Knox College Prairie Fire

Alfred Partin led the wrestling program to its first undefeated season in 1955, and, in his second year as head football coach, helped the team earn a share of the Midwest Conference championship.
 
After serving in the Navy, Al had an outstanding wrestling career at Cornell College. He helped his Cornell squad to the NCAA and National AAU championships in 1946-47. He was also an All-American in 1949 and 1950, finishing third in the National AAU meet in 1949 and runner-up in 1950. For these accomplishments, Al was named to the Cornell College Hall of Fame.
 
Following his graduation from Cornell, Al served as both head wrestling coach and assistant football coach at the University of Nebraska before coming to Knox in 1954.
 
At Knox, Al served as head coach for the Knox wrestling team for 29 years. In his first season, he led the team to a 7-0 record, followed by a 7-2 record in 1955-56. Al coached eight Knox College wrestlers who qualified for the national tournament, including four Knox-Lombard Athletic Hall of Fame wrestlers: Charles H. Hosutt III ’55, J. Charles Janes ’55, Cleaveland F. Bridgman ’68, and Thomas A. MacMillan ’81.
 
Al was also the head football coach for 10 years, the fourth-longest tenure of any Knox football coach. He is seventh all-time in total wins for Knox football. Al coached six All-Midwest Conference selections on the 1956 football team, including All-American Mondo Lopez ’58. “Football meant a lot to those kids,” he said in the winter 1984 Knox Alumnus. “They fought hard and played hard. They came from different backgrounds. They were all individuals, but they could be themselves around me because I was something of a bohemian myself.”
 
Jim Valentine ’61, a former player, enjoyed the experience. “It was fun for us. You learn about philosophy, history and you learn about football. We called Al ‘The Schemer.’ We respected him, and yet he was like a buddy.”