Today is the birthday of Bucky Maughan, who’s been coaching wrestling at NDSU since 1964. He’s a legend in American wrestling circles, both as a coach and as a wrestler himself.

Maughan is only the second wrestler in the sport’s history to win two national titles in one year; he was national NAIA champion in 1963 at 123-pounds and was also that year’s NCAA Division I champ at 115 pounds. He also won the NAIA national champion the year before at 123 pounds. Along with two of his former wrestlers, Maughan was inducted into the Division II Wrestling Hall of Fame in 1997, and in 2003, he was inducted into the National Wrestling Hall of Fame.

As the second wrestling coach NDSU has ever had, Maughan has taken the Thundering Herd to four NCAA national titles... in 1988, 1998, 2000 and 2001. The team has recorded 35 consecutive winning seasons, has finished in the nation’s top-ten 31 times, and won nine straight conference titles from 1982 to 1990 – that’s the second longest championship streak in any sport in the Conference’s history.

Happy birthday to one of North Dakota’s winningest wrestlers, Bucky Maughan!

 

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