RON BEAMAN INDUCTED TO ATHLETIC HALL
OF FAME
Former wrestler and coach
added to
Dana College's list of outstanding athletes, Oct. 2
Ron Beaman of Blair, Neb., was honored with Dana College’s
highest alumni honor for athletics Oct. 2 in Blair, Neb., when the
college named him to its Athletic Hall of Fame at a special ceremony
held as part of Homecoming festivities.
Honorees are nominated for their excellence in athletics while
attending Dana. In Beaman’s case, his record of building the
Dana wrestling team into a national power stood out.
Coaching the Vikings one day was far from the mind of young Ron
Beaman when he transferred into Dana College from Iowa Western College
in 1971. He came to wrestle himself, learning from Coach Bob Simpson.
After two and a half seasons as a Viking wrestler, Beaman left
Dana with a degree in physical education and recreation. He spent
two years as the assistant manager of Alpha Fitness in Omaha before
joining in his family business. He was sales manager for the business
for several years before he and his wife, Nancy, purchased the seed
business in 1986, renaming it RB Distributing. That business structure
gave him the freedom to say "yes" when Dana came calling
with the offer of being the Viking wrestling coach in 1979, a job
he had for 19 years.
His wrestlers earned a number of honors during his coaching years.
Nineteen of his wrestlers placed in the national tournament; he
also coached seven scholar athletes, another point of pride for
Beaman.
His Viking teams earned wins in dual meets over some much larger
schools, including NCAA Division I Valparaiso University and Chicago
State University, NCAA division II schools Central Missouri State
University and Northeast Missouri StateUniversity (now Truman State
University) and NAIA wrestling power Missouri Valley College. Two
of his wrestlers, Bill Bussey and Trent Gutschenritter, are in the
Dana Athletic Hall of Fame.
Since retiring as the Vikings’ coach, Beaman started a second
business business, Ron Beaman Massage Therapy and Personal Training,
along with R.B. Distributing. He and his wife, Nancy (Harris ’74)
have a daughter, Laura Beaman Pike.
Dana College is a place where all students actively participate.
They make things happen — in their own lives and in the lives
of others. Through a highly supportive faculty and campus community,
Dana students develop interpersonal skills, leadership abilities,
and other important values and knowledge as they make choices about
their future. Dana’s outstanding academic programs in business,
education, art and social work, among others, ensure that students
have the knowledge, skills and experience necessary to pursue challenging
careers or placement in graduate school.
Dana College is a private, liberal arts institution in Blair, Neb.
To learn more, visit www.dana.edu.
Dana College: Develop talents, Take charge,
Build a future — We’re with you all the way.
— END —
For more information contact:
Sarah Cavanah
Communications Coordinator
Dana College
(402) 426-7216
scavanah@dana.edu
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