Knox College Athletics

There probably would have never been a wrestling program at Knox College if it hadn’t been for Chuck Porter, Class of 1952. Realizing that a career as a football player was not to be, he asked athletic director Dean Trevor to purchase a small mat for Auxiliary Gymnasium that could be used to wrestle.

After reading a book on wrestling and finding other students to join, Chuck coached the wrestling team himself for the first few years. With a very limited budget, he and the wrestling team often had to travel to meets with the swim team just to be able to compete. Though he was a self-taught wrestler, however, Chuck competed at the highest level in the Midwest Conference, which included national powerhouse Cornell College.

Since his days as a student, Chuck has been a dedicated supporter of Knox athletics, especially wrestling. He and his wife, Priscilla, donated the funds to repurpose part of the old weight room to create a wrestling room, meeting rooms, and an addition to the athletic training room. They also helped the wrestling team purchase mats and other equipment, and paid for team trips and recruiting. Their benevolence not only kept the program running, but, even more importantly, gave the wrestlers a sense of pride. Longtime wrestling coach Tony Islas had this to say about Chuck: “Chuck Porter was the kind of man that we want all alumni to aspire to be one day. He helped create something, the wrestling program that lived long beyond his years at Knox College. He carried the knowledge and experiences of his education here at Knox into his business endeavors. After years of great success in the business world, Chuck gave back to Knox in demonstration of his gratitude for the education he received here and that helped mold him into the man he is today.”

The Chuck Porter Invitational, honoring Chuck and all that he did for Knox Wrestling, was held annually for the last 10 years. Chuck and Priscilla flew in from Southern California to attend the tournament as often as possible and always made connections with the current wrestlers, getting to know each of them by name.