Rock Island Today

The National Wrestling Coaches Association Hall of Fame might need to think about adding an Augustana College wing.

Tim Fader, a famed Viking wrestler before going on to college coaching success, was inducted into the hall on March 9 in La Crosse, Wisconsin. His induction brings the Augustana membership to five, as he joins Augustana coach Kevin Puebla, national champion wrestlers Chris Casey and Raphael Wilson, and wrestling contributor Terry Shockley.

Tim Fader | Wisconsin-Eau Claire Media Relations/Sports Information

According to the Augustana athletic website, Fader had a record of 124-39 in four years as a Viking and was a two-time All-American, twice finishing in the top five at 142 pounds at the NCAA Division III national meet. He had recorded the third-most wins in program history when he finished his career in 1991.

As a coach, Fader — currently the head coach at Wisconsin-Eau Claire — guided Wisconsin-Whitewater to a second place finish in the national meet in 2014. He coached Whitewater for 10 years after spending nine seasons with Wisconsin-La Crosse.

Fader credits Puebla with getting him to Augustana after Fader's awkward initial visit to the school.

Fader, a Rochelle, Illinois, native who wrestled under his father, Pete, at Rochelle Township High School, told the Rock Island Today that he had arranged a trip to Augustana to meet with the coaches as part of his recruitment, but no one came to meet him when he arrived.

“I guess I got back in the car, and I wasn't impressed with the school at all,” Fader said.

Puebla, who had been recruiting Fader for the University of Illinois, contacted him after taking over as head coach at Augustana. Puebla told Fader that he was trying to build the program, but cautioned that he could not promise a lot of winning in the first year.

“I really believed him,” Fader said. “I really put a lot of trust into that, and I liked that idea. I like that idea of being a part of something brand-new like that or something that would build,” Fader said.

The Vikings did struggle that first year. Fader said he thought it would be easier than it was to be a college wrestler, but he wasn’t ready after all. Eventually, things got better.

“As I progressed through my four years at Augustana, you know, I really learned a lot from Kevin,” Fader said. “I learned a lot about competing. I really enjoyed my team, my teammates. I really enjoyed the process of everybody getting better.”

After finishing his Augustana wrestling career, he worked at an auditing and tax firm in Moline known as McGladrey & Pullen, now part of RSM. But Fader said he would schedule his lunch breaks to allow him to work out during wrestling practice at the college. After two years, he knew what his real calling was: following the coaching-teaching model.

“I could tell that I wasn't passionate about my job as much as, you know, what was going on over at Augustana or other places, so I followed that,” he said.

Fader said he enjoyed the individual aspect of wrestling, where everything rode on him, but as a coach, the impact he can have on wrestlers is a driving force for him.

“I like being able to form, you know, a team and provide a good experience,” he said.