Lonny Dahlke began his wrestling career in the early 1960s, winning a District title for Marsh Valley High School in 1965 and in the same season was part of the school’s first state championship team in the Class A division. A graduate of Idaho State University in 1971, Dahlke began his coaching career shortly after college and then introduced the sport of wrestling at McCammon Elementary School. The following season, he returned to his high school alma mater as an Assistant Coach. A year later, Dahlke became the Head Coach at Marsh Valley and from that point forward continued his coaching and teaching journey for the next 30 years. During his tenure as a teacher and coach, he also became the first wrestling coach at Marsh Valley Junior High School in 1975, as well as coached freshman football. In addition to his teaching and coaching responsibilities, Dahlke was the Athletic Director at Marsh Valley from 2006 to 2013, an assessor to certify wrestlers for the IHSAA, and was an active volunteer and staff member with the running of the Idaho State High School Championships. For all his efforts, Dahlke was presented the 5th District Coach-of-the-Year Award in 1983 and a year prior to his retirement from coaching was recognized as the 3A Coach-of-the-Year in 2005.