Maryland Mourns The Loss Of Sully Krouse
3/31/2000 7:00:00 AM | Wrestling
March 31, 2000
COLLEGE PARK, Md. - The University of Maryland is mourning the loss of former wrestling head coach William E. "Sully" Krouse, who passed away Thursday night after a long battle with cancer. He was 83.
Krouse helped start the sport at Maryland in 1940 as a student, but is best known for his success as a coach for the Terps from 1947 until 1978. In his 32 years at the helm, he won 20 ACC titles, two Southern Conference titles and coached 155 ACC individual champions and eight All-Americans. Two of his wrestlers were NCAA champions.
He helped the Terps to a 6-1 record in 1941-42 as a wrestler and was runner-up for the Southern Conference heavyweight title in 1941. He received both his undergraduate and Masters degrees from Maryland while recording a 72-2 collegiate record, following a 31-1 prep school mark.
Before coming back to College Park in 1946 as an assistant football and head wrestling coach, he played professional football for the Brooklyn Dodgers in 1942 and coached in Baltimore.
"Coach Krouse was instrumental in getting the wrestling program started at Maryland and establishing the strong tradition that exists today," says current assistant coach and assistant athletic director Curt Callahan, who was a two-time ACC champion in 1969 and 1970.
Once the program had been restarted following World War II, he brought the team from a fourth place finish in his first year in 1947 to back-to-back Southern Conference titles by 1952-53. In 1954, Maryland joined the Atlantic Coast Conference and the Terps won 16 consecutive ACC titles while going undefeated in the conference during each of those seasons. After taking second place in 1970, Maryland won four more titles from 1971-1974.
Krouse also served as Tournament Director for three NCAA Championships. His first event was recognized as one of the most successful in NCAA history with the largest number of entries, a record attendance and was a profitable for the first time. In 1972, the championships in Cole Field House grossed over $100,000 and established a record for attendance with 42,500.
He was one of the founders (and lifetime member) of the Metropolitan Washington Wrestling Officials Association and served as a member of the Maryland Scholastic Officials Association for over 20 years. In the beginning, he donated his time officiating matches, donated mats, equipment and conducted clinics promoting the sport. By the time he finished coaching in 1978, there were over 10,000 youngsters participating in his programs.
Krouse was inducted into the Maryland Hall of Fame in 1987 for his achievements as both an athlete and coach.
Funeral arrangements have not been announced at this time.
SULLY KROUSE'S COACHING RECORD Southern Conference Year Overall Finish 1947 2-4 4th 1948 5-5 3rd 1949 8-1 3rd 1950 5-3 3rd 1951 5-3 3rd 1952 6-2 1st 1953 6-1 1stAtlantic Coast Conference Year Overall Pct. ACC Pct. Finish 1954 5-4 .556 4-0 1.000 1st 1955 7-2 .778 5-0 1.000 1st 1956 6-2 .750 5-0 1.000 1st 1957 6-3 .667 5-0 1.000 1st 1958 6-1-2 .778 5-0 1.000 1st 1959 6-3 .667 5-0 1.000 1st 1960 6-4 .600 5-0 1.000 1st 1961 6-2 .750 4-0 1.000 1st 1962 5-4-1 .550 4-0 1.000 1st 1963 6-2 .750 4-0 1.000 1st 1964 4-2-1 .643 4-0 1.000 1st 1965 6-3 .667 4-0 1.000 1st 1966 4-4 .500 4-0 1.000 1st 1967 6-4-1 .591 4-0 1.000 1st 1968 6-3 .667 4-0 1.000 1st 1969 8-2-1 .773 4-0 1.000 1st 1970 10-3 .769 3-1 .750 2nd 1971 5-5 .500 4-0 1.000 1st 1972 8-4-2 .643 4-0 1.000 1st 1973 9-8 .529 3-0 1.000 1st 1974 14-5-1 .725 4-0 1.000 1st 1975 9-10 .474 2-2 .500 3rd 1976 8-9 .470 3-1 .750 2nd 1977 7-7 .500 1-3 .250 4th 1978 7-7-1 .500 2-3 .400 4th
*32 years *207-122-10, .608 overall *96-10, .906 ACC *20 Atlantic Coast Conference Titles *2 Southern Conference Titles *154 ACC champions *8 All-Americans
