Leslie Albert Anderson (1938-2012)

ANDERSON, THOMPSON, LARSON, BEELER, FLYNN, BERNLOEHR, VIERS

Posted By: Mark Christitan
Date: 11/18/2012 at 18:29:02

From Chet Ryan Mortuary obituary, Nevada, Story County, Iowa:

Leslie Albert Anderson
March 13, 1938 - November 9, 2012

Leslie Albert Anderson of Nevada passed away at the Israel Family Hospice House in Ames on Friday, November 9, 2012 at the age of 74. Funeral services will be held 2:00 p.m. on Tuesday, November 13 at the Memorial Lutheran Church, 701 11th Street in Nevada. Burial will follow in the Nevada Municipal Cemetery.

Les was a beloved husband, father, grandfather, great-grandfather, friend and mentor.

A native of Clarion, Iowa, Les earned his BS & MS at Iowa State University. Known for his wrestling & teaching skills, his athletic career began as a State wrestling Champion at Clarion High School. He continued as a three time All-American and two time National Champion (1958 & 1960) for Dr. Harold Nichols at Iowa State. Les also competed at the World level and was a member of the 1960 Olympic Team as 1st alternate.

Les began his teaching and coaching career at Blue Earth High School in Minnesota. In 1964, Dr. Nichols asked Les to return to Iowa State to be his Assistant & mat coach. In the next 10 years, Coaches Nichols & Anderson won 5 NCAA team titles & 3 second place finishes, establishing ISU as a wrestling power. In 1974 Les became the Head Coach at the University of Washington. Les returned to Iowa State in 1979 and remained as Head Assistant & mat coach until 1992. During this stint, he helped guide ISU to another National Title in 1987. From 1992 to 1994 he became the Compliance Officer for the ISU Athletic Dept. In 1994 & 1995 Les accepted the challenge of building an Olympic Wrestling program for Great Britain. In 1995 & 1996 he returned to teach and coach in Colorado. In 1996 he became National Sales Manager for NGE, working with dealers and promoting wrestling equipment and supplies.

Les was directly involved in all but one of ISU's National wrestling titles. He trained and mentored over 100 All-Americans, National Champions, World Champions and Olympic Medalists. In 2008 & 2009, Les put his skills back on the mat and created a three part DVD training set called "The Basics of Technique" featuring Offense, Defense & Neutral instruction.

He served for 7 years on the Board of the National Wrestling Coaches Association and helped establish their 1st annual National Conference. He was Executive Director of 5 NCAA National Tournaments and 1 AAU National Tournament. He established the bracket system that is used to this day. He was involved in the formation of the United States Wrestling Federation and served 3 years on the Board of Directors for USA Wrestling.

Les is an Honored member of 7 Hall's of Fame including the Iowa Wrestling Hall of Fame, The Iowa State Athletic Hall of fame and in 2004 was inducted into the NCAA Hall of Fame recognized as both a collegiate wrestler and coach.

Left to cherish his memory are his wife Marlene Thompson Anderson of Nevada; children Gregory Anderson, Brent Anderson both of Davenport, Julie Larson of Des Moines, and Christa Beeler of Urbandale; three step-sons, Gene Flynn, Todd Flynn, and Shawn Flynn, all of Nevada; 19 grandchildren; 11 great-grandchildren; a brother Lowell Anderson of Clarion; a brother-in-law Dale Thompson; sister-in-law Jan Bernloehr.

Les was preceded in death by his parents Albert and Bernice (Fraser) Anderson, brother Lyle Anderson and step-granddaughter Melissa Viers.

Visitation will be held on Monday, November 12 with the family present from 5-7:00 p.m. again at Memorial Lutheran Church.

In lieu of flowers, a memory fund has been established in loving memory of Les.

Chet Ryan Mortuary in Nevada has been entrusted with the care of Les and his family.

http://www.chetryanmortuary.com/
 

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