WARRENSBURG, Mo. – University of Central Missouri Athletics mourns the recent passing of former wrestling head coach and UCM Athletics Hall of Famer Roger Denker.

Denker, a native of Redfield, S.D., who came to Warrensburg in 1963 and served as the head wrestling coach for the Mules from 1963-81, passed away Nov. 19 in Hot Springs Village, Ark. He was 88 years old.

During his time as the head wrestling coach for Central Missouri, Denker helped guide the Mules to six top-20 finishes at the national tournament, including 10 All-Americans and 163 national qualifiers. He was inducted into the South Dakota Wrestling Hall of Fame (1985), Missouri Wrestling Association Hall of Fame (1994) and the UCM Athletics Hall of Fame (2001).

In addition to serving as the head wrestling coach for the Mules, Denker also was an assistant football coach at Central Missouri from 1963-72.

While memorial services were conducted in Hot Springs Village Nov. 21, a celebration of Denker's life will be held Saturday, Jan. 15, in Warrensburg.

Family and friends will be gathering at the Kitterman Room 237 in the UCM Union at 5 p.m., and then at 7 p.m. at Hero's Restaurant in downtown Warrensburg in the private dining area.

On Sunday morning, Jan. 16, friends and family will gather at the Multipurpose Building at 8 a.m. for coffee and a special announcement.

If you would like to honor Denker's memory, the family suggests making a donation to the Roger Denker Wrestling Scholarship Fund at UCM, using the following link, https://www.ucmfoundation.org/give/denker, or contact the UCM Foundation for other options.