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Mat Hall calls on Weaver
Former Easton Area High School great among four to be inducted in May Tuesday, December 18, 2007
By PAUL SOKOLOSKI
December 18, 2007
The Express-Times
The Easton phenom who perfected the fireman's carry while becoming a perennial
state champion and stood a leg up in the 1984 Olympics now has a new honor to cradle.
Bobby Weaver pinned down his sport's greatest achievement.
The National Wrestling Hall of Fame announced Monday that Weaver will be among four wrestling greats inducted as
distinguished members during the Honors Weekend Banquet and Induction Ceremony on May 30-31 in Stillwater, Oklahoma.
"About time," said Henry Callie, a former PIAA official and Weaver's teammate at Easton Area High School.
"I'm excited about Bobby being inducted. I think it's terrific."
"He was, at that point -- even at this point -- one of the best high school wrestlers I've ever seen,"
said Nazareth coach Dave Crowell, who's in his 32nd season working with high school wrestlers and was an assistant
at Easton during Weaver's senior year. "He was just so dominant. There was nobody close to him in high school.
He was amazing."
Joining Weaver in the 2008 Hall of Fame class will be three-time NCAA Division I champ Ricky Bonomo, a former Lake-Lehman
High School great in the Wilkes-Barre area who is regarded as the greatest wrestler in the history of Bloomsburg
University; Mike Houck of Victoria, Minn. who became the first American Greco-Roman wrestler to win a gold medal
at the World Championships in 1985; and the late Wayne Martin of Tulsa, Okla., who was the first three-time NCAA
champion in the University of Oklahoma's history.
Weaver rode straight to the top of every level of wrestling.
He won three PIAA titles while wrestling for Easton High from 1975 through 1977. He then enrolled at Blair Academy
where Weaver became a prep school national champion.
"He had a killer cradle," Callie remembered. "From the standing position, he could throw a single
leg or a fireman's carry better than anybody. At the state tournament, either in his senior or junior year, he
hit a guy with a fireman's carry so hard, I thought he was going to knock him into the stands."
"He had a will to win and a desire to do what it takes to prepare," said Dan Coon, a former Easton High
wrestling assistant. "I'm about his size, we worked out all the time. He was willing to put the time in and
do the work. Of course, he had some natural ability."
That showed, over and again.
Weaver went on to wrestle at Lehigh, where he placed third in the 1982 NCAA Championships and became an All-American.
Two years later, he found the pinnacle of success by capturing the gold medal in the 105.5-pound weight class in
the 1984 Olympic Games in Los Angeles. The euphoria -- which prompted one of the most memorable displays in Olympic
history as a jubilant Weaver carried his son Brad around the arena -- replaced the emptiness of his first Olympic
experience.
Weaver earned a spot on the 1980 U.S. wrestling team but never competed due to the boycott of the Moscow Olympics
by the U.S. government.
"I had the opportunity to work out with him before he left for the Olympics," said Jack Cuvo, a three-time
PIAA champion at Easton and a two-time NCAA champion for East Stroudsburg University. "It (the Hall of Fame
selection) is something that can't be bought, something that was earned. He's very well-deserving of it. (It's
a) great honor and I'm happy for him."
Weaver, who couldn't be reached for comment Monday night, is currently a teacher in the Phillipsburg School District
and continues to shape the sport through his area wrestling club. He also stops by his old high school regularly.
"He's been in the room to speak to the kids," Easton head coach Steve Powell said, "he's been in
to show his videos. You can't really be surprised (about Weaver's Hall of Fame selection), he's an Olympic gold
medal winner. He certainly has earned it. He certainly made his mark in high school and college and Olympic wrestling.
He's around Easton (High) all the time.
"It'd kind of like having Larry Holmes around town," continued Powell, noting that Holmes -- an Easton
icon -- was selected to the International Boxing Hall of Fame last week. "They (the kids) kind of think it's
normal. Having guys like that is far from normal. In boxing, you've got Larry. Certainly, Weaver's as much of a
name for us."
"Very well-deserved," Crowell said. "He's always represented our sport very, very well. I don't
think I've ever heard him speak where he didn't give all his coaches all the credit. He was always very, very humble.
And even today, when I see him do things, he is an amazing athlete."
Paul Sokoloski can be reached at 800-360-3601 or by e-mail at psokoloski@express-times.com
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National Wrestling Hall of Fame announces Distinguished
Members and award honorees for 2008
National Wrestling Hall of Fame
12/17/2007
Courtesy of themat.com
STILLWATER, OKLA. - The National Wrestling Hall of Fame & Museum has announced the selection of the Class of
2008 Distinguished Members, as well as its special award honorees for the year.
They will be inducted during the Honors Weekend Banquet and Induction Ceremony in Stillwater, Oklahoma, May 30-31,
2008. The event will mark the 32nd anniversary Class of the Hall of Fame & Museum.
Four wrestling greats will be added as Distinguished Members in 2008. They are:
• Ricky Bonomo of Harrisburg, Pa.
• Mike Houck of Victoria, Minn.
• Wayne Martin of Tulsa, Okla. (deceased)
• Bobby Weaver of Easton, Pa.
Houck and Weaver made their mark within international wrestling. Weaver was a gold medalist in freestyle wrestling
at the 1984 Olympic Games in Los Angeles, Calif. and was a 1979 World silver medalist. Houck was the first U.S.
wrestler to win a gold medal at the World Greco-Roman Championships with his historic victory at the 1985 World
Championships in Kolbatn, Norway.
Bonomo and Martin were among the best collegiate wrestlers of their eras, both winning three NCAA individual titles
during their illustrious careers. Bonomo captured three NCAA titles for Bloomsburg University (1985-87). Martin
was a three-time NCAA champion for the Univ. of Oklahoma (1934-36), also winning the Outstanding Wrestler at the
1936 NCAA Championships.
Additional honorees to be inducted during the 2008 Honors Weekend will be:
• Outstanding American recipient Dan T. Cathy of Atlanta, Ga.
• Order of Merit recipient Richard Small of Tulsa, Okla.
• Medal of Courage recipient Dr. James V. Mastro of Bemidji, Minn.
• Lifetime Achievement for Officials award recipient Jerry Wager of Las Vegas, Nev.
The Hall of Fame's Board of Governors approved these selections at its semi-annual meeting held in Las Vegas in
December 2007.
“I want to thank our Board of Governors and the various screening and selection committees involved in the six-month
process that determines our honorees for induction. This is another exceptional class of inductees whose merits
transcend our sport," said Lee Roy Smith, Executive Director of the National Wrestling Hall of Fame &
Museum.
The four Distinguished Members were among the dominant athletes of their era.
Bonomo was the greatest wrestler in the history of Bloomburg Univ., a Div. I program in Pennsylvania. For three
straight years (1985-87), Bonomo won all of the major events on the schedule, capturing the NCAA Div. I title,
along with the Eastern Wrestling League (EWL) title and the Pennsylvania State Athletic Conference (PSAC) title
at 118 pounds. He was named the EWL and PSAC Wrestler of the Year all three of those seasons. Ricky’s career record
was a stellar 116-12-3. Ricky and his brother Rocky were the first twins to win Pennsylvania state titles side-by-side
in 36 years when they won Class AA titles for Lake Lehman High in 1981, wrestling for the legendary Floyd “Shorty”
Hitchcock. Rocky was also an All-American for Bloomsburg, making the Bonomo brothers the most feared lightweight
tandem in college wrestling at the time.
Houck made U.S. wrestling history in 1985, when he became the first American Greco-Roman wrestler to win a gold
medal at the World Championships with his dramatic victory in Kolbatn, Norway. He competed on three U.S. World
Teams during his career, and won three U.S. National titles. He also won an AAU National Greco-Roman title in 1981.
Twice, Houck placed second at the U.S. Olympic Team Trials. He competed for Maranatha Baptist Bible College, winning
two Christian College National titles and three All-American honors. Houck worked as USA Wrestling’s National Greco-Roman
Coach from 1990-95. He coached the USA to two individual medals at the 1992 Olympic Games in Barcelona, Spain.
Houck was a founder and coached for the U.S. Olympic Training Center Greco-Roman Resident Program, which was created
in 1993 and has become internationally respected for developing champion athletes.
Martin won three NCAA titles for the Univ. of Oklahoma, competing for Coach Paul Keen. He was the first three-time
NCAA champion in Sooner history, and the first athlete to win NCAA Div. I wrestling titles in three different weight
classes. Martin was the 134-pound champion in 1934, the 145-pound champion in 1935 and the 135-pound champion in
1936, winning the Outstanding Wrestler as a senior. He was a three-time Big Six champion and had a career record
of 39-2 with 21 falls. Martin won two Oklahoma state high school titles for Tulsa Central under its legendary coach
Art Griffith. His son Mickey was a two-time NCAA champion, and they were the only father-son combination to win
NCAA Outstanding Wrestler awards, when Mickey was honored in 1963. Wayne was also a coach for Elk City High School
for a number of years and was inducted into the Helms Hall of Fame in 1962.
Weaver was one of the nation’s greatest lightweight
freestyle wrestlers ever, capped off with his gold-medal victory at the 1984 Olympic Games in Los Angeles, Calif.
He was one of seven U.S. freestyle champions in Los Angeles, competing under Dan Gable. Weaver also qualified for
the 1980 U.S. Olympic Team, which did not compete in the Moscow Olympics due to the U.S. government boycott. He
was a silver medalist at the 1979 World Championships and fifth at the 1983 World Championships. Weaver won World
Cup titles in 1980 and 1984, and was a 1977 Junior World silver medalist. Weaver won four AAU National titles and
two USWF national titles. He competed at Lehigh Univ., where he was third in the 1982 NCAA Championships. Weaver
won three Pennsylvania state titles for Easton High School (1975-77) and was a Prep School national champion for
Blair Academy.
The special honorees represent tremendous achievements both within wrestling and in society.
Business giant Dan T. Cathy will be inducted as a 2008 Outstanding American, which honors past wrestlers for their
success in other walks of life. Since 2001, Cathy has served as the President and Chief Operating Officer of Chick-fil-A,
one of the nation’s largest family owned businesses. Cathy has led the Atlanta-based quick-service chicken restaurant
chain to continued success in the industry. The chain was founded by his father S. Truett Cathy, and Dan participated
in the business throughout his life. He also served as director of operations, senior director of operations, vice
president of operations, and executive vice president before assuming his current duties. In his quest to provide
customers with “2nd Mile Service” (exceeding even the highest expectations of a typical fast-food restaurant),
Dan has defined a special role for himself – humbly saying, “I work in customer service.”
Dan and his brother Donald “Bubba” Cathy were high school state champions for the Woodward Academy. Dan won the
state title at 119 pounds in 1971 and had a 40-4 record his last two years. He later wrestled for Furman University.
For 20 years, Chick-fil-A and the Cathy family sponsored the state wrestling awards banquet.
The 2008 Order of Merit, given for contributions that further the sport and elected by Hall of Fame Distinguished
Members, goes to Richard P. Small, a former wrestler and successful businessman who has been a leader within the
sport. Small was high school wrestler in Illinois, and a member of the legendary 1947 Cornell College team which
won both the NCAA and AAU team championships. He was a Midwest Conference champion for Cornell.
His corporate business career included serving as chairman and CEO for Cheker Oil Company, as well as president/CEO
for Tri-Star Aerospace. Small has served many years on the Board of Governors of the National Wrestling Hall of
Fame and Museum. His leadership has helped the Hall of Fame to raise substantial funds to expand its facility,
exhibits, and endowment fund. He remains the most benevolent benefactor of all-time to his alma-mater at Cornell
College.
The 2008 Medal of Courage recipient is Dr. James Mastro, who has been blind since birth, has been an outstanding
wrestler and athlete, along with a lifetime of achievement in education and community work. He is a tenured full
professor of professional education and physical education at Bemidji State University. Mastro is the first individual
with a visual impairment to earn a Ph. D. in physical education in the United States. As a tenured full professor
at Bemidji State, Dr. Mastro has authored or co-authored 47 published articles and 26 national and international
presentations on adapted and developmental physical education for state and national organizations as well as athletes
with disabilities. He is past president of the National Beep Baseball Association and was a member of the USABA
Board of Directors.
Mastro was a varsity wrestler at Augsburg College from 1968-73, winning a conference title. He also became nationally
ranked in Greco-Roman. He won a bronze medal at the AAU Senior Greco-Roman Nationals, and qualified to compete
in U.S. Olympic Team Trials in 1972 and 1976. He won numerous medals competing in goalball, judo, track and field,
and wrestling in the U.S. Association of Blind Athletes (USABA) National Championships. In 1995, he was named U.S.
Olympic Committee Blind Athlete of the Year. Mastro was chosen flagbearer for the United States Paralympics Team
at the 1996 Olympics in Atlanta. He won a gold medal at the 1995 World Judo Championships for the Blind. Mastro
has been a wrestling coach since 1970, coaching on the youth, middle school, and high school levels.
The winner of the Lifetime Achievement for Officials award goes to veteran international wrestling official Jerry
Wager, who also had a distinguished coaching career. Wager was a Mid-American Conference champion at Toledo University,
and competed in the 1956 U.S. Olympic Team Trials in Greco-Roman. He was a coach with the Las Vegas YMCA from 1970-1980
and also coached seven age-group World Championships teams for the USA. Wager was a college wrestling official
from 1960-1963 and was also the head official for the Southern Nevada High School program from 1963-66.
His major achievements were on the international level, where he was a FILA Referee from 1962-1998. Wager officiated
in over 50 major international meets, including the World Championships, Junior World Championships, Pan American
Championships, and European Championships. Wager was the first U.S. official selected as a mat chairman, when he
worked the 1985 World Greco-Roman Championships in Norway. He was head official for the World Police and Fire Games
for 10 years. Wager was recognized as a FILA Lifetime Exceptionelle Referee, and was presented with the FILA Gold
Medal. He also won national Official of the Year and Coach of the Year awards and served as National YMCA Wrestling
Chairman for 10 years.
The final award to be presented at Honors Weekend 2008, the Dave Schultz High School Excellence Award, will be
announced later in the spring.
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