1. Central Dewitt Hall of Fame Induction Class 2015
Randy Steward
Central Dewitt Hall of Fame
Induction Class 2015

2. Inducted for Outstanding Contributions as a distinguished graduate of Central High School

3. Biography
1978 graduate Randy Steward is one of the premier collegiate wrestling coaches in the country. He was a HS Captain and 2X State Qualifier for Central, placing 3rd in He wrestled on the Iowa National Freestyle/Greco teams, placing 3rd in Greco. At Cornell College he was a 4X Letterman, team Co-Captain, 2X Conference Champion and 4X National Qualifier. He took over the Loras program in 1993 and is the all-time leader in Dual Meet Wins. He has coached 6 teams to National top 11 finishes, 64 National Qualifiers, 35 All-Americans, 15 Academic All-Americans and 3 National Champions. He has been an Iowa Conference Coach of the Year 4X.

4. Article from the Observer
Randy Steward remembers what it was like being the “little guy.” In junior high, he was 85 pounds and not big enough to play football or basketball. That was before he discovered wrestling; when he realized a person could put a limitless amount of time and effort into something and see a lot of improvement. As an eighth-grader, Steward joined the wrestling team and by the end of the year he knew he had found his niche his passion. Thirty years later, he still loves the sport and has made a career of teaching young athletes how to love it and how to use it to motivate themselves to become better people on and off the mat. The 1978 Central graduate initially became a coach, as it seemed a natural progression and a way to stay close to the sport. Steward attended Cornell College in Mount Vernon where he majored in physical education, grades K-12, minored in history with a concentration in business and was co-captain of the wrestling team. After graduating in 1982, he obtained his masters in education from Northwest Missouri State University in Maryville, Mo.

5. The Observer (cont.)
He was a graduate assistant wrestling coach and activities instructor at Northwest Missouri State 1984 to Steward then became the director of the Suncoast Wrestling Club and the head wrestling coach and health and physical education instructor at Dixie Collins High School in St. Petersburg, Fla. At Dixie Collins, Steward’s teams had a three-year record of 36 wins and 11 losses and finished ninth and sixth at the state level. There, he coached 14 state qualifiers and five state placers, which included one state champion. He was the director at Lafayette Takedown Club in Lafayette, Ga., 1989 through 1991 and head wrestling coach and in-school suspension coordinator at Lafayette High School 1989 to His team had a record of and Steward coached five state qualifiers, including one runner-up. In 1990, he worked as the assistant director of the Adams City Wrestling Club and was the head wrestling coach and health and physical education instructor at Adams City High School in Commerce City, Colo., for one year.

6. The Observer (cont.)
In 1991 through 1993, Steward worked as the athletic and activity director and head wrestling coach at Ellsworth Community College in Iowa Falls. There, his wrestlers were Central District Team Champions and he coached nine National Junior College Athletic Association qualifiers, four All- Americans and one of his teams finished sixth in the nation. Steward made his next career move to Loras College in Dubuque, where he was initially hired as an assistant professor of physical education from 1993 through He was also the assistant director of the NCAA DIII wrestling championships in 2004 and He still calls Loras home, where since 1993 he has been the head wrestling coach. His achievements there include having the most dual wins in the school’s history. His team has ranked in the top 11 in the nation six times, the top times and the top times. Steward has coached 35 All Americans, three national champions, 64 national qualifiers and 14 Academic All Americans. He is a four-time Iowa Conference Coach of the Year and was named Central Region Coach of the Year in 2014.

7. The observer (cont.)
Other accolades Steward has received both as a wrestler and coach include being a four-time NCAA DIII wrestling qualifier and a four-year varsity letter winner 1978 through He was named the Pinellas County Coach of the Year in the spring of 1988, Certified Bronze Wrestling Coach in 1990 and Central District Coach of the Year in the spring of Those who know him say Steward is much more than just a coach to his wrestlers. He genuinely wants to see them succeed athletically and academically. “He has a relationship with the kids that never goes away,” says his long time friend and 1977 Central graduate Rob McReynolds. “He’s always been someone who is near and dear to my heart. He’s been my best friend for years and is just a great man.” Kevin Azinger, a 1982 graduate of Central, has known Steward for more than 40 years. Azinger credits Steward for motivating him on the mat. He not only made Azinger and many of his teammates want to wrestle, he made them want to do it in a way that would take down their opponents and bring Central fans to their feet. “The excitement he generated by throwing his ‘patented’ left-handed headlock for a pin would whip the Saber faithful into a frenzy and inspire us to work even harder in practices to become like Randy,” Azinger recalls. “He was a tremendous role model.”

8. Induction speech
Inducted for Outstanding Contributions as a Distinguished 1978 graduate Randy Steward was an outstanding student-athlete and leader for the Sabers. Since that time he has made his mark at the collegiate ranks as one of the nations most respected college wrestling coaches. For the past 23 years he has led the Loras DuHawks to become one of the premier Division III wrestling programs as their Head Wrestling Coach. In high school, Randy was the Vice President of the Student Council as a senior. As a wrestler, he was a team Captain both his junior and senior seasons and was undefeated in the conference while competing at the high school for what was then just 3 years. He was named the Captain for the All-Conference team his senior year and was a State Wrestling Qualifier as a junior while placing 3rd as a senior. He competed on the Iowa National Freestyle and Greco teams as a junior and senior, compiling a 6-2 record in Freestyle, while placing 3rd in Greco as a senior. He will also tell you he is quite proud of the Presidential Physical Fitness award he finally earned as a senior at Central, doing 28 pull-ups in the process! As a collegiate wrestler for the Cornell Rams he was a 4-year Letterman and team Co-Captain. He won 2 Conference Championships, 73 career matches and was a 4X National Qualifier. He still holds a top 10 record for Career Pins. He graduated with

9. Speech (cont.) & video
a Bachelor of Special Studies in 1982 and went on to earn his Master’s degree from Northwest Missouri State University in While there he served as a Graduate Assistant wresting coach, later working as a high school or club coach for various institutions before becoming the Athletic Director and Head Wrestling Coach at Ellsworth Community College for 3 seasons starting in He became the Head Wrestling coach and Assistant Professor of Physical Education at Loras College in 1993 and has since became the all-time leader in Dual Meet Wins. He has coached teams to National top 16 finishes 12X and top 11, 6X, finishing 7th in He has coached 64 National Qualifiers, 35 All-Americans and 3 National Champions. Randy was selected as the Iowa Conference Coach of the Year 4X and Central Region Coach of the Year in His teams have finished runner- up in the Iowa Conference 4X and has coached 15 Academic All-Americans and finished 6X in the top 20 in the NCAA Division III Scholar Team Competition. He is a member of USA Wrestling, Iowa Wrestling Coaches Association, Division III and National Wresting Coaches Association while serving as the Division III VP and President from He is a NWCA Board member, NCAA Seeding Representative and Chairman of the Iowa Conference Wrestling Coaches. He is a Silver Level certified USA wrestling

10. Speech (cont.) & video
coach and has served as a clinician and speaker at various clinics and conventions around the country throughout his career. He resides in Dubuque with his two children Jake and Helen. Please help me welcome the newest member of the Central DeWitt High School Hall of Fame, inductee… Randy Steward.