Gloria Rice, wife of University of Minnesota wrestling legend, Olympic athlete and Olympic coach Alan Rice, died unexpectedly Saturday, Sept. 1, at her home in St. Paul, Minn. She was 74.    A valuable asset to the Twin Cites metro area, the state of Minnesota and beyond, Gloria led a life of unparalleled distinction, making a name for herself with her tireless work in the community, the church and, most notably, with amateur wrestling. Although her husband of 44 years, Alan, garnered the lion1s share of attention for his accomplishments in the amateur wrestling arena, Gloria was a major behind-the-scenes contributor for the advancement of the sport. With the help of efforts such as hers, the United States wrestling program has gained greatness on the national and international stages.    An early and great supporter of amateur wrestling, Gloria played a vital role in the prominence of the highly-successful Gopher Wrestling Club (formerly the Minnesota Amateur Wrestling Club) which has placed at least one Greco-Roman wrestler on every U.S. Olympic or World Championship team since 1964 (believed to be a world record).    In addition, Gloria was the first woman to learn and understand the complicated "pairing" system used by the Europeans to determine the order in which tournament matches were to be conducted. She taught other women to master the complicated activity, and today it would be hard to imagine amateur wrestling managing the huge tournament schedules without the assistance of the pairers. Gloria was largely credited with helping the U.S. to earn a silver medal at the 1971 World Championships, when she was able to alert the U.S. officials to a questionable rules interpretation. The official interpretation, if allowed, would have caused an incorrect and detrimental "pairing" for the U.S. team. Her efforts enabled the officials to get the situation corrected and helped the U.S. to the silver medal.    With Alan, a longtime coach of national and international U.S. squads, Gloria traveled the globe to Olympic Games and World Championships in such places as Russia, Romania, Bulgaria, Poland, Sweden, Norway, England, Italy, Equador, Mexico, Argentina and Canada.    Outside of the world of amateur wrestling, Gloria was also active as a civic volunteer and in the church. She served for years on the Board of Directors of the Desnoyer Park Association and was the Association's President in 1993. For her work in the community, she was named the 1993 St. Paul Volunteer of the Year. Gloria also worked at her church in nearly every office or position that a volunteer can fill, including 17 years as a Sunday school teacher and over 25 years as treasurer.    A true sports fan, especially of Minnesota's professional teams, Gloria simultaneously watched both the Twins' and Vikings' victories in the evening prior to her passing.    Born Gloria Marra in Minneapolis on July 31, 1927, Gloria was valedictorian of her class at Washburn High School in 1945 and a 1950 graduate of the University of Minnesota.    In accordance with Gloria's longstanding wishes, no memorial service is planned.    She is survived by husband Alan of St. Paul, Minn. A member of the National Wrestling Hall of Fame, the University of Minnesota *M1 Club Hall of Fame, the Minnesota Wrestling Hall of Fame and the Helms Hall of Fame, Alan excelled in freestyle and Greco-Roman wrestling as both an athlete and a coach. As a wrestler, Alan was a two-time state champion in high school and captured two Big Ten titles at Minnesota in 1948 and '49. He also became Gold Country1s 10th All-American with his fourth-place finish at the 1949 NCAA tournament.     Upon graduating in 1950, Alan embarked on his international career, competing at the Pan American Games, the World Championships and the 1956 Olympics. He finished fifth in freestyle at the 1954 World Championships and fifth at the Olympics in Greco-Roman. Alan claimed national AAU championships in both freestyle and Greco-Roman in 1956. In 1972, Alan served as coach for the U.S. Greco-Roman Olympic team.    A significant contributor to the University of Minnesota wrestling program, Alan is currently continuing a major fundraising effort for the Gopher Wrestling Club he started with Gloria.    Memorials can be sent to the Gopher Wrestling Club at 510 North Mississippi River Blvd, St. Paul, MN 55104