Dave, Kevin Black named to wrestling booster club positions

Talk about it

Dave Black has been named youth director and his son Kevin will head up a new position — director of development and outreach — with the River Falls Wrestling Booster Club, club president Carlos Figi announced last week.

Dave Black’s role as youth director will be to help educate, promote, inform and keep youth parents and kids aware of what is happening, keep proper expectations and grow the program, according to Figi. He will work with the youth coach, Tom “Butch” Cummings, and has the full support of the new high school coaches.

Figi said without even looking at his impeccable wrestling and leadership pedigree, Dave is the only individual who stepped up in the club’s search this summer.

“This fact, coupled with his full?blooded passion for the sport, the passion for the program and his history in wrestling makes this an extremely easy but critical decision for the club,” Figi said.

Dave and his wife Mary live in River Falls and have four children, Stephanie, Kevin, Tony and Amy. Dave’s social interest and passion has been his involvement with youth sports and activities in the community and state. He is currently the chairman of the Wisconsin Wrestling Federation, an accredited wrestling referee, and a member of the Junior National Olympic Wrestling Committee. He also serves on the long range planning committee for USA Wrestling in Colorado Springs.

Figi said Kevin Black fills a role the booster club needed to reach out in ways beyond wrestling.

“We knew that if you asked someone about River Falls wrestling, the name Kevin Black would likely come up in the conversation,” he said. “We also needed a single person to look at the club from the 10,000?foot view in order to provide guidance, criticism and feedback for the club to improve according to its mission, its numbers and its effectiveness.”

Kevin and his wife, Liz, and son, Isaiah, live in River Falls. Kevin also is the owner and coach of Victory School of Wrestling. He has coached USA Wrestling age?group women’s teams for the last two years and has taken part as a coach in a number of Women’s Team USA training camps in recent seasons. He serves as the women’s director for the Wisconsin Wrestling Federation, has coached the Wisconsin Junior Nationals Women’s team since 2006 and has coached Wisconsin athletes at the USGWA Nationals for the last two years.

Kevin has started a new women’s wrestling club program at UW-River Falls. He served as an assistant coach for the University of Wisconsin under Barry Davis from 2003?05, working with the Division I program there. He was a wrestling coach at Lodi High School from 2005?06. He has been the Wisconsin Wrestling Federation State Coach from 2004?06, and coached the state’s Cadet Freestyle National Team from 2002?06. He and his brother Tony Black conducted the Black Brothers Wrestling Camps from 2000?06.

Kevin was a three-time NCAA Division I All?American for the University of Wisconsin, where he also served as the team captain three times. He won four Wisconsin state titles for River Falls High School and finished his high school career with a 160?0 career record.

Tags: river falls wrestling booster club, sports