The sport of wrestling lost one of its best story tellers on Monday, as long time wrestling reporter Dan McCool passed away at the age of 60.

McCool, a Clarion native, was well known for his love of the sport and his ability to tell wrestlers story in print.

“Dan was the best of the best,” said Iowa head wrestling coach Tom Brands in an exclusive interview with The Messenger. “He told stories to keep the legacies of native Iowa wrestlers alive. It was important to him that Iowa’s best wrestlers were never forgotten.

“He had relationships that he was proud of and he guarded them fiercely. In the end he is the one that will never be forgotten.”

Anytime Fort Dodge wrestling coach Bobby Thompson was at a wrestling meet, McCool was always their to talk about wrestling or share a laugh.

“He had such an approachable personality, whether you were wearing a suit or blue jeans,” Thompson said. “Cooly was known for his light humor and his sarcasm.

“I can’t tell you the number of events that I would see him at. When I was at the Olympic Trials in Indianapolis or the junior and cadet teams I would see him there. Anytime there was a major event, I would walk in and ‘Cooly’ would be there.”

McCool was known for his love of the sport at all ages. He covered high school, college, and Olympic events. If there was a big event — he was there.

“He was an icon of wrestling,” Thompson said. “He was an encyclopedia of knowledge. It’s hard to put into words the knowledge of wrestling that he’ll take to his grave.

“The stories that he could tell, not only in high school, but at the college and the Olympic level. A lot of people don’t know, but he was also very knowledgeable with baseball and other sports and had a vast appreciation for the state of Iowa.”

Thompson wants the younger wrestlers and the wrestling community to understand what McCool meant to the sport of wrestling.

“I hope the younger generations appreciate what he did for the sport of wrestling.”