New legends of Iowa wrestling enter the Glen Brand Wrestling Hall of Fame each year. The hall is named for former Iowa State star Glen Brand, 1948 Olympic champion.

An enthusiastic group of fans came to Waterloo the weekend of July 10-11 for the 11^th annual inductions into the George Tragos/Lou Thesz Professional Wrestling Hall of Fame – and to see firsthand how the museum has recovered from the devastating flood of 2008.

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Some ten weeks after being devastated by the worst flood in Iowa history, the Dan Gable International Wrestling Institute and Museum is working very hard to get back on its feet.

“It's a long, somewhat painful process,” said Mike Chapman, executive director since the museum's inception over 11 years ago. “With each passing week, we realize even more poignantly the extant of the tragedy, and also how important the museum is to thousands of wrestling fans across the nation.”

Chapman said donations have come in at a steady pace, ranging in size from $10 to $10,000. “The donations have cut through all social strata, and have been a tremendous boost to our plans.”

The museum moved to Waterloo from Newton, Iowa, and had its grand opening on January 9, 2007. Over $770,000 was spent on the renovation of the building.

“We received rave reviews from everyone who saw it,” said Chapman. “People just couldn't believe how beautiful this facility was.”

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The Golf Tournament is a fundraiser for the museum intended to give the community a chance to meet some celebrities from the entertainment and sports worlds. It is open to the public any level of golfer is welcome. The debut tournament featured six Olympic champions and former world heavyweight professional champions Lou Thesz and Verne Gagne -- along with former movie Tarzan Denny Miller, who also starred in the very popular "Wagon Train" television series.

Each year wrestlers of outstanding merit are inducted into the George Tragos/Lou Thesz Hall of Fame.

On April 3, 1908, Frank Gotch won the world heavyweight wrestling championship by defeating George Hackenschmidt in Chicago. The victory made Gotch an international sports hero and was the seminal moment in the history of professional wrestling, changing the dominant style from Greco-Roman to "catch-as-catch-can." His victory also helped wrestling become a scholastic sport and was the starting point for the great wrestling tradition in the State of Iowa.