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Olympian and past SIUE head coach Larry Kristoff named to St. Louis Sports Hall of Fame

by SIUE Athletics

Graphic of Larry Kristoff courtesy of SIUE Athletics


EDWARDSVILLE, Ill. – Larry Kristoff was named to the St. Louis Sports Hall of Fame with the enshrinement set for February 7.


The talented and diverse Class of 2022 will be inducted at its annual Hall of Fame Enshrinement Dinner on Monday, Feb. 7, at Gateway Classic Cars in O'Fallon, Illinois.


Larry Kristoff built SIUE wrestling into an NCAA Division II powerhouse that includes three consecutive national championships in 1984, 1985, and 1986. SIUE finished in the top 10 nationally 18 times under Kristoff who spent 30 seasons as the team's head coach. With Kristoff's direction, SIUE posted 111 NCAA Division II All-Americans, including 18 national champions and 11 NCAA Division I All-Americans.

Editor’s Note: Kristoff was one of the nation’s best heavyweight freestyle wrestlers, and was elected as a Distinguished Member of the National Wrestling Hall of Fame in 2007. Kristoff competed in the 1964 and 1968 Olympic Games. He won Senior World medals five times, with silvers in 1966, 1969 and 1970, and bronzes in 1965 and 1967.

Larry Kristoff National Wrestling Hall of Fame biography


St. Louis Hall of Fame Executive Director Tim Moore said ticket distribution information and additional enshrinement ceremony details will be announced at a later date. Cost to attend the event is $90 per person or $720 for a table of eight individuals. More than 300 sports fans attended the 2020 festivities in February and another sizeable crowd is expected. Contact Tim Moore at (618) 558-4861 or at tmoore@stlshof.com for more information. The new Hall of Fame class honored by the Selection Committee and Board of Directors includes:


Morris Bradshaw, Edwardsville, football;

Greg DeCourcey, Alton, baseball;

Tom Jager, Collinsville, swimming;

Terry Hanson, East St. Louis, sports administration;
Larry Kristoff, SIUE, wrestling;

Bennie Lewis, East St. Louis, basketball;

Nancy Kassebaum Metcalf, Belleville East, softball and basketball;

Amy Rakers Fogle, Belleville West, basketball'

Larry Wilcox, East St. Louis, football;

Wayne Wirz, Highland, baseball.


The St. Louis Sports Hall of Fame has been in existence since 2009 when Greg Marecek founded the HOF. The mission of the HOF is to preserve the history of sports in the St. Louis metropolitan area. The St. Louis Sports Hall of Fame has honored more than 300 administrators, athletes, coaches, media and teams for their contributions to the local sports history.


For further information on the St. Louis Sports Hall of Fame, please visit the website at stlshof.com