Inductees

Chris was a member of the Newport Harbor High School’s wrestling and tennis teams. In 1970, he set a national high school record for the most pins in a single season with 34. It earned him a place in the Sports Illustrated: “Faces in the Crowd” section. Horpel wrestled at Stanford University from 1971-75 and placed 1st, 2nd, 3rd and 5th in the Pacific-8 Conference.

The three-time Team Captain was a twice All-American for placing 5th and 7th, and he won the team’s Most Valuable Award. As a member of the USA Wrestling Nation Team (top three in the 68 kg division), he earned a 5th in World at Montreal, Canada, in 1975.

He also was undefeated (7-0) in a tour through West Germany. Horpel was the first alternate at 68 kg for the 1976 USA Olympic Wrestling Team. Chris has been the Wrestling Head Coach at Gunn High School in Palo Alto since 2003. He resurrected a last place team, turning it into a CIF Central Coast Section top-10 program within three years.

His first season at Gunn HS produced the school’s first league title and undefeated season in 28 years. He has developed Gunn’s first CCS placers in 11 years and first champions in 30 years while enjoying three undefeated seasons and four league championships. His overall record in 11 seasons is 75-17.

Chris co-founded the Dave Schultz Wrestling Club with Nancy Schultz after Dave’s death in 1996, and he has served as primary coach and administrator for 18 years. The Club has produced eight national team titles, six Olympians including two Olympic gold medalists, 25 World Team members including four champions, and 52 national champions.

Horpel has been a member of USA Wrestling’s National Coaching Staff since 1975, and he has coached 17 USA Teams in freestyle and Greco-Roman over that span in many international events. He coached the USA Pan American Championships teams in 1986, 1994 and 2002. Head Coach of the Senior Women’s World Team in 2002, he was on the NCAA Rules Committee 1992-98.