Everything about Joe Klune added up to wrestling being his lifelong calling.
He put his heart and soul into the sport. If his path had led him to any other area of interest, it would have been mixing apples and oranges. His personality, abilities and mind- set were perfectly fit to be at home on the wrestling mat.
Growing up in Globeville on Denver’s northeast side during the Great Depression, Klune began to fill the mold. He was one of the few area youths who could venture to both sides of Logan Street and not come home with a black eye or a bloody nose.
When he ventured to the stockyards or to the nearby railroad tracks, some of his antics would cause most any sheltered dowager to faint dead away. He advanced through the wrestling dynasties at Denver North High School under legendary coach B.O. Moles and Colorado State Teachers College in Greeley with Hall of Fame coach John Hancock.
After a third-place finish at the NCAA nationals and a stint with Uncle Sam — you guessed it, the U.S. Marines — Klune went into coaching, first at his alma mater and then at Lincoln High School when it opened in 1960.
Klune and his teams were fixtures at the Colorado state tournament until he retired in 1981. Three of his wrestlers — Dean Lahr at North, and Bob Justice and Tom Beeson at Lincoln — went on to win NCAA championships.
“It really was tough where I grew up in Globeville,” Klune said. “We had a lot of ethnic groups, and Logan Street was kind of the dividing line. I’m Catholic, but I didn’t go to Catholic schools and that was part of the problem. I made it clear I wasn’t going to be pushed around. After that, I was able to go on both sides of Logan Street and be fine.”
Youngsters in Klune’s day had to entertain themselves. If there were such things as sports camps, there wouldn’t have been money to pay for the admission.
“We spent our childhoods in the stockyards, the sand pits and the railroad yards,” Klune said. “We’d have our own rodeos and ride the calves. Sometimes we’d earn a little money by helping to herd sheep or cattle into the pens. We had a game in the railroad yards where we’d jump from one train to another. They weren’t going very fast, but it was dangerous as heck. We got a new community center later on, and we started going over there.”
But Klune’s pride and joy was his version of “The African Queen.” He made a boat to sail the sand pits.
“I found some tin and enough wood and tar to put this boat together,” Klune said. “But when I put it in the water, the thing tipped over. I had to drag it out of the water and fix it.”
Klune solved the problem by rigging an old bicycle to the top of the boat, extending the rear axles far enough to attach some rotary-type fan blades that turned in the water as he pedaled.
“I knew it wouldn’t tip over because the blades served as pontoons,” Klune said. “I sold the thing for $10.”
Klune learned his wrestling through hard knocks. He and his younger brother, Bob, tested each other’s mettle on the living room floor.
“He wrestled at 185 pounds,” Klune said of his brother, “and I wrestled at 165. He was a better wrestler than I was. He won three state high school championships, but I could beat him. The teams I was on at both North and in Greeley had guys who didn’t want to disappoint each other, and we didn’t. We learned a lot from each other.”
Klune and some cronies will be at the state wrestling tournament this week at the Pepsi Center. Tom Nicholls, who coached at Arvada, and Wayne Humphrey (Ranum) most likely will be there. Glenn Scheele (Denver West) usually works on the scoring tables. Darrell Hafling (Golden) won’t make it this year while recovering from back surgery.
Klune replaced Moles at North when he entered high school coaching. While at Lincoln, Klune coached a team of Colorado high school wrestlers who toured Japan.
“I loved coaching wrestling,” Klune said. “But we don’t talk much about the old days. We just watch the tournament.
“Wrestling is the best sport in the world. It brings out the best in you.”
Klune bio
Born: April 2, 1924, in Denver
High school: Denver North
College: Colorado State Teachers College
Family: Wife Betty, daughters Nancy and Libby, son Scott (deceased)
Hobbies: Carving, silversmithing, stained-glass work
Ambition: Would like to see Australia.
