Dinsdale, Brainard newest Bulldog Wrestling Hall of Fame inductees
Kirk Dinsdale and Kevin Brainard entered the Bulldog Wrestling Hall of Fame on Jan. 17, during a ceremony at the annual MFL MarMac Invitational. Pictured (left to right) are Chet Bachman, Dave Sanger, Kevin Brainard, Kirk Dinsdale, Tim Reicks and Esme Reicks. (Photo by Audrey Posten)
By Audrey Posten | Times-Register
Two new members—Kirk Dinsdale and Kevin Brainard—entered the Bulldog Wrestling Hall of Fame on Jan. 17, during a ceremony at the annual MFL MarMac Invitational.
Long-time MFL MarMac wrestling coach Chet Bachman inaugurated the hall of fame in 2022, naming it in honor of volunteer and coach, the late Al Reicks, whose son Tim and granddaughter Esme joined Bachman in presenting the awards. Dave Sanger, who was an athlete, teacher and coach at MFL and one of the original inductees, also helped with the presentation.
Kirk Dinsdale was a 1984 MFL graduate and came from an avid wrestling and sports family. In high school, he was a four-year letter winner, wrestling at 138 pounds as a freshman and sophomore and 155 as a junior and senior. He won 88 matches, was a two-time conference champion, a sectional and district champion and qualified for state as a junior and senior, including placing fourth as a junior.
Said Sanger of Dinsdale’s record, “In today’s world, we talk 100-plus wins, but in Kirk’s day you were restricted on how many tournaments you could wrestle in, and 88 wins in four years in that wrestling environment was a tremendous accomplishment.”
Dinsdale called his hall of fame induction “a tremendous honor.”
“I loved wrestling here and had some success with it. Just encourage kids—it’s not an easy sport, but at least give it a shot. Go out there and compete and do the best you can do,” he said.
Kevin Brainard has been a long-time announcer for MFL MarMac wrestling, starting with tournaments in 1989 and later dual meets.
“Why have I done it so long?” Brainard noted in a statement read by Bachman. “Because of the fans and people I’ve worked with…Without [fans], these tournaments and duals wouldn’t be what they are. I want to thank all the people I have worked with and alongside. Your dedication to the sport and wanting to see these events go well is second to none.”
“I’ve enjoyed making the fans happy,” Brainard added. “Besides that, who wouldn’t want a front row seat to all the action?”
Bachman commended Brainard’s longevity.
“36 years of announcing, and he hasn’t missed a tournament in 36 years. That’s what you call dedication,” Bachman said. “We appreciate everything you’ve done. This is why we have the Wrestling Hall of Fame in honor of Al Reicks.”
