EAU CLAIRE, Wis. (Blugolds.com) - The UW-Eau Claire Blugold Wrestling will be hosting their third and final home event of the season Saturday. However, this specific tournament is not like many others. In years past, UW-Eau Claire has held the event under the name Blugold Open but this year, that has changed. The tournament will now be known as the Don Parker Open in honor of the famous UWEC head coach.
Don Parker served as the head coach of the Blugolds from 1977-2009 where he coached over 450 dual meets. He also coached one national champion, 13 All-Americans, and 15 conference champions in his time at the university. Under Parker, the Blugolds had their best finishes in program history in the Wisconsin Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (WIAC), taking third place in 2001 and 2003.
His personal accolades are many, including WIAC Coach of the Year in 2000, an induction into the Glen Brand Wrestling Hall of Fame of Iowa in 2007, and an induction into the NCAA Division III Coaches Association Hall of Fame in 2000. In August of 2014, Parker was inducted into the National Wrestling Hall of Fame and awarded the Medal of Courage.
An accident in 1998 causing a severe spinal cord injury left Parker confined to a wheelchair but he continued to coach as well as teach in the UWEC Kinesiology department until his retirement. Along with his commitment to wrestling, Coach Parker was an assistant coach for the Blugold Football team from 1977-1988.
The Don Parker Open will begin at 9.m. in the McPhee Physical Education Center.
-MRW-
