Roger S. Penske/Lehigh Athletics Hall of Fame
Kilrain, Colin
Colin Kilrain
- Induction:
- 2007
- Class:
- 1982
One of only eight four-time champions in the 110-plus year history of the EIWA (as of 2017), Colin Kilrain is one of just three wrestlers to win a championship at three different weight classes (167, 177, 190). A two-time captain and three-time third place NCAA finisher, Kilrain won 90 percent (87-8) of his matches while at Lehigh, which ranks in the top-10 in school history. During the last three years of his career with the Brown and White, Kilrain compiled an astounding 74-4 record with 23 wins-by-fall and 26 bonus wins. Four of those wins came versus NCAA champions.
During Kilrain’s sophomore season, he pushed three-time NCAA champion Ed Banach of Iowa to the brink of elimination before suffering an injury and losing by just a single point. The next year, Kilrain exacted revenge on Banach, defeating him 9-5 at Stabler Arena in front of a raucous crowd of over 4,500.
Kilrain was ranked first in the nation at 190 pounds as a junior, and later went on to earn the No. 1 seed for that year's national tournament at 177 pounds.
“Colin was so gifted and so powerful and explosive,” said Mark Lieberman ‘79, a teammate of Kilrain’s during one of the program’s most successful eras. “His technique was excellent and we really went after one another inside the wrestling room. There were very few matches where we faced better competition than we faced every day from one another.
“Colin worked very hard to become the best wrestler he could,” Lieberman continued. “He had great technique and was really a student of the game.”
As a senior, Kilrain defeated eventual NCAA champion Pete Bush of Iowa by major decision in their regular season dual in Iowa City by score of 11-1. He again earned the country's top seed for NCAA’s, this time at 190 pounds, and finished his final season on the mat with a record of 23-1.
“Colin was outstanding wrestler and a really good guy; he was one of the most popular guys on the team,” said his coach and Lehigh Hall of Famer, Thad Turner. “He was a good athlete, particularly for someone as big as he is and a great competitor. This is one of the most justifiable things we've done by electing Colin into the Hall of Fame.”
His accomplishments post-graduation have been even more impressive than his work on the mat. Kilrain served as a Captain of Special Forces for the Navy Seals, having completed countless assignments globally including Afghanistan and Iraq.
“I'm not surprised one bit what Colin has accomplished since he's left Lehigh,” Turner said. “I always knew he would be successful no matter what he chose to do.
Kilrain and his wife Susan have four children, Quinn Marie, Sean Joseph, Liam Porter and Maura Ann.
During Kilrain’s sophomore season, he pushed three-time NCAA champion Ed Banach of Iowa to the brink of elimination before suffering an injury and losing by just a single point. The next year, Kilrain exacted revenge on Banach, defeating him 9-5 at Stabler Arena in front of a raucous crowd of over 4,500.
Kilrain was ranked first in the nation at 190 pounds as a junior, and later went on to earn the No. 1 seed for that year's national tournament at 177 pounds.
“Colin was so gifted and so powerful and explosive,” said Mark Lieberman ‘79, a teammate of Kilrain’s during one of the program’s most successful eras. “His technique was excellent and we really went after one another inside the wrestling room. There were very few matches where we faced better competition than we faced every day from one another.
“Colin worked very hard to become the best wrestler he could,” Lieberman continued. “He had great technique and was really a student of the game.”
As a senior, Kilrain defeated eventual NCAA champion Pete Bush of Iowa by major decision in their regular season dual in Iowa City by score of 11-1. He again earned the country's top seed for NCAA’s, this time at 190 pounds, and finished his final season on the mat with a record of 23-1.
“Colin was outstanding wrestler and a really good guy; he was one of the most popular guys on the team,” said his coach and Lehigh Hall of Famer, Thad Turner. “He was a good athlete, particularly for someone as big as he is and a great competitor. This is one of the most justifiable things we've done by electing Colin into the Hall of Fame.”
His accomplishments post-graduation have been even more impressive than his work on the mat. Kilrain served as a Captain of Special Forces for the Navy Seals, having completed countless assignments globally including Afghanistan and Iraq.
“I'm not surprised one bit what Colin has accomplished since he's left Lehigh,” Turner said. “I always knew he would be successful no matter what he chose to do.
Kilrain and his wife Susan have four children, Quinn Marie, Sean Joseph, Liam Porter and Maura Ann.
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