Les Armes
Class of 2003
Normal (U-High) | Black Hawk College
A1968 graduate of University High School in Normal, he wrestled under Hall of Fame Coach George Girardi. Les was a three time conference champion and a three time state qualifier. He place third in State, and fourth in State with a career record of 98-8. He was his team’s Most Valuable Wrestler twice and was team captain. He was also an All-Conference player in football and the team captain and also competed in track.
Les attended Black Hawk College in Moline and became a two-time National Junior College Champion, the first person to achieve that feat. He was named the Outstanding Wrestler in 1969. His college record was 50-0. He also won the United States Wrestling Federation Freestyle Championship in 1969. He was a member of the 1971 NCAA Championship Team at Oklahoma State University.
In 1975, Les became the wrestling coach at Sherrard High School. In 1979 through 1984, he was the head coach at Alleman High School in Rock Island. He also coached at John Deere Middle School and helped coached the 1996 IHSA Dual Team State Champions and is presently an assistant at Moline High School.
A member of the National Junior College Hall of Fame, Les has also been inducted into Black Hawk College Wall of Fame.
Les has been involved in volunteer work at many tournaments and events and has started a youth program in the Quad City area. Les also hosted the Korean National Team and coached a local team to compete.
On April 8, 2003, Les was awarded the Medal of Courage from the US Wrestling Hall of Fame and Museum.