University of Minnesota Athletics
Norman Borlaug - M Club Hall of Fame
Norman Borlaug
Lifetime Achievement Award
HOF Class of 1994
Gopher alum Norman Borlaug, it is said, saved more lives than any other person who has ever lived.
Born in northeastern Iowa, Borlaug came to the University of Minnesota, where he studied forestry and competed in baseball and wrestling. He dropped baseball as a sophomore because it conflicted with a chemistry lab, but he continued to wrestle, and excelled as a 145-pounder. His senior year, he reached the Big Ten semifinals.
Completing a master’s degree and doctorate from the U of M, Borlaug coached Gopher freshman wrestling, refereed high school wrestling, and worked for the U.S. Forest Service. He then went to Mexico to study genetics, plant breeding, plant pathology, entomology, agronomy, soil science and cereal technology. The product of this work? A high-yield, disease-resistant wheat that saved millions from starvation and earned him the Nobel Peace Prize. He is said to have launched the “Green Revolution” in agriculture.
In addition to many other honors, Borlaug was inducted into the National Collegiate Wrestling Association Hall of Fame, honored as an Outstanding American by the National Wrestling Hall of Fame, and is a member of the Iowa and Minnesota Wrestling Halls of Fame.