoff Event. This year’s NSIC Hall of Fame includes seven prominent inductees that are being recognized at the 12th annual NSIC Summer Kickoff Event, at its home for the past seven years, in St. Cloud, Minn.

Each NSIC school (who has been a member for at least ten years or more) is asked to submit one candidate per institution for induction into the Hall. Each of the selectees are derived from individuals who have been affiliated with the NSIC, NIC, NSC and their member institutions.

In order to be eligible for the NSIC Hall of Fame, candidates must have made their contributions in the following areas:
1) former student-athletes, 2) administrator/coach, 3) official/supervisor/coordinator, 4) contributor/supporter, and 5) team. Other worthy candidates that do not fall into the above categories are also considered. The conference provides two plaques, one of which will go to the inductee and one to the institution represented. A history of each inductee will be kept in the league office and each institution will prominently display the plaques of their respective NSIC Hall of Fame inductees.