Allie Roy Morrison

2014 Iowa Wrestling Hall of Fame Inductee

June 29, 1904 – April 18, 1966

Few wrestling careers in Iowa’s rich history can compare to that of Allie Morrison. In his short but storied career, Morrison lost only one match—including international competition—with the Marshalltown native even winning a match while competing with a broken vertebra.

Allie Roy Morrison was an Olympic champion at the 1928 Olympics, officially called the Games of the IX Olympiad, held in Amsterdam. He became the first native Iowan to earn Olympic gold in any sport.

That gold medal came despite the worst possible draw. After defeating Belgian wrestler Pierre Bressinck in the quarterfinals, Morrison faced Kustaa Pihlajamäki of Finland, the only defending champion in the field. A four-time Olympian and three-time medalist, the Finn is still regarded as one of the best European wrestlers of all time. The Olympic format at the time called for best-of-three competition, but Morrison defeated the favorite in two straight bouts, then beat Hans Minder of Switzerland to complete a run of six straight victories and win the featherweight championship (134 pounds).

At the University of Illinois, he was undefeated for three years and won half of his matches by fall. During his junior year, on March 2, 1929, he suffered a broken vertebra in his neck in a match against the University of Chicago. He won that match and several others afterward, but was eventually forced to retire or risk paralysis.

As a high school sophomore, he competed in the U.S. Olympic Trials but lost to the eventual champion. It was the only defeat of his career. Morrison went on to win three National AAU titles, beginning in 1926 as a high school senior. After winning two state prep titles, Morrison was too old at age 21 to compete as a senior. With the help of a faculty advisor, Morrison coached Marshalltown to a third straight state championship. That advisor was Adolph Rupp, who would later become a basketball coaching legend.

After college, Morrison coached high school sports in Omaha, leading his wrestlers to four state championships in five years. After serving in World War II, he entered private business.

A wrestler of incredible achievement, Allie Morrison is also an inductee of the National Wrestling Hall of Fame and the University of Illinois Hall of Fame. On March 30, 2019, Marshalltown dedicated the Allie Morrison Wrestling Training Room during the grand opening of the Roundhouse Phase II project.

Allie Morrison was inducted posthumously into the Iowa Wrestling Hall of Fame in 2014 alongside Doug Schwab, Nat Pendleton, Kevin Dresser, & Tom Kettman.