University of Northern Colorado Athletics
Leberknight, Maughan Inducted into DII Wrestling Hall of Fame
12/13/2019 11:42:00 AM | Wrestling
Mike Leberknight and Jack Maughan were selected as a part of the 2020 NWCA Hall of Fame class
Northern Colorado wrestling had a pair of former Bears inducted into the Division II National Wrestling Coaches Association Hall of Fame. Former head coach Jack Maughan and former DI national champion Mike Leberknight got the call after historic careers in collegiate wrestling.
The induction ceremony will be in March 12, 2020 in Sioux Falls, SD in conjunction with the NCAA Division II National Championship.
Jack Maughan, University of Northern Colorado, Coach 1987- 2008
Maughan was just 24 years old when he began as UNC's head coach in 1987-88. Â He inherited a team that was winless before his arrival and in his third season went 9-6 with a 10th place national finish to earn the 1990 North Central Conference coach of the year award.
UNC went on to finish third in the nation in 1991, and he was the Division II National Coach of the Year with a fourth-place finish as host of the 1992 national tournament. Â Maughan was instrumental in bringing the NCAA championship back to Greeley in 1996, an event that broke the tournament's paid attendance record.
A past president of the Division II Wrestling Coaches Association (1997-99) and the National Wrestling Coaches Association (2002-05), he served on the NWCA board of directors for 10 years.
Maughan was also head coach of the UNC women's golf team from 1995 to 2006 and the men's golf team from 1995-2003. Â He was the North Central Conference women's golf Coach of the Year in 2000 and 2001, and the National Golf Coaches Association Regional Coach of the Year in 2001, 2002 and 2003.
The son of Hall of Fame NDSU wrestling coach Bucky Maughan, Jack Maughan was a two-time Division II All-American for the Bison with sixth-place finishes at 126 pounds as a sophomore in 1984 and 134 pounds as a junior in 1985. Â He was part of four North Central Conference championship teams that finished in the top six nationally each year.
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Maughan moved into a role as UNC's director of development in 2008. Â During his career at UNC, he was part of a fundraising effort that secured $5 million for wrestling scholarships and facilities.
Jack Maughan returned to his alma mater as North Dakota State University's senior associate director of athletics for development in 2012. Â He was appointed as the sport supervisor for the Bison wrestling program in 2015.
He and his wife, Brenda, reside in Fargo with their three sons, Henry, Gus and Sam.
Mike Leberknight, University of Northern Colorado, (1989-1993)
Leberknight posted a 126-26-1 collegiate record and is the winningest wrestler in Northern Colorado history. In 1992, he won his first national title and was honored as the Outstanding Wrestler of the NCAA Division II National Tournament. He repeated his title at 177 pounds in 1993, making him one of two two-time National Champions in school history. Leberknight was also a three-time All-American after finishing third in the nation as a sophomore in 1991.
In 1991 Leberknight was one of four Northern Colorado All-Americans, helping the Bears finish third overall. In addition to his national titles, Leberknight was a two-time North Central Conference Champion. He still ranks first in Northern Colorado history with his 126 victories and his single-season wins in 1992 (33) and 1993 (36) still rank among the top 10 in school history in single-season wins.
To stay up to date on all aspects of UNC Wrestling, you can visit UNCBears.com, as well as follow the team on Twitter at @UNCBearsWrestle.
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The induction ceremony will be in March 12, 2020 in Sioux Falls, SD in conjunction with the NCAA Division II National Championship.
Jack Maughan, University of Northern Colorado, Coach 1987- 2008
Maughan was just 24 years old when he began as UNC's head coach in 1987-88. Â He inherited a team that was winless before his arrival and in his third season went 9-6 with a 10th place national finish to earn the 1990 North Central Conference coach of the year award.
UNC went on to finish third in the nation in 1991, and he was the Division II National Coach of the Year with a fourth-place finish as host of the 1992 national tournament. Â Maughan was instrumental in bringing the NCAA championship back to Greeley in 1996, an event that broke the tournament's paid attendance record.
A past president of the Division II Wrestling Coaches Association (1997-99) and the National Wrestling Coaches Association (2002-05), he served on the NWCA board of directors for 10 years.
Maughan was also head coach of the UNC women's golf team from 1995 to 2006 and the men's golf team from 1995-2003. Â He was the North Central Conference women's golf Coach of the Year in 2000 and 2001, and the National Golf Coaches Association Regional Coach of the Year in 2001, 2002 and 2003.
The son of Hall of Fame NDSU wrestling coach Bucky Maughan, Jack Maughan was a two-time Division II All-American for the Bison with sixth-place finishes at 126 pounds as a sophomore in 1984 and 134 pounds as a junior in 1985. Â He was part of four North Central Conference championship teams that finished in the top six nationally each year.
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Maughan moved into a role as UNC's director of development in 2008. Â During his career at UNC, he was part of a fundraising effort that secured $5 million for wrestling scholarships and facilities.
Jack Maughan returned to his alma mater as North Dakota State University's senior associate director of athletics for development in 2012. Â He was appointed as the sport supervisor for the Bison wrestling program in 2015.
He and his wife, Brenda, reside in Fargo with their three sons, Henry, Gus and Sam.
Mike Leberknight, University of Northern Colorado, (1989-1993)
Leberknight posted a 126-26-1 collegiate record and is the winningest wrestler in Northern Colorado history. In 1992, he won his first national title and was honored as the Outstanding Wrestler of the NCAA Division II National Tournament. He repeated his title at 177 pounds in 1993, making him one of two two-time National Champions in school history. Leberknight was also a three-time All-American after finishing third in the nation as a sophomore in 1991.
In 1991 Leberknight was one of four Northern Colorado All-Americans, helping the Bears finish third overall. In addition to his national titles, Leberknight was a two-time North Central Conference Champion. He still ranks first in Northern Colorado history with his 126 victories and his single-season wins in 1992 (33) and 1993 (36) still rank among the top 10 in school history in single-season wins.
To stay up to date on all aspects of UNC Wrestling, you can visit UNCBears.com, as well as follow the team on Twitter at @UNCBearsWrestle.
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