Chuck Siefert grew up on a farm just outside of Goodhue, MN. Farm boys work hard and long hours (without pay) and develop a strong work ethic. The Siefert farm was mostly dairy, but you would also find chickens, pigs, sheep, ducks, horses, a goat, and geese. And a huge garden!

A graduate of Goodhue High School, Chuck participated in Band, Choir, FFA, FFA Crops Team, Class Play, Yearbook Production, Track, Football, and Wrestling. He was Football MVP, Senior Class President, and Homecoming King. But not on the National Honor Society.

Chuck wrestled for HOF Coach Leo Simon for 2 years and HOF Coach Bill Sutter for 2 years. He, Rick Ryan, and Larry Lexvold were Captains of the Wrestling Team. He, along with Andy Eggerichs, and Jim Mollenhauer were the Captains of the Football Team. As a Defensive lineman, Chuck scored 2 touchdowns his senior year.

After failing his physical for military service, Chuck continued his wrestling and football careers at Rochester State Junior College. He wrestled for HOF Coach John Philo and was a 2X MJCAA State Champion at Heavyweight. He earned NJCAA All-American honors in football being coached by legendary Coach Cy Champa.

Chuck was offered a Full ride Scholarship to play football at Div I Weber State College, of Ogden, Utah. He also wrestled, placing third at Heavyweight in the Big Sky Conference in 1974. Chuck transferred to St Cloud State College and played his senior year of Football, and then wrestled for HOF Coach John Oxton. He earned NCAA Div II All-American honors at 190 lbs. Chuck also won the 1976 Regional Olympic Trials in Freestyle and was Runner-up in Greco-Roman at 100K that year.

While at St Cloud, Chuck also worked as a prison guard for 1 1⁄2 years.

He started his teaching/coaching career at Byron High School in 1977 (nicknamed “The Warden” by the football team) and was there for 2 years before taking over the wrestling program at Rochester Community College. He also at that time, along with new HOF Inductee, Jim Harstad, bought the Minnesota Mat Refinishing Company from HOF Coach Roy Minter (who had bought it from HOF Coach John Philo). Chuck and Jim traveled the state of Minnesota repairing mats, and meeting many coaches and wrestlers. Their travels took them to all parts of the state including Greenbush, Pipestone, and Caledonia. Chuck sold Minnesota Mat Refinishing Company in the early 1980s to HOF member Spencer Yohe, who still owns and operates it today!

HOF member, Dewaine Silker, pushed Chuck into becoming a wrestling official. They were able to form an association called TWO, The Wrestling Officials, and started advocating the need for two officials for all matches.

Chuck earned his Master’s Degree from Winona State University in Health Education, to be able to teach at the collegiate level. He is proud of the fact that he was able to convince Pepsi to sponsor the World’s first Pepsi wrestling mat. Pepsi Sales Manager, Randy Fogelson, was able to incorporate that idea into many mats when schools were seeking sponsorships.

At Rochester Community College, Chuck earned numerous awards for Wrestling including MCCC Coach of The Year, NJCAA Region XIII Coach of The Year, and NJCAA Man of The Year. In Football he was named NJCAA National Defensive Coordinator of the year in 1999. As Head Football Coach in 2000, he led the Football Team to a perfect 12-0 record. The Yellowjackets were voted NJCAA Div III National Champions. Chuck was awarded MCCC Coach of The Year, Region XIII Coach of The Year, and NJCAA Div III Coach of The Year.

Chuck, along with the Rochester Amateur Sports Commission (RASC), was the driving force in bringing the NJCAA National Wrestling Championships to Rochester. Chuck was the Tournament Director of those National Championships for the 12 years they were hosted by Rochester. RASC, led by Ed Hruska, also created The Clash, National High School Duals. The Clash was designed to bring the top wrestling teams from different states together to battle it out and bring “room nights” to the City of Rochester, one of the primary goals of the RASC. It was meant to be a classy event treating Wrestling Coaches, Teams, and Fans to the best wrestling experience of their season. The legendary Coaches’ hospitality room was a huge bonus as local restaurants catered to the coaching staffs and the army of volunteers. Out-of-town teams were assigned a host to help them maneuver around town and take care of any special needs or concerns. The Clash “raised the bar” for wrestling tournaments around the nation.

Chuck, Rick Ties, Steve Ihrke, Al Chihak, Steve Patton, Dean Nelson, and Mike Busch formed the Southeast Minnesota Wrestling Coalition (SEMWREC) and took over the running of The Clash, and were instrumental in bringing to Rochester, the Minnesota Christmas Tournament, the Border Battle (SE MN Seniors vs Northern Iowa Seniors and Western WI Seniors), took over Section I T-Shirt sales (with proceeds going to scholarships for Section I wrestlers competing in College Wrestling), Northern Quad, The Clash Camp (bringing top Clinicians like Jordan Boroughs, Jayson Ness, Zach Sanders, Ben Berhow, Damian Hahn, Luke Becker, Jared Lawrence, and others) to our local SE Minnesota wrestlers, and Section I Seniors Banquet (with Mayo Civic Center Region I Wrestling Alumni HOF) honoring and thanking Seniors for their dedication to wrestling, with a challenge to continue to give back.

Chuck has been named Wrestling USA Minnesota’s Wrestling Person of the Year, inducted into the Mayo Civic Center Region I Wrestling Alumni HOF, and also inducted into The Clash HOF.

Wrestling has given Chuck a chance to see the World. In 1982, he was the Asst Greco-Roman Coach of the Jr Pan Am Wrestling Team that competed in Cali, Columbia. In 1985, he was the Head Coach of the Jr Pan Am Wrestling Team that competed in the European Jr. Championships in Bucharest, Romania. In 1991 he traveled with SCSU teammates Jerome Schmitz and Rolf Turner to New Zealand and Australia to set up a Wrestling Cultural Exchange trip.

Chuck has been married to his loving and special wife, Ruth, for nearly 29 years. He has 2 stepsons, Nathan (Pam) and Adam (Amanda), and 5 grandchildren, Cole, Connor, Cade, Kendall, and Keegan. Nearly all have been involved with the many wrestling events held in SE MN. As with most wrestling families, the support, love, hard work, and sacrifice, that takes place are monumental to the success of any person. Chuck is humbled and proud of the many good wrestling people who have mentored him, he has coached and been associated with.