Hall of Fame
- Induction:
- 1992
Dale Thomas served as the school's wrestling coach from 1956-90, and finished his career as the NCAA's all-time winningest coach with a record of 616-169-12. He was the first collegiate wrestling coach to reach the 500-victory plateau.
Under Thomas, Oregon State had 60 All-Americans (10 champions, 12 runner-ups), 116 conference champions, and six Olympic wrestlers. His teams won 22 conference titles, including 15 straight from 1959-73, and 13 of his teams finished in the top 10 at the NCAA Championships.
Thomas is a member of the National Wrestling Hall of Fame in 1980, the State of Oregon Sports Hall of Fame, Helms Foundation Hall of Fame, Cornell College of Iowa Hall of Fame, and the Iowa Wrestling Hall of Fame.
During his competitive days, he won nine national titles in collegiate freestyle and Greco-Roman, and was a member of the 1952 and '56 Olympic teams.
Oregon State's practice facility is named the Dale Thomas Wrestling Room.
