March 6, 2011

LEWISBURG, Pa. — Three-time EIWA Champion Dan Hicks of Navy was one of four wrestlers inducted into the EIWA Hall of Fame Sunday evening at Sojka Pavilion on the campus of Bucknell University.  Joining Hicks were James Detrixhe of Lehigh, Bucknell’s Bill Graham and the late Bill Koll of Penn State.

Dan Hicks, Navy ʻ95
Dan Hicks of the U.S. Naval Academy is the only four-time heavyweight finalist in the 107-year history of the EIWA. He is one of just five EIWA heavyweights ever to win three conference titles (1992, ‘94, ‘95), and also one of six Midshipmen to claim three - the only Navy three-time EIWA champion in the last 29 years.

A graduate of Navyʼs Class of 1995, he enjoyed success early and often in his wrestling career. In high school, he was a three-time Oklahoma state champion for Vinita High School before he was honored in 1991 as the outstanding athlete at the Naval Academy Prep School. One year later, he was named to the nation's All-Rookie Team by Amateur Wrestling News after winning his first of three EIWA heavyweight titles, while also placing second as a junior.

He qualified for the national tournament four times and won a total of 10 bouts, highlighted by a 5-2 record as a junior to to place fifth in 1994. Wrestling as the eighth seed, he lost to future two-time Olympian, Kerry McCoy, 3-1, in the second round and among his five wins were three over that yearʼs All-Americans. He finished with 114 -career wins, sixth most in Academy history and seventh in winning percentage.

While a Midshipman, Hicks was twice selected as team captain and was a three-time N-Star winner. Stationed at Camp Lejeune in Jacksonville, N.C. Hicks holds the rank of Major in the United States Marine Corps. He serves as the coach of the All-Marine Wrestling Team based at Camp Lejeune.

James Detrixhe, Lehigh ʼ62
Army Captain James Detrixhe, a native of Bethlehem PA, was killed in Vietnam War combat on February 24, 1966. The incident occurred nine days after being named company commander in the 2nd Battalion of the 8th Cavalry, First Air Cavalry Division. He had been an aide to Gen. John Wright for 18 months before reassignment. Detrixhe entered the Army immediately after graduating from Lehigh University, where he served four years in the ROTC. He served at Fort Benning, GA until 1964, then was transferred to Germany for five months. He returned to Benning before leaving for Vietnam with the Airborne Rangers in 1965.

A cum laude graduate of The Hill School in Pottstown, Jim was president of his senior class and also an outstanding football player. In college, he became co-captain of one of Lehighʼs all-time greatest teams that won six of nine EIWA weight classes in 1962. A two-time EIWA champion who placed 4th nationally at 177, his most famous bout came in December, 1961 in Grace Hall when he beat legendary NCAA champion and future Olympian, Wayne Baughman ("Bockman"), a 3-time NCAA finalist from Oklahoma, 5-3.

An extraordinary wrestler on defense, those points yielded by Detrixhe were three of just five given in his last 14 dual meets.

Jim Detrixhe retired 27-2 in duals, ranking 10th all-time among Lehighʼs best win/loss percentages. His 39-7 career record included 23 wins by shut-out, including his last four bouts at Easterns, as well as vs. four All-Americans from Pitt, Penn State and Oklahoma. In all, the All-American boy defeated seven different All-American wrestlers, three of them NCAA finalists. In his honor, The Captain James B. Detrixhe Memorial Scholarship Fund was initiated at Lehigh and remains in place today.

Bill Graham, Bucknell ʻ62
William Adolphus Graham IV graduated from the William Penn Charter School in 1958 and later studied business management at Bucknell University, where he captained The Bison Wrestling team as a senior during an unbeaten dual meet season. His success in the business world was culminated when he became chairman and chief executive officer of The Graham Company in Philadelphia, one of the nation's largest insurance brokerage firms. Last December, his firm was named by The Philadelphia Business Journal as the 4th-Best Place to Work in Philadelphia among large companies.

As an alumnus, Mr. Graham has committed over $7.7 million to Bison Athletics, including sizeable amounts to help re-instate Bucknell Wrestling and to enhance womenʼs athletics. This included benefits for womenʼs crew and funding to help build a new womenʼs lacrosse and field hockey facility. During his support to save wrestling, he twice invited Dan Gable to campus, to speak on the sportʼs importance. Graham was eventually named University Division Donor of the Year by the National Association of Athletic Development Directors. His successful efforts helped make Bucknell one of the nationʼs first to restore a sport previously dropped due to Title IX compliance issues.

Bill Graham is a resident of Gladwynne, PA and is active in his Bryn Mawr Presbyterian Church, where he once served as trustee. He is currently serving as a member of the Board of Trustees for Bucknell and he recently donated over $2 million to Penn Charter to help transform its activities building, support salary goals for teachers and coaches and to sustain scholarship aid.

Bill Koll - (Penn State 1965-78)
Considered one of the greatest collegiate wrestlers of all-time, Bill Koll is honored today for his 14 distinguished seasons as head coach of Penn State. Coach Koll led the Nittany Lions to six Top Ten NCAA team finishes and posted a best-ever school winning percentage of 85.2. His teams had 127 wins, just 22 losses and seven ties. He coached two men to three national titles, including all-time Lion great, Andy Matter. Kollʼs wrestlers achieved 20 All-American medals won by 14 men and he mentored two of them, Rich Lorenzo, and John Fritz, who succeeded him as head coach.

Bill Koll died in 2003 at age 80.

Kollʼs highest team finish at Nationals was fourth in 1971. He led the Lions to five unbeaten dual meet seasons from 1967-74 with a record 41-match home unbeaten streak from 1969-76. He ranks number one in PSU dual win percentage and is tied with Lorenzo for 2nd-longest coaching tenure, behind Hall of Fame coach Charlie Spiedel, who Koll succeeded.

Wrestling for Northern Iowa, Bill Koll was a dominant, unbeaten collegian. As a freshman, he forfeited his second semester to serve three years with combat engineers in WW II, earning the Bronze Star. He returned to star in a Northern Iowa era which placed Top Four nationally eight straight years, with five Top Two teams. Koll was the first NCAA wrestler to win two Outstanding Wrestling awards and he placed 5th at the 1948 Olympic Games.

Before coaching at Penn State, Bill began at the University of Chicago, moved to Cornell College then returned to Northern Iowa. He was affiliated with two schools which won NCAA team titles during his student or coaching days. While at UNI, he helped inaugurate the NCAA's College Division national tournament and served as tournament director of the first two events in 1963 and '64.


### Go Navy ###