The longtime wrestling coach at UW-Parkside remains in critical condition at a St. Louis hospital following an accident over the weekend.
Jim Koch, who retired in 2011 after 41 years at the helm of the Rangers' wrestling program, was hit by a car while out for a run Friday morning.
He was in St. Louis taking in the NCAA Division 1 Wrestling Championships.
UW-Parkside Athletic Director Tamie Falk-Day said the driver involved stayed on scene.
Koch took over the wrestling program at UW-Parkside in 1970. Falk-Day said he's always been known as a tireless worker.
Koch's teams included 12 national champion wrestlers. They also racked up several top 10, national finishes at both the NAIA and NCAA Division 2 levels.
"Certainly he had national wrestlers and great programs throughout the years," Falk-Day said.
"But his biggest accomplishment, I think, was just the mentoring and the role modeling he did in his long career," Falk-Day said. "He truly touched a lot of young men's lives."
Falk-Day said Koch has remained active with the wrestling program and in the UW-Parkside community since his retirement. He's typically spotted working out each day at the university's Sports & Activity Center.
"I know there's a lot of people out there now who are pulling for him," Falk-Day said.
Koch's wife has been posting updates on his condition here.
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