Durward “Deke” Eugene Edwards
Championship Wrestling Trophy
1953 – Participated in his first wrestling meet that was held at Vinton, IA.
1957- Wrestled in the first NCASB tournament that was held in Vinton, IA.
MissouriSchool for the Blind High School
High School Record (1953-1957): 75-2, 58 by pins.
Sophomore – 103 lbs., Second in Missouri State Championships, loss by referee decision.
Junior – 112 lbs., First in Missouri State Championship.
Senior -120 lbs., First in Missouri State Championship.
His team placed second in the Missouri State Championship with a team of only 8 wrestlers and a high school enrollment of less than 40 students.
Southern Illinois University at Carbondale
College Record – (1957-1961) 45-6
Freshman – Third place in Conference; his loss in the semi-finals; was the only loss he suffered all year
Sophomore – First place in Conference.
Junior – First place in Conference.
Senior – First place in Conference. (Team Captain)
The only dual meets the team lost during his four years at SIU were to Oklahoma and Oklahoma State. During his time at SIU, the team was consistently ranked in the top 10 and achieved a number two ranking at one time.
1962 – Started at Missouri School for the Blind as Mathematics teacher and Mr. Al Eberhardt’s assistant coach. He remained assistant coach until Mr. Eberhardt’s retirement in 1975 at which time he became head coach.
1982 – Sixth wrestler inducted into the Missouri Hall of Fame.
1994 – Elected to the Greater St. Louis Area Athletic Association Hall of Fame.
2005 – Inducted into the National Wrestling Hall of Fame.