STILLWATER, Okla. -- The 2008 National Wrestling Hall of Fame Honors
Weekend ended with the induction ceremony at the OSU Student Union
Ballroom. The Distinguished Members and special award winners gave
speeches, sharing their thoughts about their careers and the honors
bestowed upon them.
The announcer for the evening was “the voice of wrestling” Sandy
Stevens, who read biographies of each recipient and introduced the
award presenters and special guests of each honoree. The night started
with a rousing version of the national anthem, sung for the first time
in history by one of the honorees, when Mike Houck belted out a
stirring rendition.
The Class of 2008 featured an Olympic freestyle champion, a World
Greco-Roman champion and a pair of three-time NCAA champions who were
dominant performers of their eras.
First off was the dynamic lightweight from Bloomsburg, Ricky Bonomo,
who won swept the NCAA 118-pound class from 1985-87, manhandling his
competition. Bonomo, who shared his wrestling experience with his twin
brother Rocky, a two-time All-American at Bloomsburg, had trouble
holding back the emotion of the evening.
Bonomo spoke about the support he received from his family, his wife
and his children. He also spoke about the role of his faith in his
life. But Bonomo was especially thankful about the coaches who led him
to success on the mat.
“As for my coaches, I had a unique situation. My high school coach
Shorty Hitchcock was instrumental in getting me to go to Bloomsburg. He
was a motivator and an inspiration in my life,” said Bonomo. “My
college coach was also unique. He coached Shorty. I am honored to have
him here tonight, Roger Sanders. He knew the kind of coaching that
could the best out of me. He was someone who wouldn’t let me relax in
practice. Coach Sanders did more for me than he will ever know.”
Bonomo said that the best part of his journey through wrestling was
meeting the people in the sport and the relationships he has developed.
“The sport is easily the greatest sport. It breeds the best people. I
want to thank the Hall of Fame. Thank you for allowing me to come here
and basically come home,” said Bonomo.
Mike Houck, who made history as the first U.S. Greco-Roman World
champion with his stunning victory in 1995 in Norway, talked about his
great triumph and his experiences in helping develop the nation’s
Greco-Roman program.
“My life’s greatest privilege was representing my country. Being part
of Greco-Roman wrestling in the 1980’s was an exciting time. It is an
amazing thing to see a dream begin. On my Hall of Fame plaque, it said
I was ‘blazing the trail.’ I loved that. I loved the idea that in the
1980’s, we were pioneers.”
Houck told the story of the day in which he won his World gold medal,
and the fact that before his match, he has fears and doubts which
flooded his mind. Instead of letting it disrupt his focus, Houck
thought about his family, his coaches and his training partners, and
his college coach, two-time Olympic medalist Ben Peterson.
“When I thought about those things, something clicked inside. In some
strange way, it gave me tremendous strength. I thought that this day, I
am going to represent all of those people well and represent my country
well. The rest was history,” said Houck.
The late Wayne Martin, a three-time NCAA champion for Oklahoma,
was represented by his sons Mickey and Robert. It was Mickey who took
the microphone and gave a heartwarming speech on behalf of his father.
He mentioned that his father would have loved to have been there, and
that they had brought some of his ashes with them so their dad would
actually be there with them.
Wayne talked about how the Martin family could stack up with some of
the nation’s top wrestling families, such as the Peery family and the
Smith families, also from Oklahoma.
“Dad was never a bashful, shy man. It was quite the opposite,” said
Mickey Martin. “He never met a stranger he did not reach out, shake his
hand and say ‘I am Wayne Martin. I was a three-time national champion
at the University of Oklahoma. Had he been here when he was alive, he
would have said, ‘I am Wayne Martin. I am a member of the National
Wrestling Hall of Fame in Stillwater.’”
1984 Olympic champion Bobby Weaver was unable to attend the
ceremonies, as he is battling an illness that has affected his blood
and is not yet diagnosed. Doctors would not let Weaver travel, but
Bobby gave a speech to the crowd on a video which was played for those
in attendance. Also there on his behalf was retired Lehigh coach Greg
Strobel, who also made a few comments on Bobby’s behalf.
“My greatest achievement was winning the Olympics in Los Angeles,” said
Weaver on the tape. “My Olympic coaches Dan Gable and Bill Weick had me
in such great condition, I didn’t just win, I dominated.”
Weaver also talked about how much wrestling means to him, and how he enjoys passing it along to the young athletes he coaches.
“Wrestling has been such a positive in my life, even as I struggle with
my health. I have been active, teaching wrestlers in camps, clinics and
clubs. I know the value that wrestling has played in my life. It is my
life ambition to have others see the same things that I see,” said
Weaver.
The night also featured speeches from the special award winners who are
honored each year for great achievements within wrestling.
Starting the evening was high school senior Jason Chamberlain of
Utah, winner of the Dave Schultz High School Excellence Award, which
recognizes wrestling success, academic achievement and community
service. Chamberlain, a four-time state champion, as well as a Junior
Nationals champion, was grateful for the honor.
“Wrestling has taught me discipline and a hard work ethic. It has
influenced my entire life. Because of my involvement, I have met and
been influenced by outstanding people. I have had excellent coaches
throughout my career,” said Chamberlain.
Lifetime Achievement for Officials winner Jerry Wager talked
about the many people who had influenced his career, not only as an
official, but also as a coach and a wrestling leader. He thanked many
people, including his mentor Joe Scalzo, along with numerous coaches
and officials who helped him along the way.
Wager also took great pride in being an official from the United States
and the way that his peers conduct themselves around the world.
“We have the best officials in the world, bar none,” said Wager. “When
Russia and the former Communist countries wrestle each other, they call
for an American referee. They know if we make a mistake, it will be an
honest mistake. We have the best prepared, best skilled and most honest
officials in the world.”
Order of Merit winner Richard Small, who was a member of the
1947 Cornell College wrestling team which won the NCAA and AAU National
championships, talked about his wrestling career and his love for the
sport. He jokes that he was never much of an athlete, telling the crowd
that “I am the first person who will admit that I was a lousy
wrestler.” Small explained how the legendary coach Paul Scott convinced
him to join the team, in spite of his lack of experience as a wrestler.
“I can admit that my conference championship and being a member of the
national championship team means as much to me as any gold medal meant
to an Olympic athlete,” said Small. “My involvement in wrestling has
been very meaningful to me. There are great people and I have enjoyed
all of them. It is the only sport where being big is not always better.
I have enjoyed every minute of it. I have also enjoyed all I have done
for Cornell College and for the National Wrestling Hall of Fame.
Medal of Courage recipient Dr. James Mastro told the story about
how he, as a blind person, was able to get involved in wrestling and
pursue his passion for the sport. He also explained how he learned to
love Greco-Roman wrestling, that “weird style” which “seemed super for
a guy who is blind.” He explained how he learned the sport from the
great Alan Rice, and told stories about his career in Greco-Roman
wrestling.
“When we talk about courage, I never felt that it was courageous for me
to wrestle. I thought it was what everybody who wrestled did. It is
courageous for everybody who wrestles, when you put your ego, your
confidence against his,” said Mastro. “I learned how hard I had to work
to do well. It is a tough sport. There isn’t anything tougher. You
learn about yourself. You learn how hard you have to work to succeed,
not just in wrestling but in everything.”
Outstanding American Dan T. Cathy, the president and chief
operating officer of Chick-fil-A, Inc., talked about the life values he
learned from his father Truett Cathy, as well as from his high school
wrestling coach. He was proud that his high school coach, his college
coach and one of his high school teammates were there to share the
moment with him.
He talked about what he learned from his father about the three most
important words in life, all which started with “M.” First was who is
your master, and he explained his strong faith. Second was who is your
maid, and praised his wife Wanda for her love and support throughout
his life.
“Third is what is your mission in life,” said Cathy. “I learned to use
what we learned on the mat, teamwork, dedication and commitment, and
that we can take it to the workplace.”
