HALL OF FAME INDUCTEES

The National Wrestling Hall of Fame will induct its newest members on Saturday in the OSU Student Union Ballroom in Stillwater. For more information, contact the Hall of Fame at 405-377-5243.

Distinguished members

Gizoni, of Washington, Pa., wrestled at Waynesburg University and finished his college career with a 52-0 record. Gizoni served in the Korean War and earned a Bronze Star in 1956.

Kolat, of Jefferson-Morgan High School in Pennsylvania, won two NCAA titles at Lock Haven after placed second and third, respectively, his first two seasons at Penn State. As a freestyler, Kolat won silver and bronze medals in the World Championships and gold medals at the World Cup in 1998, 1999 and 2000. Kolat is head coach at Campbell University.

The most prolific wrestler in history, Metzger competed in more than 2,000 matches and won 1,870, both considered amateur wrestling records. Metzger, from Cedar Springs, Mich., was the first wrestler to win five junior national titles. He won a bronze medal at the 1979 World Championships as a 19-year-old. Metzger won NCAA titles at Oklahoma in 1981 and 1982. Metzger was a five-time U.S. freestyle champion, a two-time Pan American Games champion and a three-time World Cup silver medalist.

Yagla, from Waterloo, Iowa, was a twotime NCAA champion at Iowa and a member of the 1980 Olympic team. Yagla was a four-time national champion and a World Cup gold medalist. Yagla eventually became a referee and worked the NCAA Championships from 1996-2007.

Meritorious official

Hagerty has 25 years experience as an NCAA Division I official. He founded the Inter-Collegiate Wrestling Officials Association in 2015. Hagerty works as a coach for USA Wrestling and was an Olympic team camp coach in 2012 and 2016. He coached Central Missouri, his alma mater, for seven seasons and has been coaching at Blue Springs (Mo.) High School for the past 24 years.

Outstanding American

This award recognizes individuals who have used the disciplines of the sport to launch notable careers after concluding their wrestling career. Gorie, from Miami, Fla., wrestled four years at Navy and in 1981 began piloting fighter jets, accumulating more than 600 carrier landings and 38 combat missions in Operation Desert Storm. Gorie was selected as an astronaut candidate in 1994 and retired from NASA in 2010, logging more than 49 days in space as shuttle pilot or commander. Gorie is now an active volunteer and board member with Combat Wounded Veterans Challenge.

Order of Merit

This award is presented to an individual that has made a significant contribution to wrestling but is not an athlete or coach. Hatcher was a three-sport letterman at Alma College in Michigan (soccer, wrestling, baseball). He was student-body president as a senior, co-founder of the school’s Fellow of Christian Athletes chapter and also served as the school’s sports information director while a student. Hatcher started an insurance agency in Little Rock, Ark., in 1990 and it quickly became one of Arkansas’ top companies. Hatcher founded the Arkansas Wrestling Association in 2005 and was instrumental in Arkansas becoming the 49th state to institute the sport at the high school level. Hatcher was named Arkansas’ Philanthropist of the Year in 2015.

Medal of Courage

This award goes to a wrestler or former wrestler who has overcome what appear to be insurmountable challenges, providing inspiration to others. Green suffered blindness and severe burns in a 1997 workplace accident. Green underwent more than 40 surgeries, including eye surgery that restored his sight, with a donation from his brother. One year after the accident, Green returned to wrestling as a volunteer assistant coach, helped start a youth program and eventually took over as head wrestling coach for the Port Byron (N.Y.) Central School District. He is a seven-time league Coach of the Year.