Northwestern Mourns the Loss of Legendary Ken Kraft
10/27/2020 6:30:00 PM | Wrestling, Ken Kraft Midlands Championships
EVANSTON, Ill. – Ken Kraft, longtime Northwestern wrestling head coach and founder of The Midlands Championships, passed away Tuesday, Oct. 27, 2020. He was 85.
Kraft was a member of the Northwestern Hall of Fame and the National Wrestling Hall of Fame for his outsize contributions to the Wildcat community and the sport of wrestling as a whole.
"It is with a heavy-heart that we say goodbye to Coach Kraft," said Matt Storniolo, Northwestern wrestling head coach. "Ken was–and will forever be–a legend in both the wrestling and Northwestern communities. He was so much more than a coach. He was an innovator, ambassador, and a role-model that impacted the lives of so many. I will be forever grateful for Ken's commitment to Wildcat Wrestling and cannot overstate what an honor it is to lead a program that benefited greatly from his hard-work and vision. My thoughts and prayers go out to the Kraft family as they support one another during this difficult time."
Kraft wrestled at Northwestern from 1955 to 1957 and finished with a 38-7-2 record and a Big Ten Championship in his senior season. He then became the head coach of the Wildcats' wrestling program, a position which he held for 22 years until 1979. He coached 14 All-Americans and two national champions, including his brother Art Kraft.
Kraft left his post as the head coach but stayed at Northwestern to become an associate athletic director, a role he faithfully performed until he retired in 2004 with an unparalleled 57 years of service. Kraft filled the role of acting athletic director twice, in 1980 and 1993.
Northwestern inducted Kraft to its Athletic Hall of Fame in 2003. In 2005, the wrestling program named its new facility, the Ken Kraft Wrestling Complex, in his honor.
Upon Kraft's induction to the Northwestern Athletic Hall of Fame, then-athletic director Mark Murphy said, "You'd be hard-pressed to find a more passionate individual about Northwestern's athletic program. His dedication to this school, the athletic department and specifically the wrestling program, is unmatched."
Perhaps Kraft's greatest contribution to the sport was the creation of the Midlands Championships in 1966, which has been held in late December every year since as the most prestigious amateur wrestling event in the country.
Kraft helped found the Midlands Youth Foundation in the mid-1990s which continues on today through Beat the Streets Chicago, a program designed to improve the lives of children through participation in urban wrestling clubs. It currently serves over 2,000 participants.
The wrestling community as a whole benefited from Kraft's influence, as he served as a TV analyst from 1965 to 1983. He covered the 1972 and 1976 Olympics for ABC and the 1980 Olympics for NBC.
Kraft served on the board of directors for the United States Wrestling Federation, now known as USA Wrestling, from 1965 to 1980 and twice served as the president. In 1976 he presided over the dedication of the National Wrestling Hall of Fame, and for his efforts he was named the USA Wrestling Man of the Year.
Kraft was inducted to the Illinois Wrestling Coaches and Official Association Hall of Fame in 1973 and bestowed a lifetime achievement award in 2001. In 1997, Kraft was inducted into the National Wrestling Hall of Fame.
Kraft was a member of the Northwestern Hall of Fame and the National Wrestling Hall of Fame for his outsize contributions to the Wildcat community and the sport of wrestling as a whole.
"It is with a heavy-heart that we say goodbye to Coach Kraft," said Matt Storniolo, Northwestern wrestling head coach. "Ken was–and will forever be–a legend in both the wrestling and Northwestern communities. He was so much more than a coach. He was an innovator, ambassador, and a role-model that impacted the lives of so many. I will be forever grateful for Ken's commitment to Wildcat Wrestling and cannot overstate what an honor it is to lead a program that benefited greatly from his hard-work and vision. My thoughts and prayers go out to the Kraft family as they support one another during this difficult time."
Kraft wrestled at Northwestern from 1955 to 1957 and finished with a 38-7-2 record and a Big Ten Championship in his senior season. He then became the head coach of the Wildcats' wrestling program, a position which he held for 22 years until 1979. He coached 14 All-Americans and two national champions, including his brother Art Kraft.
Kraft left his post as the head coach but stayed at Northwestern to become an associate athletic director, a role he faithfully performed until he retired in 2004 with an unparalleled 57 years of service. Kraft filled the role of acting athletic director twice, in 1980 and 1993.
Northwestern inducted Kraft to its Athletic Hall of Fame in 2003. In 2005, the wrestling program named its new facility, the Ken Kraft Wrestling Complex, in his honor.
Upon Kraft's induction to the Northwestern Athletic Hall of Fame, then-athletic director Mark Murphy said, "You'd be hard-pressed to find a more passionate individual about Northwestern's athletic program. His dedication to this school, the athletic department and specifically the wrestling program, is unmatched."
Perhaps Kraft's greatest contribution to the sport was the creation of the Midlands Championships in 1966, which has been held in late December every year since as the most prestigious amateur wrestling event in the country.
Kraft helped found the Midlands Youth Foundation in the mid-1990s which continues on today through Beat the Streets Chicago, a program designed to improve the lives of children through participation in urban wrestling clubs. It currently serves over 2,000 participants.
The wrestling community as a whole benefited from Kraft's influence, as he served as a TV analyst from 1965 to 1983. He covered the 1972 and 1976 Olympics for ABC and the 1980 Olympics for NBC.
Kraft served on the board of directors for the United States Wrestling Federation, now known as USA Wrestling, from 1965 to 1980 and twice served as the president. In 1976 he presided over the dedication of the National Wrestling Hall of Fame, and for his efforts he was named the USA Wrestling Man of the Year.
Kraft was inducted to the Illinois Wrestling Coaches and Official Association Hall of Fame in 1973 and bestowed a lifetime achievement award in 2001. In 1997, Kraft was inducted into the National Wrestling Hall of Fame.
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