“The new wrestling facility really is the house that Tom built.” Bob Nicolls
The Goschke Family Wrestling Training Center and Bob and Kathy Nicolls Wrestling Room is what I have named “The greatest wrestling training facility…in the world.” Home of Iowa Men’s and Women’s Wrestling in Wrestle Town USA – Iowa City, Iowa, USA.
You will have to tour the new facility to get a feel for how incredible it truly is.
In a blog I released on May 31: The $31-million, 38,500-square-foot building was funded entirely by private gifts.
I am amazed that there was not a single loan, note, bond, nothing. This new facility was paid for by Iowa Wrestling fans. I say again P-A-I-D for.
How? Let’s take a look at how it all got started.
In a press release by the University of Iowa $31 million was used for the total bill. I am now finding out that it actually cost $34 million.
At the opening ceremony of the new facility on Thursday, May 30 Tom Brands gave us some insight on how he raised over $34 million.
It all started the day of the Grapple on the Gridiron on Saturday, November 14, 2015. The University of Iowa defeated #1 ranked Oklahoma State in Kinnick Stadium in front of a record 42,000 plus fans.
After the meet Tom Brands attended the Iowa-Minnesota football night game at Kinnick. That is when he spotted a guy he did not know wearing a Hawkeye Wrestling Club jacket.
Tom, being kinda the shy type, told the guy that only boosters get a coat like that. The guy wearing the HWC coat was Bob Nicolls. They shook hands and started a relationship and the fate of Iowa Wrestling was changed forever.
At the end of a brief conversation Bob told Tom to call if he ever needed anything.
Tom called Bob and asked if he could come out to Denver and talk. He then asked if Bob was a morning person. Bob said he was and when did he want to come out. Tom responded that he would be there in the morning. Tom and then Iowa Wrestling Director of Operations Luke Eustice drove 800 miles through the night and walked into Bob Nicolls’ office at 7AM the next morning.
An hour later Tom walked out of Bob’s office with a check for $60,000 for the Hawkeye Wrestling Club and $1 million to build a new wrestling facility. They then drove straight through back to Iowa to get back to work.
The rest as they say is history.
Bob Nicolls:
Without Tom the new facility does not get built. Tom’s energy and passion made it happen.
Tom is doing a great job roster building.
500 people contributed to the new facility. It took every single person and dollar to make this happen.
The Training section right off the mats for Jesse (Donnenwerth – Iowa Wrestling Athletic Trainer) was well done. A lot of thought went into making the facility to take the best care of the athletes.
I thought it should have been named the “Tom and Terry Brands Wrestling Room.” I did not care about my name being on anything. I just wanted the facility built.
When Covid hit in 2020 we were at $11 million. Kevin Collins contacted me about a match program. I gave $3 million more and he was able to get that matched by other boosters. I then gave another $3 million for a total of $7 million to get us to $18 million. We picked up two $1 million donors and just kept going.
The Goschke family then donated $7 million and that got us the final approval to build the facility.
I will be releasing additional blogs about how “The greatest wrestling training facility…in the world” was built. I say again the cost was over $34 million and every single dollar was raised by Iowa Wrestling fan donors. No loan, notes, bonds, nothing. No other program has ever done that.
As a matter of fact I believe two of Iowa’s yearly rivals (Iowa State and Illinois) recently put plans on hold to build a new facility because they simply could not raise the money needed.
Tom Brands raised the $34 million and was very much involved in the design and construction of the new wrestling facility. He did all of this on top of and in addition to his regular duties as Head Wrestling Coach at the University of Iowa.
I do not believe enough has been said about what Tom Brands has done. Possibly because people do not know.
There are a lot more stories to be told about how “The greatest wrestling training facility…in the world” was paid for entirely by Iowa Wrestling fans. I will dig in and see what I can do to publish more blogs about this.
I hope to do a blog about the Goschke family that donated $7 million for the new facility.
I definitely want to do a blog about the tunnel that goes underground from the wrestling room to the floor of Carver-Hawkeye Arena. Competitors may eventually build a massive wrestling facility but the best of luck to anyone on this planet duplicating that tunnel. It is unreal.
The University of Iowa Wrestling team will host an open practice on Saturday, October 26 at 10 AM. It is Homecoming at Iowa and I am expecting a great day to be a Hawk fan in Iowa City.
If you have not experienced the new facility I suggest that you do. Words do not do it justice. Especially walking through the tunnel.
Fans are welcomed to come in and watch practice and to take a tour of the new facility.
Iowa Wrestling will be hosting recruits for the biggest recruiting weekend of the year. Recruits will be in town Friday, Saturday, and Sunday.
Saturday will really be the first time that the Goschke Family Wrestling Training Center and Bob and Kathy Nicolls Wrestling Room – “The greatest wrestling training facility…in the world” will be on display for fans and recruits at this level.
The $34 million house that Tom built.
It is great to be an Iowa Wrestling fan.
Go Hawks!
