National Wrestling Hall of Fame

CONGRATULATIONS to our Class of 2025! MORE -> https://lnkd.in/gsqrrkKk Distinguished Members Darryl Burley, Matt Lindland, Terry Steiner and Greg Wojciechowski #LegendsLiveOn Meritorious Official honoree Ken Mara Order of Merit recipient Van Stokes Medal of Courage recipient Mark Coleman Outstanding American honoree Vision Quest author Terry Davis #SportForAll #GirlsWrestle #AnyBODYCanWrestle #thisiswhatawrestlerlookslike #LetsWrestle #GrowTheSport You can be whatever you desire in this sport because wrestling truly is for everyone!

Jake Deitchler, an Ojibwe Nation citizen, represented the United States in Greco-Roman at the 2008 Olympics, becoming the first high school wrestler to make the U.S. Olympic team since Mike Farina in 1976. Jake was a three-time Minnesota state champion and five-time state place-winner for Anoka High School, the alma mater of National Wrestling Hall of Fame Distinguished Members Dan Chandler and Brandon Paulson and Dave Hazewinkel and Jim Hazewinkel, who all competed in the Olympics in Greco-Roman. He was the Minnesota winner of our Dave Schultz High School Excellence Award in 2008. READ more about Jake -> https://lnkd.in/gU9Q7Sv5 He had a career high school record of 201-38, including 125-1 over his last three seasons, and was Minnesota’s Mr. Wrestling in 2007 and 2008. He wrestled at the University of Minnesota before retiring in 2012 after being advised by medical professionals that it was in his best interest not to continue his wrestling career due to his history with concussions. LEARN more about Native-American wrestlers and coaches in "The Native American Wrestling Experience - A Quiet Contribution." ORDER your copy -> https://ebay.to/3k3VrSp #SportForAll #GirlsWrestle #AnyBODYCanWrestle #thisiswhatawrestlerlookslike #LetsWrestle #GrowTheSport You can be whatever you desire in this sport because wrestling truly is for everyone!

Ken Bellmard, a Kaw Nation citizen, was a three-time Oklahoma state wrestling place-winner, including an undefeated season and state championship as a senior in 1976. He was a United States Wrestling Federation Junior National All-American and competed in Bulgaria in 1975 and in Japan in 1976 as a member of the Oklahoma AAU wrestling team. #NativeAmericanHeritageMonth He was an NCAA Division II national runner-up for Augustana College in 1977, a member of the Northern Oklahoma College wrestling team in 1978 and a letterman for Oklahoma State in 1980. Prior to entering law school, Bellmard was a junior high wrestling coach in Ponca City, leading his team to state championship, and a high school coach in Newkirk, Oklahoma, where his team finished second in state. READ more about Ken-> http://bit.ly/2Xejnec LEARN more about Native-American wrestlers and coaches in "The Native American Wrestling Experience - A Quiet Contribution." Order your copy at https://ebay.to/3k3VrSp #NativeAmericanHeritageMonth #SportForAll #GirlsWrestle #AnyBODYCanWrestle #thisiswhatawrestlerlookslike #LetsWrestle #GrowTheSport You can be whatever you desire in this sport because wrestling truly is for everyone!

𝟏𝟗𝟖𝟒 𝐍𝐂𝐀𝐀 𝐖𝐫𝐞𝐬𝐭𝐥𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐃𝐢𝐯𝐢𝐬𝐢𝐨𝐧 𝐈 𝐂𝐡𝐚𝐦𝐩𝐢𝐨𝐧𝐬 Front Row (L to R): Carl DeStefanis, 118 pounds, Penn State University; Kevin Darkus, 126 pounds, Iowa State University; Scott Lynch, 134 pounds, Penn State; Jesse Reyes, 142 pounds, California State University Bakersfield; and Kenny Monday, 150 pounds, Oklahoma State University. Back Row (L to R): Jim Zalesky, 158 pounds, University of Iowa; Mike Sheets, 167 pounds, Oklahoma State; Jim Scherr, 177 pounds, University of Nebraska; Bill Scherr, 190 pounds, Nebraska; and Tab Thacker, Heavyweight, North Carolina State University. Kenny Monday, Bill Scherr, Jim Scherr and Jim Zalesky are all Distinguished Members of the National Wrestling Hall of Fame. #LegendsLiveOn READ more about the 1980s wrestlers, the greatest collegiate and international wrestlers ever produced in the United States, in The Golden Era of Amateur Wrestling ORDER NOW -> https://lnkd.in/eMjAFppm Once again the Iowa Hawkeyes proved their mettle in the NCAA tournament and tied Oklahoma State’s record with their seventh straight NCAA title. For the first and only time in the tournament’s history, all the individual champions were seniors. SEE complete results from 1984 -> https://bit.ly/32a1Iph READ more about Kenny, inducted in 2001 -> https://bit.ly/3gvJKoV READ more about Bill, inducted in 1998 -> https://bit.ly/3wUNNjJ READ more about Jim, inducted in 2002 -> https://bit.ly/3wXQpx8 READ more about Jim, inducted in 2004 -> https://bit.ly/3GNiltN #SportForAll #GirlsWrestle #AnyBODYCanWrestle #thisiswhatawrestlerlookslike #LetsWrestle #GrowTheSport You can be whatever you desire in this sport because wrestling truly is for everyone!

On November 7, 2021, USA Wrestling’s Tony Cassioppi won a gold medal, pinning Azamat Khosonov of Greece in the finals. Tony was the Illinois winner of our Dave Schultz High School Excellence Award in 2018. MORE: Tony -> https://bit.ly/3yqm1hN #SportForAll #GirlsWrestle #AnyBODYCanWrestle #thisiswhatawrestlerlookslike #LetsWrestle #GrowTheSport You can be whatever you desire in this sport because wrestling truly is for everyone!

Hugh Peery, a Distinguished Member inducted into the National Wrestling Hall of Fame in 1980, was born on November 7, 1931. #LegendsLiveOn READ more about Hugh -> http://bit.ly/2um6PoS Hugh was a three-time NCAA champion for the University of Pittsburgh, winning titles in 1952, 1953 and 1954, and won his last 48 collegiate matches to finish with a career record of 56-1. Hugh was a two-time Oklahoma high school state champion who also won a gold medal at the Pan American Games in 1951. Hugh’s coach in college was his father, Rex, a three-time national champion for Oklahoma State, winning titles in 1933, 1934 and 1935 while helping OSU win the team title all three years. Hugh’s brother, Ed, was also a three-time national champion for Pitt, winning titles in 1955, 1956 and 1957. Rex was inducted as a Distinguished Member in the Charter Class of 1976 while Ed was inducted in 1980. The Peery family is featured in "Family Ties: An American Wrestling Tradition." ORDER your copy of Family Ties, which explores the unique aspects of wrestling as it relates to family -> https://ebay.to/2MnlS6C WATCH the "Family Ties" video -> https://lnkd.in/e8ruNz7S #SportForAll #GirlsWrestle #AnyBODYCanWrestle #thisiswhatawrestlerlookslike #LetsWrestle #GrowTheSport

On November 6, 2021, USA Wrestling’s Jay Aiello won a bronze medal at the U23 World Championships in Belgrade, Serbia. #SportForAll #GirlsWrestle #AnyBODYCanWrestle #thisiswhatawrestlerlookslike #LetsWrestle #GrowTheSport You can be whatever you desire in this sport because wrestling truly is for everyone!

Harold Henson, a Choctaw Nation citizen, was the first African-American wrestler to compete in the NCAA wrestling tournament in 1949, drawing a bye in the first round and losing in the second round. #NativeAmericanHeritageMonth Harold’s mother was Native American and he was born on the Choctaw Reservation in Oklahoma. His family moved to Illinois and then, during the depths of the Great Depression, headed across the country to San Diego, California. Harold was introduced to organized wrestling at San Diego High School, also the alma mater of two-time NCAA champion, world champion and National Hall of Fame Distinguished Member Stephen Neal. "I had been born premature, and had pneumonia when I was young, which made me somewhat scrawny," Harold told Mark Palmer of Intermat in 2006. "My older brother Al got me interested in wrestling in high school, wrestling for coach Frank Crosby (Lifetime Service to Wrestling award recipient from the Hall of Fame’s California Chapter). I weighed just 80 pounds, but it helped to make me stronger, healthier." READ more about Harold, who passed away in 2014 -> http://bit.ly/30IuPOS LEARN more about Native-American wrestlers and coaches in "The Native American Wrestling Experience - A Quiet Contribution." Order your copy at https://ebay.to/3k3VrSp #SportForAll #GirlsWrestle #AnyBODYCanWrestle #thisiswhatawrestlerlookslike #LetsWrestle #GrowTheSport You can be whatever you desire in this sport because wrestling truly is for everyone!

On November 4, 2021, Emily Shilson, the national winner of our Tricia Saunders High School Excellence Award in 2019, became the first U.S. woman to win a U23 World gold medal while Kylie Welker won a bronze medal at the U23 World Championships in Belgrade, Serbia. MORE: Emily -> https://bit.ly/35WCxIh 2021 U23 -> https://bit.ly/3sMBtSO It was Emily’s second age-group World title of 2021 – she also won a Junior World title – and made her a three-time age-group World champion, as she also won gold at the 2017 Cadet World Championships. It was the third career age-group World medal for Welker, the 2021 Junior World champion. Welker competed for the U.S. in the U23, Junior and Senior World Championships in 2021. The "Women In Wrestling" exhibit at the National Wrestling Hall of Fame celebrates the rich history and significant milestones of women's wrestling, highlighting the incredible journey and achievements of female wrestlers. READ more about Women's Exhibit -> https://bit.ly/3C9FFkq #GirlsWrestle #SportForAll #AnyBODYCanWrestle #thisiswhatawrestlerlookslike #LetsWrestle #GrowTheSport You can be whatever you desire in this sport because wrestling truly is for everyone!

Happy Birthday to Gary Chopp, who we presented our Medal of Courage award in 2021. READ more and WATCH Gary’s Hall of Fame video -> https://bit.ly/3x6uxQE In 1975, a few months after concluding his wrestling career at Grand Valley State University with a sixth-place finish at the National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics national tournament, Gary went skydiving. During the 3,000-foot jump, his main and reserve parachutes malfunctioned, causing him to fall freely during the last 300 feet. He crashed into the ground, fracturing his spine and shattering his pelvis. Surgeons removed his damaged kidney and spleen, but he suffered paralysis in one leg. Gary credits the physical, mental and emotional strength he gained as a wrestler for helping him not only to stay alive at the time of the accident but also to achieve inspired goals during the ensuing seven months in the hospital and throughout his life. #SportForAll #GirlsWrestle #AnyBODYCanWrestle #thisiswhatawrestlerlookslike #LetsWrestle #GrowTheSport You can be whatever you desire in this sport because wrestling truly is for everyone!