Inductees
Lars Jensen
Year: 2013
Gender: Male
About Lars:
Lars compiled a wrestling record of 84-42 at the College of San Mateo and then San Francisco State where he won the NCAA West Region at 190 pounds after placing second in the Far Western Conference.
A two-time NCAA Div. II Championship qualifier, he was a California Collegiate Wrestling Champion and a North-South California Collegiate All-Star Champion in 1980.
Lars was also a two-time Olympic Trials qualifier. Lars has been the Wrestling Head Coach at San Francisco State for 30 years after taking over for the 1983-84 season. His teams have won 136 dual matches, including six wins over Div. 1 teams Stanford and Cal State Fullerton, and wins over Oregon, Air Force Academy, Cal State Bakersfield and Davis.
Jensen coached SF State to its first ever NCAA Division II National Championship in 1997. He has coached 59 NCAA All-Americans, 9 NCAA Champions, 112 NCAA Championships qualifiers, and 3 NCAA Division I qualifiers. He has had 53 conference champions and 48 All-Academic team members.
Lars was selected as Amateur Wrestling Rookie Coach of the Year in 1983-84, and he was honored five times as Conference Coach of the Year. He was also designated NCAA West Region Coach of the Year twice, and he was voted the NCAA Division II Coach of the Year in 1997.
Jensen has served as a member of the NWCA Div. II Coaches Association and the NCAA Division II Wrestling Committee from 1990-1996. Lars received the NWCA 25-Year Service Award and Dual Meet Win Chair, and he was recently named to the Rules Committee.
Recipient of WIN magazine’s first Dan Gable Coach of the Year Award in 1997, Lars was also selected as Honorary Coach for the NWCA All-Star Match in 1998. He was a featured clinician at the NWCA Coaches Clinic for the NCAA Div. I Tournament in Cleveland that year.
Jensen has directed California Collegiate Tournament, a Junior College Invitational, and a high school clinic for 30 years.