Hall of Fame
A couple of decades ago, an outstanding wrestler from Edwardsville (Ill.) High School was recruited by the university. While competing on the high school level, he had qualified for the state tournament three years in a row. He finished sixth one time. When he had finished his career at the prep level, Mr. Alexander had more than 120 victories and had never lost a match to archrival Granite City. In his first season as a Bulldog in 1966-67 he compiled a record of 11-1-1 in dual matches. Alex, as he was called by many, compiled a brilliant 25-6-1 record as a sophomore and was named as the MVP of the MIAA conference tournament. Then in the NCAA College Division tournament (although he was unseeded) he captured five matches to win the 115-pound flight. He took the championship bout with a 2-1 overtime victory and is still the only Bulldog wrestler to capture a weight class at the national tournament. He was also the first wrestler from a Missouri college or university to capture a national title. Mr. Alexander compiled a spotless 8-0-0 that season against 115-pound opponents and helped the team finish 12th. Incidentally, he appeared on the front cover of the 1969 NCAA Wrestling Guide. As a junior Mr. Alexander was 19-4 losing in the quarterfinals of the NCAA tournament that season. However he set a new school record for regular season takedowns (30) and repeated as MIAA champion. In his senior campaign he was 16-6-3 helping the Bulldogs finish first in the MIAA and 22nd in the NCAA tournament. As an upperclassman, he compiled a 60-16-4 record and won 18 matches by a fall. After graduation in 1971 he moved to Grand Rapids, Mich. where he was wrestling coach for seven years at West Middle Junior High School and assistant wrestling coach for four years at Union High School. He also taught industrial education before going into the construction business in the Grand Rapids area. In 1982 Mr. Alexander was inducted into the Hall of Fame at his high school in Edwardsville.
