Object Record
Images
Metadata
Object Name |
Plaque |
Donor |
Eriksen, Estate of Finn B. |
Description |
Wood and copper plaque awarded to Finn Ericksen. The plaque reads "IOWA WRESTLING/HALL OF FAME/FOUNDATION AWARD/TO FINN ERIKSON/FOR HIS CONTRIBUTIONS TO/AMATEUR WRESTLING 1989. Just above the plaque inscription is a metal seal of the Iowa Wrestling Hall of Fame Foundation which depicts two men wrestling. The plaque is rectangular in with two curves in the top corners. The back of the plaque has a manufacturer's sticker that reads "Bruce Fox/New Albany, Indiana" |
Dimensions |
W-13.75 L-17 D-0.5 inches |
Made By |
Fox, Bruce |
Creation Date |
1989 |
Place Of Origin |
USA/INDIANA/NEW ALBANY |
Owned By |
Eriksen, Finn B. |
Used By |
Eriksen, Finn B. |
Material |
wood/copper |
Associated People |
Eriksen, Finn B. |
Search Terms |
Eriksen, Finn B. Iowa Wrestling Hall of Fame amateur wrestling |
Provenance |
Finn B. Eriksen was born Sept. 21, 1904, in Aarhies, Denmark, son of Soren Peter and Mette Marie Thomsen Eriksen. He married Lydia Sorensen in Kimballton, IA on Dec. 23, 1934. Finn immigrated to Kimballton at age 17 and served with the U.S. Navy from 1943 to 1946. He attended Grandview College, then graduated from Iowa State Teacher's College in 1931. He later graduated from Columbia University in New York City the next year. He also attended Oklahoma A&M, the University of Michigan, and the University of Iowa. Finn wrestled for the State Teacher's College (now University of Northern Iowa) for three seasons under Paul Bender and Dave McCuskey. He finished as high as fourth place in the NCAA tournament. While a graduate student at Columbia, he wrestled for the prestigious New York Athletic Club, won the city championship, and was undefeated in all competition in the 135 and 145 pound weight classes. He had a successful coaching career later. Finn began teaching and coaching wrestling in 1932 in New Hampton, IA, and in 1935 at West High School in Waterloo. He was appointed director of health and physical education for the Waterloo Public School System in 1947, where he served until his retirement. He served for 12 years on the National Federation of Wrestling Rules Committee. He was an official and judge at the Olympic Games in Helsinki, Finland. He was elected as a charter member of the Iowa Wrestling Hall of Fame. In 1983, Finn was inducted into the National Wrestling Association Hall of Fame in Stillwater, OK. Finn died in 1992. ____________________________ Object included in the exhibition "Sports for Sports' Sake: Athletes and Ethnicity in Danish America" from April 23, 2016-September 4, 2017. |
Date Received by Museum |
06/18/1999 |
Images |
043\1999029006.JPG |
Accession number |
1999.029 |
Object Identification Number |
1999.029.006 |