National Wrestling Hall of Fame inducts Class of 2025 at Honors Weekend in Stillwater, Okla., June 6-7

The National Wrestling Hall of Fame Class of 2025 will be honored and officially inducted during the 48th Honors Weekend on June 6 and 7, 2025 in Stillwater, Oklahoma.

The Hall of Fame will induct four new Distinguished Members, bringing its number to 216 since the Hall of Fame began in 1976. Also being inducted are winners of the Order of Merit, Outstanding American, Medal of Courage, Meritorious Official, as well as the Dave Schultz/Tricia Saunders High School Excellence Award winners.

The weekend begins on Friday night at 6:00 p.m., with a reception and Presentation of Plaques at the National Wrestling Hall of Fame and Museum. On Saturday morning at 9:00 a.m., an Honoree Tribute Breakfast will be held at 9:00 a.m. at the McKnight Center for the Performing Arts. The 48^th Honors Induction begins with a reception at 5:30 p.m. and the black-tie Induction Ceremony at 7:00 p.m. at the McKnight Center for the Performing Arts.

A short summary and complete Hall of Fame biographies of this year’s inductees are below:

Distinguished Members can be a wrestler who has achieved extraordinary success in national and/or international competition; a coach who has demonstrated great leadership in the profession and who has compiled an outstanding record; or a contributor whose long-term activities have substantially enhanced the development and advancement of the sport. Wrestlers must have been retired from active competition for a period of five years to be eligible for consideration as a Distinguished Member.

Distinguished Members being inducted this year are Darryl Burley, Matt Lindland, Terry Steiner and Greg Wojciechowski. Lindland and Steiner were chosen as Distinguished Members for the Modern Era while Burley and Wojciechowski were selected by the Veterans Committee.

Burley was a two-time NCAA Division I national champion and a four-time NCAA finalist for Lehigh University. He won his titles at 134 pounds in 1979 and at 142 pounds in 1983 while finishing second in 1980 and 1981 at 134 pounds. He won a bronze medal at the prestigious Tbilisi tournament in 1985 and won the United States National Open in 1985.

Distinguished Member Darryl Burley biography

Lindland is a 2020 Olympic silver medalist and 2021 World silver medalist in Greco-Roman. He represented the United States in the first of four World Championships. He won gold medals at the Pan American Championships in both styles. He later served as USA Wrestling’s Greco-Roman National Coach from 2014 to 2022. He also had a distinguished career in Mixed Martial Arts.

Distinguished Member Matt Lindland biography

Steiner has been the USA Wrestling’s Women's National Coach since 2002, the first and only person to serve in this position. In six Olympics, he has coached four gold medalists, three silver medalists and six bronze medalists. In 17 World Championships, Steiner has coached 16 gold medalists, 17 silver medalists and 29 bronze medalists. Steiner was an NCAA champion for the University of Iowa, and coached at the Div. I level before joining USA Wrestling

Distinguished Member Terry Steiner biography

Wojciechowski was an NCAA Division I champion and three-time NCAA finalist at heavyweight for the University of Toledo. By the age of 21 he had won an NCAA title, a freestyle national title and a Greco-Roman national title. Wojciechowski qualified to compete in the 1980 Moscow Olympics but could not because of the United States boycott. Wojciechowski finished fourth in freestyle at the World Championships in 1970 and fifth in freestyle at the World Championships in 1978.

Distinguished Member Greg Wojciechowski biography

The Medal of Courage recipient is a wrestler or former wrestler who has overcome what appear to be insurmountable challenges, providing inspiration to others.

Mark Coleman is an NCAA Div. I champion for Ohio State, a 1992 Olympian and a World silver medalist in freestyle. In March of 2024, at a fire in his parents’ home, Coleman helped both of his elderly parents out of the house to safety. He succumbed to smoke inhalation and has gone through a grueling recovery

Medal of Courage recipient Mark Coleman biography

The Order of Merit is presented to an individual that has made a significant contribution to the sport of wrestling, but who is not an athlete or a coach. The Order of Merit recipient is determined in a vote of Distinguished Members.

Van Stokes has been a leader on USA Wrestling’s Board of Directors since 1989. Stokes has served as an officer during eight different Olympic quads with four terms as treasurer and two terms as both Second Vice President and Secretary. He served as team leader for numerous U.S. delegations, and has been a broadcaster for many USA Wrestling events.

Order of Merit recipient Van Stokes biography

The Meritorious Official award recognizes outstanding service as a referee, judge, or pairing official.

Ken Mara worked 25 years as an NCAA wrestling official, and refereed 20 NCAA Division I national championship finals matches. He also officiated NCAA Division II and NCAA Division III regionals and served five years as an NCAA Division I official evaluator. He also had more than 50 years of service to the Tennessee Secondary School Athletic Association.

Meritorious Official Ken Mara biography

The Outstanding American award is presented to those individuals who have used the disciplines of wrestling to launch notable careers in other walks of life, such as science and technology, business and industry, government and the military, and the arts and humanities.

A career author and educator, Terry Davis wrestled in high school in Washington and has coached wrestling at the high school level. He is best known for his award-winning 1979 novel Vision Quest, which featured a wrestler Louden Swain, who decides he needs to something meaningful in his life. The novel was used to create the 1985 movie Vision Quest, starring Matthew Modine.

Outstanding American Terry Davis biography

The Dave Schultz High School Excellence Award was established in 1996 to honor Olympic and World champion Dave Schultz, whose career was cut short when he was murdered in January 1996. He was inducted into the National Wrestling Hall of Fame as a Distinguished Member in 1997 and as a member of the United World Wrestling Hall of Fame in 2016.

The DSHSEA recognizes and celebrates the nation’s most outstanding high school senior male wrestlers for their excellence in wrestling, scholastic achievement, citizenship, and community service.

Marcus Blaze was a four-time Ohio state champion for Perrysburg High School, with a career record of 200-2. He was a 2023 U17 World champion and a bronze medalist at the 2024 U20 World Championships. He placed third at the 2024 U.S. Olympic Team Trials. He earned Academic All-Ohio honors and was a member of the High Honor Roll all four years. He will attend Penn State.

Dave Schultz High School Excellence Award winner Marcus Blaze

First presented in 2014, the Tricia Saunders High School Excellence Award is named for Tricia Saunders, a four-time World Champion and women’s wrestling pioneer. Saunders was the first woman to be inducted as a Distinguished Member of the National Wrestling Hall of Fame in 2006 and was inducted into the United World Wrestling Hall of Fame in 2011.

The award recognizes and celebrates the nation’s most outstanding high school senior female wrestlers for their excellence in wrestling, scholastic achievement, citizenship, and community service.

Piper Fowler was an undefeated four-time Tennessee wrestling state champion for Cleveland High School. She was named Outstanding Wrestler at the 2024 state tournament and the recipient of the Catherine Neely Female Athlete of the Year award. She was a 2023 U17 World champion, and represented the USA again in 2024. Fowler is a member of the Cleveland High School Leadership Council and the Criminal Justice Club. She will attend William Penn University.

Tricia Saunders High School Excellence Award winner Piper Fowler