Dave Arens, high school wrestling coach in Minnesota and national Halls of Fame, dies at 90

Dave Arens, a member of the Minnesota Wrestling Hall of Fame and the National Wrestling Hall of Fame, died on Jan. 19.

Arens, of Lakeville, was 90.

Arens coached at Jordan and Bloomington Kennedy High schools. He coached at Jordan from 1961 to ’68, winning the Region Four title in 1966. He coached Bloomington Kennedy from 1975 to ’84.

Under Arens, Kennedy won the Class 2A state title in 1980 and 1984 and finished third or better at the state meet for seven consecutive years. He was named the Minnesota Wrestling Coach of the Year in 1984.

Arens coached 10 individual state champions at Kennedy, including his son Todd in 1980. Also among his wrestlers was Marty Morgan, who was the 1991 NCAA champion at 177 pounds for the University of Minnesota and the first Gophers wrestler to go undefeated.

Arens retired from teaching in 1993. He was a fishing guide on Lake of the Woods in retirement and lived on the lake’s Oak Island.