Kevin Dresser brings strong message to hometown

Kevin Dresser returned to Humboldt where it all began last weekend and shared an inspiring message.
Dresser, head wrestling coach at Virginia Tech University who was named National Coach of the Year at the conclusion of the NCAA championships last March, talked about his growth and development as an athlete and coach before a captive audience at R. Wesley Carlson Auditorium on Aug. 6.
Dresser, a 1981 graduate of HHS, was a two-time state high school wrestling champion before heading off to the University of Iowa, where he won a national title for coach Dan Gable and the Hawkeyes in 1986.
A successful high school wrestling coach in Virginia, Dresser got the call to become head coach at VT in April of 2006. Last year the Hokies placed fourth as a team in the NCAA championships, their highest finish in school history.
“When I arrived at the University of Iowa in 1981, they had already won four national titles. After I got there we won five more. And it wasn’t even close. These guys were really good,” Dresser said. “When you are around that many guys who are really good, you learn a lot.”
“Over the years I’ve been really fortunate that I have been able to train and learn from national champions, world champions and Olympic champions,” Dresser said. “When I give speeches on the five things to be great, it comes from stuff that I have learned along the way.”

See full story in the Aug. 11 issue of the Humboldt Independent Newspaper. Subscribe today for print/digital access to the Independent by selecting the link on this page to get started.