Benjamin to Enter National Wrestling Hall of Fame

His voice is synonymous with Owatonna wrestling specifically, and all wrestling in general. His exclamation, "Takedown! Owatonna!" is a legendary call. Dale Benjamin will enter the Minnesota Chapter of the National Wrestling Hall of Fame as a lifetime service honoree at a banquet on Saturday, April 21 at the Holiday in of Austin. It is a well-deserved recognition.

Benjamin spent more than 30 years as the voice of Owatonna wrestling on KRFO radio and local cable TV. I arrived as a wrestling novice in 1991. I spent many hours listening to Benjamin and Larry Hovden tag team an award-winning call of Indians, then Huskies, wrestling. In more recent years I have had the honor of working alongside Benjamin and Hovden on the coverage. I still have other radio announcers at the state tournament comment to me about listening to Benjamin's excited delivery of another Owatonna takedown.

Benjamin has been the announcer for The Clash National Wrestling Duals, the Minnesota USA Freestyle State Tournament, the Owatonna Open and many other events over the years. He was a 2010 inductee into the Dave Bartelma Minnesota Wrestling Coaches Association Hall of Fame. In 1993, Benjamin was named the Minnesota State Wrestling Broadcaster of the Year by the coaches association. Later that year he earned the national broadcaster as well by Wrestling USA Magazine.

Longtime Owatonna High School wrestling coach Scot Davis credits Benjamin with being instrumental in helping to build the Owatonna wrestling into the powerhouse it remains today. Benjamin had sons wrestle in Owatonna, was a youth coach and served on the Owatonna Wrestling Association, winning the OWA Service Award in 1998.

Go here to order tickets online. You can also call Minnesota chapter president Spencer Yohe at 320-766-1934.