Garth Lappin, educator and top wrestler

Garth Lappin was a Gophers wrestling standout who went on to coach at Anoka High School in the 1950s and to become a tireless promoter of youth wrestling as it took hold in Minnesota.

He also refereed and was inducted into the Minnesota chapter of the National Wrestling Hall of Fame for his lifetime of service.

As a member of the U.S. Olympic wrestling committee, Lappin brought many wrestling events to Anoka High School, including the 1972 Olympic trials, of which he was tournament director. That year, three NCAA collegiate champions, Dan Gable, Ben Peterson and Wayne Wells, won the trials and gold medals in the Munich games.

Lappin, 89, died of pneumonia Sept. 20 in a Wayzata care facility, said his son, Terrance Lappin of Minneapolis.

"He touched a lot of lives," said Spencer Yohe, president of the hall's Minnesota chapter. "He had a tremendous impact on Minnesota wrestling."

Alan Rice and Vern Gagne were University of Minnesota teammates of Lappin, a World War II Navy veteran who was twice a Big 10 champ and a national title contender. "He was a great competitor," said Rice, of St. Paul. "He was an example of the good sportsman for the kids he coached and taught."

Lappin helped start Anoka's strong wrestling tradition, said Rice. During his nine years as Anoka's coach in the 1950s, Lappin had two state championship teams, 16 individual champs and a team record of 102-17. He is also in the state coaches Hall of Fame.

After his Anoka coaching, Lappin was chosen as the principal who opened both the junior high (1957) and high school (1963) in Coon Rapids, said Anoka-Hennepin School District spokeswoman Mary Olson. She said Lappin was an enthusiastic, caring person who retired as director of secondary curriculum in 1985. He liked to talk about the silence and loons he enjoyed at his lakeside cabin in northern Minnesota, she said.

Lappin also refereed college and high school meets and helped found the first metro Wrestling Officials Association, said Don Meyers, a former referee and Fridley High School coach. He said Lappin was an articulate, unassuming man who "understood people very well and was eager to listen."

"He was very quiet, but a fierce competitor, and would work his tail off on any task that he had," Meyers said. "He was a mild-mannered Clark Kent, a man of steel underneath."