Born and raised on a farm near Iowa Falls, Iowa, Dale Bahr began wrestling as a freshman in high school and found success almost immediately at Iowa Falls High School under future University of Iowa head coach Gary Kurdelmeier, a Distinguished Member of the National Wrestling Hall of Fame.

After reaching the finals at the state tournament as a sophomore, Bahr captured back-to-back titles at 145 pounds as a junior and senior.

Recruited by Iowa State University, the University of Iowa and the University of Northern Iowa, Bahr opted to stay close to home by choosing Iowa State, only 50 miles away in Ames, Iowa. ISU was coached by Dr. Harold Nichols, a Distinguished Member of the National Wrestling Hall of Fame.

After the NCAA finals as a sophomore and finishing third as a junior, Bahr closed out his college career with a first-period fall to capture the 145-pound NCAA championship. He was one of three NCAA champions and one of the three captains for the Cyclones as a senior.

Bahr began his coaching career on the staff at Eagle Grove High School, spending one year before becoming an assistant coach at Algona High School. He became the head coach in 1970 and guided Algona to top-five finishes, including a state team title in 1972, in four seasons. Three of his wrestlers went on to become NCAA Division I All-Americans.

He returned to Iowa State in 1974 as an assistant coach. The Cyclones won an NCAA title in 1977 and finished in the top four every year, including runner-up finishes in 1976 and 1978.

Bahr was the head coach at the University of Michigan from 1978-99. He coached two NCAA champions and led the Wolverines to six Top 10 finishes, including fifth-place finishes in 1985, 1989 and 1994. His 221 career wins ranks second to the legendary Cliff Keen, a Distinguished Member of the National Wrestling Hall of Fame, for most wins in school history.

He takes great pride in the fact that he recruited and coached both of his successors at Michigan, Joe McFarland and Sean Bormet.

Bahr was inducted into the Iowa Wrestling Hall of Fame in 1988.