MORRISON, Ill. —
Dan Drosopoulos, former wrestling coach at Morrison High School, will be inducted into the Illinois Wrestling Hall of Fame on Feb. 15 before the quarterfinals of the Illinois high school state tournament in Champaign.
Drosopoulos also will be honored for his contribution to the sport as an athlete and a coach at an honors banquet and program on April 20 in Countryside, Ill.
Drosopoulos came from a sports-oriented family in Savanna, Ill. His father was a boxer and his older brother, Sam, participated in wrestling in high school. Sam was instrumental in encouraging his brother to try wrestling, which he did in sixth grade.
From there, Drosopoulos kept competing and remained in the sport after his days of competition ended.
He wrestled for Augustana College in Rock Island, Ill., winning the College Conference of Illinois and Wisconsin title at 126 pounds in 1974, and competed in the U.S. Olympic Trials in 1972, 1976, 1980 and 1984. His high school coach, Charlie Anderson, served as his coach for his first two Trials, and brother Sam managed his final Trials. He also qualified for the National World Trials in 1976 and 1980 and participated in old-timers wrestling tournaments, too.
His passion for wrestling, along with football and track, led him to his desire to coach.
For 31 years he coached several sports in Morrison, including wrestling, football and Little League.
“A desire to help young people develop into good athletes and therefore good citizens,” was the philosophy he followed.
Even in retirement he can’t stay away from wrestling. He has assisted in clinics for junior and senior high schools, done summer camps and helped coach and practice with high school teams.
Along with the numerous former students and athletes whose lives he has affected, his two sons also followed in his footsteps. Tom wrestled from kindergarten through college and now is the head coach at Illini Bluffs High School in Glasford, Ill., where he also teaches. Matt wrestled from sixth grade through his freshman year in college and now works for the sherriff’s department in Dubuque.
Anyone interested in tickets to the honors banquet and program should contact Drosopoulos at (815) 772-3882 by Feb. 12. Businesses interested in a congratulatory sponsorship may reserve space on the program by contacting Rob Murphy at rmurphy@wilmington.wil.k-12.il.us.
Sports
Related Photos
-
Former Savanna wrestler and Morrison coach Dan Drosopoulos will be inducted into the Illinois Wrestling Hall of Fame during the state tournament. Nancy Gravert/Submitted photo
Discussion
January 31, 2013
Drosopoulos headed to Hall
Induction set for ex-wrestler, coach at state tourney
- Sports
-
-
Rebels win wild walk-off in extras
GOOSE LAKE -- In a game where scoring runs seemed unfathomable, Michael Hartung found himself with an improbable chance to seal victory for Northeast. Setting him up was an errant throw by Maquoketa allowing Cole Dickey to reach second base; a toweri
-
Queens nearly nip Wildcats
CLINTON -- In every conceivable way, there was seemingly no chance Clinton would bounce back from a 12-0 opening loss to Davenport North in Mondya's doubleheader. The first game lasted less than an hour; the Wildcats cranked two home runs in one inni
-
5 L'Kings gearing up for Dayton
CLINTON -- With the Midwest League All Star Game finally here, Clinton will be well represented. Five LumberKing standouts made the 2013 squad: outfielders Dario Pizzano and Jabari Henry, catcher Tyler Marlette and pitchers Dylan Unsworth and Tyler P
-
There's something about Mary for former CHS standout Douglas
Former Clinton High School basketball standout Devan Douglas will continue his basketball career at the University of Mary in North Dakota after two years at Kirkwood Community College.
-
River Kings dump Midland
Clinton's baseball team got back on the winning track Friday, beating Midland 8-1.
- River Bend hires new girls coach FULTON, Ill. -- The River Bend school district has hired a new varsity girls' basketball coach for the 2013-2014 school year. School board members approved the employment of Mike Menchaca for the head coaching position Monday at a special education m
-
Clinton wins with rally
CLINTON -- Comeback mayhem ensues in Clinton. On Tuesday night, it was Brock Hebert's and Tyler Marlette's turns to come up. The LumberKings were down 4-2 to Peoria entering the eighth inning, with all the big hits seeming to come from the other dugo
-
Coach Tyler Howe's professional career ended abruptly, teaching him -- and his players -- to take nothing for granted
GOOSE LAKE -- This game -- whether by a walk-off homer or a game-ending strikeout -- can end in the blink of an eye. True to life. A minor leaguer with the New York Mets franchise, Tyler Howe's career was on the rise in spring 2010. A 2008 draft pick
- Irish lack offense as Lisbon sweeps CLINTON -- Monday night's baseball doubleheader between Prince of Peace and Lisbon was a slow buildup on offense, but the Lions produced more in each game and came away with an 11-3, 10-0 sweep at Ashford University Field. Neither team went down in
-
Bulldogs score big over Clinton
CLINTON -- A deep Bettendorf lineup was on display Monday night in Clinton. During Game 2 of the Mississippi Athletic Conference softball doubleheader between the Bulldogs and River Queens, a 10-run fifth inning was punctuated by a Sarah Kennedy gran
- More Sports Headlines
-
