Joe Block, head coach of the Prior Lake High School wrestling team from 2001 through 2025, will be recognized next month, both as a former top high school athlete and for the many records he earned during his 25-year coaching career.

Block is one of 12 being inducted into the Minnesota Wrestling Coaches Association Hall of Fame on April 11. The event will be held in Benson, Minnesota.

A three-sport athlete while attending Le Center High School, he participated in football, wrestling and track. Block was a four-time state entrant, and his high school wrestling record was 167 wins, 27 losses and 5 ties. He was crowned state champion as a sophomore in the 126-pound weight class in 1987. He placed third the following year, and won a second state title at 135 pounds in 1989. He won national titles in freestyle and Greco-Roman wrestling, along with numerous Northern Plains regional titles in both categories.

Following graduation, he attended Drake University to pursue a degree in elementary education. In college, he won over 100 matches. Block was a National Collegiate Athletic Association qualifier and earned Drake’s Most Valuable Player award in wrestling before pursuing a master’s degree in education from St. Mary’s University.

Block started his teaching career in Le Center and was then hired at Prior Lake High School, where he coached from 2001 to 2025.

During his high school coaching career, Block’s record stands at 394 wins to 309 losses. He coached 106 state entrants, coached 60 state place winners, 12 of whom earned state champion titles. He was named “Section Coach of the Year” eight times, and “Minnesota Coach of the Year” four times. Under his leadership, his teams achieved a silver or gold academic award in all but three years he coached at Prior Lake.

In gathering information for the upcoming award ceremony, parents of one wrestler he coached at Prior Lake wrote: “Joe was able to connect with the community and draw external coaches to come into the program. He had that special gift that made us all feel welcomed and special.”

A wrestling official also wrote, “Many of Joe’s athletes have moved on to have successful lives and careers. Joe built a positive culture and athlete-centered approach among his teams. He had the ability to get the best out of the student-athletes and the people he worked with.”

“Joe stood by me in some hard times and gave me a second chance,” one of his assistant coaches commented. “I never wanted him to regret that. I never wanted to let him down.”

Block continues to teach in Prior Lake, where he and his wife, Donelle, reside with their two children, Teagan and Terin.

For more information regarding the induction ceremony and dinner, or to purchase tickets, contact Steve Ricard, [email protected]; phone (320) 444-0569.