Dr. Don Pate was introduced to the sport of wrestling in an elementary school physical education class.

It was "love at first sight," for this "runt" among four larger brothers, when the teacher said, "You only compete against others that weigh the same as you do!"

He went on to wrestle for Bloomington High School as a member of the 1957 Indiana state championship team. He was a two-time state finalist, a team captain, and winner of the Most Valuable Wrestler award.

Upon completion of his military obligation, he continued to wrestle, landing at Minnesota State University Moorhead, where he went on to captain the NAIA national championship team while earning All-American Honors.

His prowess in football earned him all-conference accolades for leading the league in scoring in consecutive years. He was inducted into the Minnesota State University Hall of Fame in 1981.

On the academic front, Pate also excelled, earning a bachelor's degree and a master's degree from Minnesota State University and his PhD from the University of Utah.

He began his career as a wrestling coach at Fargo High School in North Dakota, coaching with several state champions and compiling a 27-7 record.

In 1967 he became the the head wrestling coach and an assistant football coach at Wayne State College in Nebraska. Pate coached five NAIA national champions, 11 All-Americans, and six conference champion teams. He was selected as a finalist for National Rookie Coach of the Year in 1968.

The national exposure caught the attention of the University of Richmond, which sought him to start an NCAA Division I wrestling program. A challenge he accepted in 1973.

His first team, comprised of on-campus recruits, went 3-12. However, by his fourth and fifth seasons, his teams were 17-6 and 14-3, respectively. He produced 15 conference place winners and a world champion, who captured two gold medals at the 1977 World Maccabiah Games.

Meanwhile, he had accepted the offer of an administrative position at UR, serving several years as chairman of the health and sport science department.

Another chance to coach came in 1982, when the independent Collegiate School approached him about starting a wrestling program. In an eight-year tenure, during which he was Coach of the Year three times, Pate's teams won back-to-back Virginia Independent Schools Athletic Association state titles.

Having been a wrestler and a coach, Dr. Pate then moved on to new ways to serve the wrestling community.

He became an elite official of Virginia's Central Region, chosen for two state wrestling tournaments, while also tirelessly expanding opportunities for kids to wrestle, as President of the Virginia AAU, President of the Virginia State Games, and a founder of the Richmond Wrestling Club.

Dr. Pate likes to say it was "a busy life, well spent!"