Iowa City, Iowa — The Hawkeye Wrestling Club announced Saturday, May 4, 2024 that former University of Iowa wrestler and current Hawkeye Wrestling Club Vice President, Mitch Kelly, has been named the recipient of the sixth annual Rob McReynolds Passion Award.

Kelly was a four-time letterwinner from 1984-87 and a member of three NCAA title teams and four Big Ten championship teams under legendary head coach Dan Gable. Following a four-year career that saw Iowa compile a 69-4 dual record, Kelly began serving on the HWC board and coaching alongside Gable.

Nearly four decades later, Kelly continues to serve and inspire Hawkeye wrestlers. He is the HWC vice president, providing an influential voice to the board and shaping its development goals.

Kelly is a three-time graduate of the University of Iowa, first earning a BA in psychology, later a master’s in social work, and finally a PhD in educational psychology. He is currently a clinical professor at the UI College of Education, where he has taught for more than 25 years. He is widely recognized for his exceptional teaching skills, dedication to students, and innovative contributions to graduate education. He has received numerous awards and honors and was recently presented the 2023 President and Provost Award for Teaching Excellence. 

Mitch has been a mentor to me and so many other Hawkeyes throughout his career,” said HWC Executive Director Chad Beatty. “He has volunteered and positively impacted our club for decades. Since earning his first varsity letter 40 years ago, he has been a leader among leaders, and we are so grateful to have his energy behind our athletes.

Rob McReynolds Award Recipients:

Mitch Kelly (2024)

Roy J. Carver, Dan Gable (2023)

Herb Tyler (2022)

Randy Novak (2021)

Beth & Steve Reese (2020)

Forrest Molinari (2019)

About Rob McReynolds:

Born in Dodgeville, Wisconsin, Rob McReynolds moved to the Hawkeye State with his family in 1964. He

graduated from DeWitt Central High School in 1977, lettering as a three-sport athlete in baseball, football, and wrestling. Rob excelled in wrestling and set the school single-season record with 31 wins in 1977. He did not win the Iowa State Wrestling Tournament and ironically, this disappointment became a driving force for many things he did over the next thirty years.

After their marriage in 1981, Rob and his wife, Barb moved to Colorado. There, he began his 36-year career in the roofing business. He purchased D Roofing Inc. in 1997. With enthusiasm, trust, and hard work, he built an incredible customer base. He was committed to keeping his customers happy, and every employee was aware of this priority. In addition, the company won job workmanship awards from the Colorado Roofing Association (CRA) for 15 consecutive years. Nationally, Roofing ranked as high as 16th based on total sales volume and they consistently finished in the top 40 in the U.S. In 2014, D Roofing won the National Roofing Contractors Association (NRCA) prestigious Gold Circle Award for the job of the year.

During his career in roofing, Rob held many leadership roles for both the CRA and the NRCA. In the roofing industry, it was well known that Rob raised the bar for roofing contractor standards. Starting in 2003, he worked on over 19 different committees for the NRCA for 10 years. He was the president of the National Roofing Legal Resource Center in 2008. Rob also served as a director for the NRCA from 2003 to 2007 and was later promoted to vice president of the NRCA Executive Board from 2009 to 2011. Rob was the president of the CRA in 2004. In 2013, Rob won the Lifetime Achievement Award from the CRA. Rob sold D Roofing Inc. in January of 2016 and managed the transition for the new owners for two years until retiring in January of 2018. 

A loving husband and father, Rob and his wife raised two daughters. As a family, they suffered the loss of a three-month old son who died of SIDS in 1987. Without a doubt, Rob was devastated. He found an outlet to ease his pain through coaching High School wrestling in Colorado. Those who wrestled for him knew that Coach McReynolds required dedication and commitment, but they also recognized that he sincerely cared to make them better at their sport and outstanding young men. He coached for a span of 10 years through 1996. The pinnacle of Rob’s coaching career came from 1993 through 1995. For those three consecutive years, Rob coached the wrestler of the year in the state of Colorado. Those three wrestlers had a combined record of 107 wins with zero losses. Rob also coached a Colorado Cadet and Junior National team from 1992 to 1995. 

Rob was passionate about everything in life and was known for his high energy, drive, and determination. An avid Hawkeye wrestling fan, Rob was a board member of the Hawkeye Wrestling Club. He attended 34 NCAA wrestling tournaments and was a member of the National Wrestling Coaches Association for 25 years. With his family at his side, Rob passed away in September 2019 following a bout with cancer.

About the Hawkeye Wrestling Club:

Since its inception in 1973, the focus of Hawkeye Wrestling Club has been to provide the training, coaching and resources necessary to help our athletes pursue their dreams of becoming World and Olympic Champions. The money raised through the HWC goes directly to benefit the athletes helping with living expenses, training and traveling needs. Maybe the most important aspect of the HWC is its pursuit in trying to  get the best post-collegiate athletes to train with the HWC together in Iowa City to attain the ultimate prize in wrestling… World and Olympic gold medals.