Former NOC Wrestling Coach Honored

Former NOC Wrestling Coach Bob Zweiachar was honored Oct. 31 at the NOC-Trinidad (CO) wrestling match as the men’s program has been re-established at NOC along with the establishment of the women’s program.

Zweiachar was presented a plaque and signed singlet.

Fifteen former NOC wrestlers attended the event.

Zweiacher started the wrestling program at Northern Oklahoma College in 1968 and was the only wrestling coach in school history.

In NOC’s very first year, the team compiled a 10-1 record and finished eighth out of 64 teams in the National Junior College Athletic Association tournament. Between 1968 and 1983 when the program was dropped, his teams finished in the Top 10 of the NJCAA seven times, including four Top-Five finishes and compiled an overall record of 118-37-2.

Five of his wrestlers won individual national titles, including Karl Lynes, a two-time junior college national champion who went on to become an All-American for Zweiacher’s alma mater, Oklahoma State.

Zweiacher placed second at the NCAA Division I wrestling tournament at 167 pounds for the Cowboys in 1964. He was a Big Eight champion and a four-time letterman for the Cowboys.

In 1972, he was named National Junior College Athletic Association Coach of the Year and inducted into the National Junior College Hall of Fame in 1983.

For his contributions to the development a new wrestling program, he was honored with the Lifetime Service to Wrestling Award by the Oklahoma Chapter of the National Wrestling Hall of Fame in 2013.

Northern Oklahoma College wrestling is also hosting a wrestling event called the “Battle for Oklahoma” as the Mavs and Lady Mavs host Carl Albert on Saturday, Nov. 16, at 6 p.m.

In between the men’s and women’s matches, donors for the wrestling program will be recognized. Honored guests will be hosted at a reception in the Harrison Room in Foster-Piper Fieldhouse.

Northern Oklahoma College, the state’s first public two-year community college, is a multi-campus, land-grant institution that provides high quality, accessible, and affordable educational opportunities and services.

NOC serves nearly 4,000 students through the home campus in Tonkawa, branch in Enid, and NOC/OSU Gateway Program in Stillwater.  Of these students about 80% receive financial aid and/or scholarships. 75% of NOC students complete their degree with zero debt.

The college is accredited by the Higher Learning Commission and offers associate degrees in three general areas: Arts, Science and Applied Science; the Accreditation Council for Business Schools and Programs; and the Accreditation Commission for Education and Nursing.

For more information about Northern Oklahoma College please call (580) 628-6208 or visit the NOC website at www.noc.edu.