MO State HS Sports

Missouri Wrestling Mourns The Loss Of Hap Whitney

The University of Missouri and Mizzou Wrestling mourns the passing of former wrestling head coach Vernon Hap Whitney, who passed away on Wednesday in Columbia.

The University of Missouri and Mizzou Wrestling mourns the passing of former wrestling head coach Vernon Hap Whitney, who passed away on Wednesday in Columbia.

“This morning, we lost a great man in Hap Whitney,” head coach Brian Smith said. “Hap brought Mizzou Wrestling into the modern era and helped bring Mizzou to the national stage. He was a mentor, a great coach, a great supporter of the program, and special friend to me. Prayers to all the Whitney family.

We have an award named after him and to not have him be there to hand out his award this year was hard for me. I will miss the phone calls after duals, miss his guidance, and miss his friendship. He was a great person and a great Tiger forever.”

Whitney was inducted into the University of Missouri Intercollegiate Athletics Hall of Fame in 1997. As the head coach of the Tigers from 1964-1974, Whitney led Missouri wrestling to new heights. Under his direction, the Tigers saw its first Big Eight champion, its first team to score points at the NCAA Championships (1967), its first undefeated season (1968) and its first ranked team (1968).

Wrestling at Normandy High School in St. Louis from 1949-1952, Whitney became the state’s first four-time state champion. He went on to become a Big 10 conference champion at Purdue and was named an All-American at the 1956 NCAA Championships. The same year, he served as an alternate on the U.S. Olympic team.

Following his time in the Missouri Department of Athletics, Whitney served as the director of physical education and athletics at Columbia Public Schools for 18 years.

Whitney is a 2011 inductee of the Missouri Sports Hall of Fame, was a charter member of the Missouri Wrestling Hall of Fame and is a member of the National Wrestling Hall of Fame.

Missouri wrestling continues Whitney’s legacy through the Hap Whitney Coaches Award, an annual honor given to the Mizzou wrestler that displays dedication, commitment, sacrifice and unselfishness to the team on a constant basis.

This article is provided by University of Missouri Athletics