CAC Board Member Receives Honor

CAC Board Member and Executive Director of the Dan Gable International Wrestling Institute and Museum, Mike Chapman was given the Order of Merit on Saturday by the National Wrestling Hall of Fame in Stillwater, Oklahoma. It is in recognition of decades of work to promote the sport of amateur wrestling. Each award winner has to choose a "presenter" to stand with him when the award is given. Mike chose Dan Hodge, who was an amateur wrestling legend before becoming a professional wrestling legend. Mike has written 19 books - and the first was called "Two Guys Named Dan," about Dan Hodge and Dan Gable, written in 1976.


At the awards ceremony, Mike said he would have liked to have had both Frank Gotch and Dan Hodge there to present him, but that since Frank couldn't make it, Dan would have to carry the load for both of them. (Frank Gotch died in 1917, at the age of 39).

In the photo above, Dan and Dolores Hodge stand with Mike and Bev Chapman.