33rd Hall of Fame induction ceremony provides inspiring moments
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by Gary Abbott
STILLWATER, Okla. - The National Wrestling Hall of Fame Honors weekend concluded with the 33rd Honors Banquet, held at OSU Student Union Ball Room on Saturday night. After two days of activity, the formal induction ceremonies were held in a black-tie gala featuring hundreds of members of the wrestling community.
There was a format change this year, as a five-minute video interview with each inductee was shown on a large screen prior to their formal statement. Each honoree talked about their wrestling career and personal background in the video, which also included some pictures and action video. They produced by Dr. Dave Bennett, who travelled around the country to produce these outstanding clips for the banquet. After the video, each honoree spoke briefly about the influential people in their lives.
Prior to the award presentation, two special features were included in the program.
In celebration of the 100th anniversary of Lehigh wrestling, past athletes and coaches came onto the podium for photos and introductions. Included in the group were past Lehigh coaches Thad Turner and Greg Strobel and current coach Pat Santoro. Lehigh grad and 1984 Olympic champion Bobby Weaver received a special round of applause as a member of the group. Last year, Weaver was inducted into the Hall of Fame as a Distinguished Member but could not attend the ceremonies due to a severe illness.
In addition, all of those in attendance who served in the United States military were brought to the podium for a special recognition. This year, the Hall of Fame had a special exhibit and book published with the theme of Glory Beyond the Sport: Wrestling and the Military. With many in their dress uniforms, dozens of military veterans were given a rousing ovation on the 65th anniversary of the D Day invasion.
To follow are some quotes from this year's inductees, as part of their interview video or closing comments.
- Peter Blair, Jr. on behalf of Distinguished Member Peter Blair (posthumously)
"On behalf of the Blair family… I know he'd be deeply touched to be mentioned with such great coaches and athletes, many he knew and deeply respected."
"He was known to have a steel grip, an Olympic bronze medal, and a gentle heart of gold."
- Distinguished Member Edward Eichelberger, Suffolk, Va.
"To be inducted into the National Wrestling Hall of Fame is the ultimate honor a wrestler can get. What makes it meaningful are the people I will be with at the Hall of Fame… I will never forget the great weekend my wife and I have enjoyed here."
(about his high school coach Billy Martin and college coach Gerry Leeman, who were in a photo with Ed which was displayed on the large screen)
"These two gentlemen are the reason I am standing here. These are the best two coaches in college and high school in the country. I was blessed to wrestle for both of them. A picture is worth a thousand words. This one says it all. The expressions tell why wrestlers wrestle hard and why coaches coach even harder."
- Distinguished Member Les Gutches, Corvallis, Ore.
"Wrestling has taught me life lessons. It taught me the value of hard work, to set goals, to have delayed gratification. The one thing wrestling has given me is confidence."
"Being inducted has been a very different experience for me. Every honor I have received was a tournament, a championship or a season. The induction to the Hall of Fame, they look at your career and deem it worthy. It is the most humbling experience of my life."
- Distinguished Member Dennis Koslowski, Minnetonka, Minn.
"To be inducted into the Hall of Fame is hard to put into words. When I think of all the people I admire, Dan Gable, all the people I trained with, all the people in the Hall of Fame, to join that family is the greatest feeling."
"This award is a reflection of a body of work. It reflects on everybody who was a part of it. For them, I hope they can brag it up and be proud of it. I sure am."
- Outstanding American Steve Silver, Forney, Texas
"Wrestling teaches you how to compete. It is the same in business. You compete for good customers, good designs, good employees, good rates at the bank. Wrestling prepares you for that."
"My children have worked so hard to accomplish something with their wrestling and their lives. I am most proud of this award for my family. I've have been able to accomplish this for my family."
- Order of Merit recipient Arno Niemand, Boulder, Colo.
"There is a self-selection process in wrestling. People are weeded out. The struggle is everything. I am very proud that I wrestled for Cornell."
"I was asked to be a sponsor for USA Wrestling. I asked what areas did they need help the most. They said that the women's wrestling program had no sponsor. I thought it would be great. Our product Body Bar is used mostly by women in fitness programs. We have been very satisfied with the success they have had."
"This award is particularly meaningful to me, considering the great people who have received it before me, especially Richard Small, my hero, who received it last year."
- Medal of Courage recipient Larry Gibson, Omak, Wash.
"Wrestling is very powerful. It has molded my life. I have become proactive about life, about ideas."
"We are all handicapped in one way or another. There is always something we are not good at. It is just about living life."
"This is a moving thing for me. It will be with me the rest of my life… I can't tell you how wonderful it is, and a tremendous honor to be inducted into the National Wrestling Hall of Fame."
- Lifetime Achievement for Officials, Chuck Yagla, Waterloo, Iowa
"Refereeing to most officials is not about making money. You do it for the love of the sport and to give back to the sport."
"Wrestling is a great sport for life lessons. I got a lot out of it. You can work hard and get success."
"This is very humbling for me. I'm tremendously honored to follow other officials that went in ahead of me."
- Dave Schultz High School Excellence award winner David Taylor, from St. Paris, Ohio
"I had a flashback as a young wrestler when I read the magazines about the wrestlers who received this award. I couldn't believe I was this year's winner of the award, the Heisman of high school wrestling… I am honored to be compared with Dave Schultz and all he did for the sport."
"My dad provided all the opportunities to be the best I could be. My mom provided endless love and support. My sister put up with all of our wrestling talk, and is one of my best friends."
There was a format change this year, as a five-minute video interview with each inductee was shown on a large screen prior to their formal statement. Each honoree talked about their wrestling career and personal background in the video, which also included some pictures and action video. They produced by Dr. Dave Bennett, who travelled around the country to produce these outstanding clips for the banquet. After the video, each honoree spoke briefly about the influential people in their lives.
Prior to the award presentation, two special features were included in the program.
In celebration of the 100th anniversary of Lehigh wrestling, past athletes and coaches came onto the podium for photos and introductions. Included in the group were past Lehigh coaches Thad Turner and Greg Strobel and current coach Pat Santoro. Lehigh grad and 1984 Olympic champion Bobby Weaver received a special round of applause as a member of the group. Last year, Weaver was inducted into the Hall of Fame as a Distinguished Member but could not attend the ceremonies due to a severe illness.
In addition, all of those in attendance who served in the United States military were brought to the podium for a special recognition. This year, the Hall of Fame had a special exhibit and book published with the theme of Glory Beyond the Sport: Wrestling and the Military. With many in their dress uniforms, dozens of military veterans were given a rousing ovation on the 65th anniversary of the D Day invasion.
To follow are some quotes from this year's inductees, as part of their interview video or closing comments.
- Peter Blair, Jr. on behalf of Distinguished Member Peter Blair (posthumously)
"On behalf of the Blair family… I know he'd be deeply touched to be mentioned with such great coaches and athletes, many he knew and deeply respected."
"He was known to have a steel grip, an Olympic bronze medal, and a gentle heart of gold."
- Distinguished Member Edward Eichelberger, Suffolk, Va.
"To be inducted into the National Wrestling Hall of Fame is the ultimate honor a wrestler can get. What makes it meaningful are the people I will be with at the Hall of Fame… I will never forget the great weekend my wife and I have enjoyed here."
(about his high school coach Billy Martin and college coach Gerry Leeman, who were in a photo with Ed which was displayed on the large screen)
"These two gentlemen are the reason I am standing here. These are the best two coaches in college and high school in the country. I was blessed to wrestle for both of them. A picture is worth a thousand words. This one says it all. The expressions tell why wrestlers wrestle hard and why coaches coach even harder."
- Distinguished Member Les Gutches, Corvallis, Ore.
"Wrestling has taught me life lessons. It taught me the value of hard work, to set goals, to have delayed gratification. The one thing wrestling has given me is confidence."
"Being inducted has been a very different experience for me. Every honor I have received was a tournament, a championship or a season. The induction to the Hall of Fame, they look at your career and deem it worthy. It is the most humbling experience of my life."
- Distinguished Member Dennis Koslowski, Minnetonka, Minn.
"To be inducted into the Hall of Fame is hard to put into words. When I think of all the people I admire, Dan Gable, all the people I trained with, all the people in the Hall of Fame, to join that family is the greatest feeling."
"This award is a reflection of a body of work. It reflects on everybody who was a part of it. For them, I hope they can brag it up and be proud of it. I sure am."
- Outstanding American Steve Silver, Forney, Texas
"Wrestling teaches you how to compete. It is the same in business. You compete for good customers, good designs, good employees, good rates at the bank. Wrestling prepares you for that."
"My children have worked so hard to accomplish something with their wrestling and their lives. I am most proud of this award for my family. I've have been able to accomplish this for my family."
- Order of Merit recipient Arno Niemand, Boulder, Colo.
"There is a self-selection process in wrestling. People are weeded out. The struggle is everything. I am very proud that I wrestled for Cornell."
"I was asked to be a sponsor for USA Wrestling. I asked what areas did they need help the most. They said that the women's wrestling program had no sponsor. I thought it would be great. Our product Body Bar is used mostly by women in fitness programs. We have been very satisfied with the success they have had."
"This award is particularly meaningful to me, considering the great people who have received it before me, especially Richard Small, my hero, who received it last year."
- Medal of Courage recipient Larry Gibson, Omak, Wash.
"Wrestling is very powerful. It has molded my life. I have become proactive about life, about ideas."
"We are all handicapped in one way or another. There is always something we are not good at. It is just about living life."
"This is a moving thing for me. It will be with me the rest of my life… I can't tell you how wonderful it is, and a tremendous honor to be inducted into the National Wrestling Hall of Fame."
- Lifetime Achievement for Officials, Chuck Yagla, Waterloo, Iowa
"Refereeing to most officials is not about making money. You do it for the love of the sport and to give back to the sport."
"Wrestling is a great sport for life lessons. I got a lot out of it. You can work hard and get success."
"This is very humbling for me. I'm tremendously honored to follow other officials that went in ahead of me."
- Dave Schultz High School Excellence award winner David Taylor, from St. Paris, Ohio
"I had a flashback as a young wrestler when I read the magazines about the wrestlers who received this award. I couldn't believe I was this year's winner of the award, the Heisman of high school wrestling… I am honored to be compared with Dave Schultz and all he did for the sport."
"My dad provided all the opportunities to be the best I could be. My mom provided endless love and support. My sister put up with all of our wrestling talk, and is one of my best friends."
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