Legendary Wrestling Head Coach Grady Peninger Passes Away at 97
11/1/2024 11:03:00 AM | Wrestling
Share:
EAST LANSING, Mich. – Legendary Michigan State head wrestling coach Grady Peninger passed away on Thursday, October 31 at 97 years old (1927-2024).
Peninger's name will forever be linked with greatness, becoming the first coach in Big Ten history to win seven consecutive conference titles in any sport (1966-72) and the first Big Ten wrestling program to win a national title in 1967. His 1967 Spartans were the only team outside the states of Oklahoma or Iowa to win a national championship in wrestling over a 33-year span from 1954 to 1987. Additionally, Peninger was the first coach to take a team to Oklahoma, wrestle both the Oklahoma State Cowboys and the Oklahoma Sooners, and go home undefeated.
"Grady Peninger is one of the all-time great coaches in our sport," said Michigan State head wrestling coach Roger Chandler. "The impact he had on Michigan State and Michigan State wrestling is second to none and he will forever be etched in our history books."
MSU won the 1967 National Championship with 74 team points, 11 ahead of runner-up Michigan.
"Before this year no team except one of the big three ever dreamed of winning the National Championship, but now it doesn't look as impossible as it used to," said Peninger to SI.
During his tenure from 1963-1986, Michigan State was a mainstay on the national scene placing in the top five at the NCAA Championships on six occasions. As head coach, his wrestlers earned 10 NCAA titles, 40 Big Ten titles and All-America honors 54 times. Peninger was inducted in the U.S. Wrestling Hall of Fame in 1987, the State of Michigan Wrestling Hall of Fame in 1991 and the Michigan State Athletics Hall of Fame in 2007. He also served as President of the National Wrestling Coaches Association and while a member of the NCAA rules committee, was instrumental in expanding the tournament consolation format in 1986 to include more wrestlers.
Peninger coached a slew of Michigan State wrestlers that made program and Big Ten Conference history, as Greg Johnson was the first three-time NCAA Champion from a Big Ten school and Pat Milkovich was the first four-time NCAA finalist in the Big Ten. Tom Milkovich was also the first MSU wrestler to be a four-time Big Ten champion. Another of his successful wrestlers was Don Behm, who was an Olympic silver medalist.
"You know, they say if you recruit enough good kids, it makes you a good coach, and I was lucky to have so many good young men wrestle at MSU," said Peninger when he was inducted into the Michigan State Athletics Hall of Fame in 2007. "You work hard all of your life, and then something like this comes along, and it really makes you appreciate it that much more."
A native of Weleetka, Oklahoma, Peninger arrived in East Lansing in 1960 as assistant coach and eventual successor to 32-year head coach Fendley Collins. At the conclusion of his coaching career, Peninger was and remains the winningest head coach in program history with a record of 213-113. In his first season as Michigan State head coach, Peninger was named the Rookie Coach of the Year by Amateur Wrestling News. Peninger was voted as the 1967 Coach of the Year by the National Wrestling Coaches Association and the 1968 Man of the Year by National Wrestling Coaches.
Grady Peninger (center) at the 2018-19 Wrestling alumni dual
Before coming to East Lansing, Peninger was the head wrestling coach at Ponca City High School in Ponca City, Oklahoma, where he compiled a 64-14-4 overall record from 1952-60. Under Peninger, PCHS won three team state championships and two runner-up awards. Peninger was the coach of the Ponca City Junior High School from 1951-52. He began his coaching career as the freshman coach at Oklahoma A&M (currently Oklahoma State) in 1950.
After a two-year stint in the Navy, he enrolled at Oklahoma A&M, placing as an Olympic alternate in 1948 and as an NCAA finalist a year later. Peninger was an NCAA finalist and earned All-American accolades in 1949 as runner-up at 121 pounds. He went undefeated in dual meet competitions from 1946-50. He registered a 15-3 record with five falls helping Oklahoma A&M go 35-0 during his four years and part of their school-record 76-match overall winning streak. He also played a role in the school-record for longest home winning streak, as he was head coach of Michigan State when the Spartans snapped OSU's home win streak at 56 matches on Jan. 20, 1967 with a 14-14 tie.
Peninger was the recipient of the 1998 Gallagher Award from Oklahoma State wrestling. The award, given annually to an OSU alumnus who has exemplified the spirit and leadership eminent in the tradition of champions.
Peninger was an Oklahoma High School State Champion at 103 pounds, and won two NAAU National Championships at 115 pounds in 1945 and '47, and was runner-up in 1948 at 115 pounds and 1949 at 121 pounds.
Grady Peninger with Scott Skiles at the 2007 Michigan State Athletics Hall of Fame Induction
