Rick Lawinger, 67, Wisconsin's first NCAA champion, has passed away
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by Assorted Sources
Rick Lawinger, 67, Wisconsin's first NCAA champion, has passed away. Lawinger was the NCAA champion in 1974 at 142 pounds, the first in Badger wrestling history.
He was a two-time All-American, with a NCAA runner-up finish at 150 pounds in 1973. Lawinger also won two Big Ten titles. He was a 1970 Wisconsin state high school champion and has been inducted into the Wisconsin Wrestling Hall of Fame.
From Wisconsin Wrestling Twitter
The Badger Wrestling family is sad to announce the passing of 1974 NCAA champion Rick Lawinger. Lawinger was UW's first NCAA champion, a two-time Big Ten champion, and member of the UW Athletic Hall of Fame.
Madison.com: Rick Lawinger, Badgers' first NCAA wrestling champion, dies
by Todd D. Milewski
Rick Lawinger, who was the first University of Wisconsin wrestler to win an NCAA championship and then became a respected high school coach, died Tuesday. He was 67.
Rick Lawinger mug
Lawinger recently suffered complications from heart surgery, his friend and former Badgers coach Duane Kleven said.
A member of both the UW Athletics Hall of Fame and the Wisconsin Wrestling Coaches Association Hall of Fame, Lawinger followed his competitive wrestling career by coaching at River Valley High School from 1974 to 1980.
He came to UW with the goal of becoming the wrestling program's first national champion, said Kleven, who tried to recruit Lawinger to UW-Oshkosh but then coached him with the Badgers after taking over for late coach George Martin.
Click for full Madison.com article
UWBadgers.com: 2016 Hall of Fame: Rick Lawinger
by Mike Lucas
The prospect of becoming Wisconsin's first national champion in wrestling never crossed Rick Lawinger's mind. Not even close. Not while growing up on a dairy farm south of Mineral Point.
Truth is, he didn't pay attention to sports, any sports, let alone wrestling. And he wasn't even sure that he would go on to college. No one in his family had.
Lawinger was too busy with chores and milking cows with his brothers to think about anything that might distract him from the work at hand. And there was always plenty of work around the farm.
Click for entire UWBadgers.com story
UW Athletic Hall of Fame: Rick Lawinger bio
He was a two-time All-American, with a NCAA runner-up finish at 150 pounds in 1973. Lawinger also won two Big Ten titles. He was a 1970 Wisconsin state high school champion and has been inducted into the Wisconsin Wrestling Hall of Fame.
From Wisconsin Wrestling Twitter
The Badger Wrestling family is sad to announce the passing of 1974 NCAA champion Rick Lawinger. Lawinger was UW's first NCAA champion, a two-time Big Ten champion, and member of the UW Athletic Hall of Fame.
Madison.com: Rick Lawinger, Badgers' first NCAA wrestling champion, dies
by Todd D. Milewski
Rick Lawinger, who was the first University of Wisconsin wrestler to win an NCAA championship and then became a respected high school coach, died Tuesday. He was 67.
Rick Lawinger mug
Lawinger recently suffered complications from heart surgery, his friend and former Badgers coach Duane Kleven said.
A member of both the UW Athletics Hall of Fame and the Wisconsin Wrestling Coaches Association Hall of Fame, Lawinger followed his competitive wrestling career by coaching at River Valley High School from 1974 to 1980.
He came to UW with the goal of becoming the wrestling program's first national champion, said Kleven, who tried to recruit Lawinger to UW-Oshkosh but then coached him with the Badgers after taking over for late coach George Martin.
Click for full Madison.com article
UWBadgers.com: 2016 Hall of Fame: Rick Lawinger
by Mike Lucas
The prospect of becoming Wisconsin's first national champion in wrestling never crossed Rick Lawinger's mind. Not even close. Not while growing up on a dairy farm south of Mineral Point.
Truth is, he didn't pay attention to sports, any sports, let alone wrestling. And he wasn't even sure that he would go on to college. No one in his family had.
Lawinger was too busy with chores and milking cows with his brothers to think about anything that might distract him from the work at hand. And there was always plenty of work around the farm.
Click for entire UWBadgers.com story
UW Athletic Hall of Fame: Rick Lawinger bio
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