April 10, 2023
Mayville State University graduate Gary Brantl will be inducted into the Minnesota Wrestling Coaches Association Hall of Fame as a Pioneer. The induction program is planned for Saturday, April 29, 2023. It will be held at McKinney’s on Southside in Benson, Minn. The event begins with socializing at 4 p.m., followed by dinner at 5 p.m. and the induction ceremony starting at 5:30 p.m.
A 1970 graduate of Mayville State, Gary Brantl attended Crookston High School, graduating in 1966. He was involved in football, wrestling, and track, and joined wrestling in 1964, when the program was only a few years old.
At Mayville State, Gary studied physical education health, and social studies. He wrestled for the Comets for one year.
After his college graduation, Gary went on to teach at Plummer (Minn.) High School for 49 years. He started the Plummer wrestling program in 1972. He coached some very competitive teams there. In 1980 the Plummer program combined with Erskine, and in 1982 Plummer-Erskine combined with Oklee and McIntosh. The Oklee-Plummer program’s first state champion was John Cyr (1983). Later, Darrin Tougas (1984) and Todd Bergeron (two-time state champ in 1986 and 1987) won state titles as well.
Brantl retired from the wrestling portion of his coaching duties in 1996. He coached football from 1970 to 2004, and he was the athletic director at Plummer High School for 48 years (1972 to 2019).
Gary’s colleagues wrote, “Gary always went out of his way to help others, and his ‘easy-going’ manner made him very popular with athletes, parents, fans, and colleagues.”
Gary and his wife, Sue Ann, reside in Thief River Falls, Minn.
Tickets for the April 29 induction activities are $35 for adults and $22 for kids 18 and under. For more information, contact Steve Ricard at sricard@benson.k12.mn.us or 320-444-0569.