Craig Kelso doesn't hesitate when asked why the sport of wrestling is so special. "It's family, it's community, it's people who love the sport," Kelso said. "When you have that tradition going, it becomes important to the next generation and it just keeps going." The sport certainly runs in the Kelso family blood. His father, Bill Kelso, was a state champion at Monte Vista in 1951. Craig won two NAIA national championships at Adams State, then went on to become an ultra-successful coach at Monte Vista High School, where he won back-to-back state titles in 1997 and 1998 (the same seasons, he notes with a laugh, that John Elway won Super Bowls with the Denver Broncos). His sons also participated in the sport, and now he has grandchildren on the mat. "You do it because you love it," Kelso said. "There's no money in it, nobody becomes a millionaire. Wrestlers have a desire to compete. It's the purest form of competition, and that's attractive to people who are competitors, people who like to test them­ selves. It's a one-on-one thing." Kelso attended Alamosa High School, then went on to Mesa Community College for two years, where he was a two-time national tournament qualifier. But his career went to the next level when he went to Adams State to wrestle for coach Dick Ulrich. There, Kelso won a pair of individual national titles in 1975 and 1976, helping ASC to the national team title as well in those years. "He (Ulrich) was a turning point for me in my college career because of his inspirational personality," Kelso said. "He got good athletes and took care of them and had a lot of great teams. When I got to Adams State I started winning. He was a well- organized guy that was really into fundamentals. He taught us solid skills and we had a good workout environment. It made us into national champions." After graduation, Kelso became the head coach at Monte Vista in 1977. He led MVHS to numerous league and top-10 state tournament finishes, but it wasn't until after he stepped away for a couple years and then returned that he led the Pirates to a pair of state titles."It changed my relationship with the athletes," he said. "I told them I'm here to help you achieve your goals. I retooled and in a couple of years, we won a state championship, and we won again next year." Along with the team honors, Kelso coached 14 individual state champions and 57 individual state placers. He has been in­ ducted into the NAIA Hall of Fame, the RMAC Hall of Fame and the Adams State Hall of Fame. "The great thing about wrestling is that it measures who you are," Kelso said. "What has always been interesting to me is that the rural areas are so good. Those schools can compete with anybody because it's a one-on-one thing. You see the families that have state champions and their kids become state champions and their kids become state champions. It's family."