Gerry Danko Wrestling Scholarship

Gerry went to school in a one-room schoolhouse in rural Manitoba, Canada, until he reached high school. He attended Winnipeg Technical and Vocational School, where he graduated. While there, he participated and excelled in all manner of sports: Football, wrestling, track, tennis, and boxing. Without a scholarship in football and wrestling to the University of North Dakota he would not have been able to attend college. At UND he majored in physical education and coaching. His first coaching job was in Derby, Kansas (a suburb of Wichita, Kansas, where he taught and coached football, wrestling, and tennis). Later, he taught science at Pine Bluffs High School and coached football. He took a job as a counselor in Cheyenne. After receiving his master’s degree in psychology and Guidance, he came to NWC, where he started the first wrestling program. After six years as an instructor and coach, the call of the farm became too strong, and he and his wife, Carolyn, bought a small farm south of Powell where he raised horses and award-winning hay.