Luther College Wrestling Team Wins Award for their "All Wrestlers Crew"

Without your donation, some stories vanish. Support Decorah News. DECORAH — For nearly 30 years, the Luther College wrestling team has operated the All Wrestlers Crew, a for-hire labor group that has grown from a way for student-athletes to earn summer rent money into a trusted moving service for Decorah-area residents, nonprofits, nursing homes and businesses. The crew logs more than 100 jobs each year, according to Assistant Wrestling Coach Jeff O'Gara, who said he regularly receives calls from people who need help moving heavy items and have few other options. "Decorah doesn't have a moving company," O'Gara said. "While we sometimes get calls for farm work or landscaping, most of the time it's to help people move heavy things. Some jobs require a lot of guys, others can be done quickly with just a few wrestlers." The team's long-standing service was recognized earlier this month when the Luther College wrestling team received the 2026 Excellence in Collaboration Award at the January Luncheon, an annual college-and-community kickoff event. The award, now in its third year, was created to recognize collaboration between Luther College and the Decorah community and is selected by a committee of college and community leaders. Jessica Rilling, Decorah Area Chamber of Commerce director and a member of the award committee, said the award grew out of conversations about the mutual importance of the college and the town. "There were so many spaces where the sentiment was shared about how much the college matters to the health of our town and vice versa that we decided to create space for exactly that," Rilling said. "This year's recipient is a great example of what the committee is trying to lift up. These student-athletes are exceptional young men on and off the mat, and none of them asked for the attention. Their only marketing is word of mouth." What began decades ago with an odd job painting a barn has evolved into a reliable, efficient and good-natured moving crew that has become a fixture in the community. The All Wrestlers Crew was nominated for the award by the Winneshiek County Historical Society. Stacey Gossling, who submitted the nomination, described the crew's role in moving archived materials from the Old Jail to a new archive building. "The move would never have been possible without the wrestling team," Gossling said. "We moved in three phases with between eight and 12 young men each time, and many of them came all three times. They were polite, careful and hardworking, moving thousands of boxes while laughing and joking with us." Head Wrestling Coach Dave Mitchell accepted the award alongside coaches and wrestlers and said the All Wrestlers Crew reflects a broader culture of service within the program. "This is a unique initiative that benefits both the community and our student-athletes," Mitchell said. "But it's not the only way our team shows up." Wrestlers also participate in Habitat for Humanity builds, assist with flood recovery efforts, serve community meals, maintain an Adopt-a-Highway stretch near campus and host a summer "Train Like a Norseman" camp for middle and high school students. Discover what's happening near you! The free DecorahNews.com newsletter brings updates, inspiring stories, and practical tips right to your inbox.