A former Trego Community and Russell High School coach and teacher along with a former Plainville coach and teacher are headed into the Kansas Wrestling Coaches Hall of Fame. Wyatt Frohling, who coached at Trego Community High School from 1989-99 then at Russell High School from 2001-13 is joined by Brad Fredrickson, who guided the Plainville program, and Rick Bowden in the class of 2014.
Bowden served as an Assistant Executive Director at the Kansas State High School Activities Association from 1993-2011.
The KWCA Hall of Fame induction ceremony is Saturday, November 1. The photos of the three will be placed at the KWCA’s physical Hall of Fame located in Gross Memorial Coliseum on the campus of Fort Hays State University.
Wyatt Frohling
Coach Wyatt Frohling spent 32 years as a head wrestling coach in three different states. After graduating from Guthrie Center High School in Iowa, he wrestled at Peru State College in Nebraska where he was a 1977 NAIA National Qualifier.
From Peru, coach Frohling moved on to Buena Vista College in Storm Lake, Iowa where he continued to wrestle and later became a BVC assistant wrestling coach for the 1981 season. He began his high school coaching career in Iowa for three years and Nebraska for seven years.
Coach Frohling continued his career in Kansas at Trego Community High School in WaKeeney as a P.E. teacher and head wrestling coach from 1989-1999. At Trego, he had 53 Kansas state qualifiers, 26 state medalists, and three state champions. With coach Frohling at the helm, the Golden Eagles earned three third-place team titles and competed to an 86-33-4 dual record. His efforts earned him the KWCA 3-2-1A Coach of the Year award in 1992.
From 2001-2013, Frohling was the head wresting coach and P.E. teacher at Russell High School where he guided 39 Kansas state qualifiers, seven state medalists, and had a 113-43 dual record for the Broncos. Overall, Frohling had a 253-107-5 dual record over his 32-year career. During that time, coach Frohling influenced Kansas wresting as a member of the KWCA executive board and as the KWCA Hall of Fame Chairperson.
Brad Fredrickson
Brad Fredrickson began his stellar wrestling career as a three-time Kansas state place winner and state champion competing for Decatur County High School. The 1978 Red Devil graduate continued his wrestling career competing for Colby Community College, lettering two years, and then on to Central Missouri State University where he again lettered two seasons and became a national qualifier.
After graduation from CMSU, Fredrickson continued his wrestling career as an assistant coach at Lawson High School in Lawson, MO during the 1984 season.
Coach furthered his career back in Kansas as the head coach at Topeka Hayden High School from 1985-1987. Perhaps the most significant impact that coach Fredrickson made to high school wrestling was during his tenure as head coach of Plainville High School.
Fredrickson’s Cardinals boasted 3-2-1A Kansas state team championships in 1988-1992, plus a state runner-up finish in 1989. Plainville finished as a top-3 team in 1993, 1994, 1995 and 2000, resulting in Top-10 finishes in 13 of Fredrickson’s 14 years as Plainville head coach. In addition, his teams won five Mid-Continent League titles and eight regional titles, all while posting an outstanding 110-44-6 dual record. As a result, Fredrickson was awarded the KWCA Coach of the Year in 1988 and 2000, and the 1992 Kansas Wrestling Officials’ Association Coach of the Year.
Under Fredrickson’s guidance, individual wrestler achievements include 110 state qualifiers, 58 state medalists, 12 state champs, and two wrestlers who went on to become college All-Americans. Outside of the high school level, Fredrickson was head coach for the Kansas-Mexico Cultural Exchange Trip in 1987 and served on the USA Kansas Cadet and Junior Freestyle and Greco staff from 1985-1992.
Coach Fredrickson continues his career in education as a school administrator at Independence High School. He and his wife Gayle have two children, Cole and Carissa, and five grandchildren.
Rick Bowden
Teacher, coach, official, legislator and administrator – Rick Bowden wore many hats in his lifetime and was a highly respected gentleman. And his impact on education and the students of Kansas is immeasurable.
From 1993-2011, Bowden served as an Assistant Executive Director at the Kansas State High School Activities Association. During his tenure with the KSHSAA he served as the administrator for football, wrestling, baseball, softball, and track & field. He was also responsible for the annual school enrollment classification and worked with KSHSAA registered football and wrestling officials.
He served as the liaison to Kansas Coaches Association, the Officials Policy Review Committee and the Wrestling Weight Management Committee.
Bowden served in several leadership positions with the NFHS (National Federation of State High School Associations) including a member of Football Rules Committee (1994-2011), Football Editorial
Committee (2001-2004), Vice Chairman of the Equipment sub-committee (2006-2011), Softball Rules Committee (2001-2005) and Track & Field Rules Committee (2009-2012). In 2009 he received the NFHS Section 5 Citation for Contributions to State HS Activities.
A lifelong Kansan, Bowden was a standout athlete in high school (St. John) and in college (College of Emporia). He was a teacher and coach for 19 years (Goddard, Wichita-West, & Downtown Law & Public Service Magnet HS in Wichita). “Coach” experienced tremendous success with his track & field and cross-country teams. He was a highly respected KSHSAA registered official in football, basketball and wrestling and worked several post-season tournaments.
From 1985-1993 Bowden served as a member of the Kansas House of Representatives. Assigned to numerous committees, his most notable impact was on the House Education Committee, which he chaired. Through his leadership, the school finance formula was created in 1992. His focus was always on what was best for Kansas and our students.
Anyone who worked with Rick quickly understood that everyday he modeled the values he taught his students and athletes – hard work, self-discipline, having a positive attitude, restraint, how to be gracious in defeat and to keep focused on improving.
(Bios courtesy KWCA)
