Submitted Photo: Tom Hildreth of Rockwell City will be inducted into the Iowa High School Athletic Association Hall of Fame on Saturday night in Des Moines.

DES MOINES — Countless wins. Conference titles. Tournament championships. Nearly four dozen state qualifiers.

A laundry list of accomplishments define Tom Hildreth’s decorated career. The 20-year run as a head coach in high school, and four-decade stretch as an Iowa High School Athletic Association official. Both the longevity and success were more than enough to earn Hildreth his 2021 IHSAA Wrestling Hall of Fame induction honor, which will come on Saturday at Wells Fargo Arena.

For as flattered and surprised as Hildreth was when he received word of his nomination a few weeks ago, the former Pocahontas and Rockwell City-Lytton leader immediately turned his attention to the student-athletes who grew up in his program before spreading their wings and making him proud in the real world.

“We had a wrestling reunion during Sweet Corn Daze (in Rockwell City), and it was just great to see people from all different ages and (walks of life) who shared the bond of being wrestlers (from Pocahontas and RC-L) through the years,” Hildreth said. “Not just the careers they had as athletes, but seeing them make the most of their opportunities as professionals and family men. Doctors. Lawyers. Coaches. My son’s a pilot.

“I would say we had guys who were 18 or 19 years old there all the way up to around 70 or so. It just goes to show that kids from small schools can go on to accomplish great things.”

Hildreth, who is 62 years old, took over the Pocahontas program in 1985 after a short stint as an assistant with the school. In 1987, he returned to Rockwell City — where Hildreth was an accomplished wrestler himself — and spent the next 17 seasons in charge.

Hildreth retired in 2004 with a career dual record of 235-66-5. During his tenure, Hildreth’s teams won 36 tournament titles, qualified 45 individuals for state, earned 12 medals — including sons Ryan and David — and one state champion (Zach Bates in 2004).

Hildreth also coached the South Central Calhoun middle school program for five seasons after Rockwell City-Lytton and Southern Cal consolidated in 2012.

In 2018, Hildreth was inducted into the National Wrestling Hall of Fame.

“I was just flabbergasted when they told me (about the Hall of Fame),” Hildreth said. “When I look at the people who (have been honored), I don’t see myself in that group. It’s an incredible honor, and I’m really looking forward to being down on the floor (at Wells Fargo Arena).

“I’m very thankful and excited. It’s just unbelievable.”

Hildreth always emphasized the value of every piece to his program’s puzzle.

“We always tried to include everyone, because they all brought something important to (the table),” Hildreth said. “Not just the wrestlers, but the stat girls, cheerleaders and anyone else who was a part of our teams. It’s been great to see them all come through the ranks and have kids of their own who are now involved, whether it’s at (South Central Calhoun) or someplace else.”

Hildreth competed at Rockwell City, then for Westmar College in Le Mars and qualified for four NAIA national tournaments.

“I actually just talked to my high school wrestling coach, Bob Anderson, (the other day),” Hildreth said. “When I was a seventh-grader in junior high, I was a basketball player. You had to choose back then between (basketball and wrestling). You couldn’t do both. In eighth grade, Coach Anderson talked me into going out for wrestling. That’s where it all started, and he had the biggest impact on me from a wrestling point of view.”

Hildreth and his wife, Theresa, are in Des Moines this week to provide area radio coverage on Sunny 99.7 FM. Theresa, Ryan and David will be at Wells Fargo Arena for the ceremonies on Saturday, along with their daughter, Anne, who resides in Altoona.

Their other daughter, Sara, who lives in Washington D.C., will watch via live stream.

Tom and Theresa own and operate Martin Hildreth Company in Rockwell City. The couple has 12 grandchildren.