GARY KURDELMEIER, 62, FORMER USA WRESTLING EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR, PASSES AWAY  
  
 Gary Kurdelmeier, 62, a former Executive Director of USA Wrestling, passed away October 5 in Pensacola Beach, Fla. He had been ill for the past few months. 
  
 Kurdelmeier served as the top executive for USA Wrestling, the national governing body for the sport in the United States, from 1986-88. He led the organization when it was based in Stillwater, Okla., and organized the move of the company¹s headquarters to Colorado Springs, Colo. in June of 1988. 
  
 Kurdelmeier came to USA Wrestling after a long career at the University of Iowa, where he was a champion athlete and coach, as well as an assistant athletic director. 
  
 He was a two-time NCAA All-American in wrestling for the Univ. of Iowa, and won the NCAA title at 177 pounds in 1958. After his competitive career ended, he became an assistant wrestling coach at Iowa under Dave McCuskey. 
  
 He was the head wrestling coach for the Hawkeyes from 1973-76, and led the team to the NCAA title in 1975 and 1976. He coached 17 All-Americans, 10 Big Ten champions and six NCAA individual champions. Among his NCAA champion athletes were Chris Campbell, who went on to win a World title in 1981 and an Olympic bronze medal in 1992. 
   
 While at Iowa, Kurdelmeier hired Dan Gable, a champion athlete from Iowa State, as an assistant coach for the Hawkeyes. Gable took over the Iowa program from Kurdelmeier in 1977, and Kurdelmeier became an assistant athletic director until he left the university to work for USA Wrestling. 
  
 After leaving USA Wrestling, Kurdelmeier remained active in wrestling. He helped create the wrestling program at Georgia State Univ. in the late 1980¹s, and served as its first head wrestling coach. He was also an active volunteer with wrestling within the state. 
  
 Details and arrangements are pending, and will be posted when available.