* Former USA Wrestling President is member of Wrestling Hall of Fame    EVANSTON, Ill. -- Ken Kraft, a Northwestern University student-athlete, head coach and athletic administrator, has announced that he will retire from the school's Department of Athletics and Recreation at the end of June this year.     Kraft, who enrolled at the University in the fall of 1953, has been associated with Northwestern for 50-plus years. His name will long be synonymous with Wildcat athletics, especially its wrestling program. On Wednesday, it was announced he would be inducted into the school's Athletic Hall of Fame next month. In 1997, Kraft was inducted into the National Wrestling Hall of Fame.     "You'd be hard-pressed to find a more passionate individual about Northwestern's athletic program," said Mark Murphy, NU's director of athletics. "His dedication to this school, the athletic department and specifically the wrestling program, is unmatched. On behalf of the numerous student-athletes, coaches, staff and administrators he has worked with, I'd like to thank Ken for his long and successful tenure, and his loyalty to Northwestern."     Kraft's most significant contribution to the wrestling program was the founding of The Midlands Championships, the king of open wrestling tournaments, which has been held the past 41 years between Christmas and New Year's Day at NU's Welsh-Ryan Arena. He will continue to serve as the tournament's director for an undetermined length of time. For his contributions to Northwestern, and specifically the wrestling program, a new wrestling facility is currently being built, which will bear his name, the "Ken Kraft Wrestling Complex."     "I feel fortunate to have been able to work with Ken this year," said Murphy. "He has been so helpful to me -- there is no one who knows more about Northwestern athletics than Ken. We wish him the best in retirement and are pleased that he will continue to be involved with the Midlands tournament."     Kraft became Northwestern's head wrestling coach in 1957, at the age of 22, after a Wildcat career that included a 38-7-2 individual record (the fifth-best winning percentage in school history) and a Big Ten title at the 167-pound weight class. He built the wrestling program into a viable national program and kept the Wildcats among the elite throughout his 22 years at the helm.     In 1960, he coached his brother Art to the NCAA Championship, a feat unmatched for 34 years. Art Kraft went on to become one of the nation's outstanding junior college coaches and was a 1990 inductee into Northwestern's Hall of Fame. Ken produced another national champion in Mark Massery and coached 11 conference champions and 14 All-Americans.     He left an indelible mark on the sport in 1963, when he founded the Midlands, a tournament destined to become America's favorite holiday wrestling event. Over four decades, it has attracted almost every noteworthy American wrestler.     Part of the organizing committee of USA Wrestling, Kraft served on its board of directors from 1965 to 1980, with two terms as president. In 1976, he presided over the dedication of the National Wrestling Hall of Fame, and was USA Wrestling's Man of the Year. Kraft also helped found the Mayor Daley Youth Foundation wrestling program, now the Wildcat Wrestling Club.     In 1970, he directed the NCAA Championships at Northwestern. He was USA team leader to the 1971 World Championships. Kraft has written numerous articles, an instructional text, Mastering Wrestling, and has been a television commentator for NCAA meets, Olympics, as well as numerous conference and regional events. He served as an ABC commentator during the 1972 and '76 Olympics, and for NBC during the 1980 Olympics.     Following his retirement as wrestling coach in 1979, Kraft became an associate athletic director under John Pont, then the director of athletics. He would continue in that capacity, eventually as a senior associate athletic director, for athletic directors Doug Single, Bruce Corrie, Bill Foster, Rick Taylor and now Murphy.     During his 25-year tenure as an administrator, Kraft has been responsible for the supervision, coordination, evaluation and execution of the department's intercollegiate program. When he moved into administration in 1979, he first oversaw facilities and public affairs (now external affairs).     "It's been a wonderful, exciting and challenging time and I wouldn't trade it for anything," said Kraft. "Being at Northwestern for these many years and working with our students has been a special experience."     The Galt, Ill. native earned his bachelor's degree in physical education from Northwestern in 1957. While coaching, he earned a master's degree in education administration in 1959.     Kraft and his wife, Marjo, have two daughters, Sherry and Jill, and reside in Evanston.