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Discussion Topic: Ohio Chapter of National Wrestling Hall of Fame Set To Induct 2018 Class
Fred Feeney added to this discussion on October 1, 2018
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ATHENS, Ohio -- The Ohio Chapter of the National Wrestling Hall of Fame is set to induct the Class of 2018 on Oct. 14, 2018 at the Crowne Plaza in Dublin, Ohio. The 2018 class of seven individuals includes Ken Ash, John Borszcz, Stephen E. Chappelear, Tom Ehlert, Chuck Forward, William (Bill) McCrain and Marion Stolz.
The event will begin with a social at 2 p.m. with dinner to follow at 3 p.m. and the awards presentation taking place after dinner. Tickets are available until Oct. 10 and can be purchased online at oh-nwhof.ticketleap.com.
Lifetime Service Award Honorees for 2018
Marion Stolz
Nominated for a lifetime of service to wrestling, a graduate of Kent State University, with a master’s from West Liberty University, Marion Stolz, was an art educator for 41 years. She was the director of a State award winning dance team at Bellaire High School, the Red Line, and was the creator and original director of the O.V.A.C. Dance Team, which performs with the All-Star Band for the annual Ohio vs. West Virginia football game. She has been involved with Community Theater for many years, participating in over 50 musical productions, appearing on stage and directing. Marion was named the Ohio Art Education Association East Region Outstanding Art Teacher for 2006 and 2013 and was also selected as the American Legion District 11 Educator of the Year for 2006.Her interest in wrestling began in the ‘70s; her husband Jeff coached, and she assisted with tournaments, coordinating brackets and hand-printing results. It was a natural move to the Ohio Valley Athletic Conference’s large January tournament. She started out helping with brackets, recording winners, running off and collating results, and assisting where needed. Marion also created and prints awards for the 25-year returning champions. Her husband gave up coaching, but she continues working the tournament to this day. When computers took over many of the jobs originally done by the volunteers, she became an announcer for the event, focusing on match results, team recognitions, and awards. “It is truly an honor to receive this award, and I consider it a tribute to all those people behind the scenes who help, support, and encourage this outstanding sport.â€
Kenneth W. Ash Jr.
Nominated for a lifetime of service to wrestling, Kenneth W. Ash Jr. had an astonishing overall coaching record of 290 wins and 27 loses during his 27-year career. Accomplishments during this time included two State of Ohio Championship teams in 1976 and 1977, entered into the Ohio Wrestling Coaches Hall of Fame in 1991, two-time State of Ohio Coach of the year as well as voted one of the top six coaches in the nation by Scholastic Wrestling News in 1979-1980 season and four-time District Coach of the Year. Additionally, Ash Jr. accumulated 15 undefeated seasons, 88 team championships, 95 state qualifiers and eight district championships. Throughout his coaching career, Ash Jr. coached a total of eleven individual State Champions. These eleven athletes include: Billy Joe Lewis (‘74) recording a record of 32-0, Tony Adrian (’76) recording a record of 27-1, John Starr (’76) recording a record of 30-0, Mark Lowe (’76 and ’77) recording a record of 28-1 in his 1976 season and 27-0 in his 1977 season, Rex Henderson (’78) recording a record of 30-0, Gary Weisenstein (’78) recording a record of 30-0, Jamie Kassen (’79) recording a record of 62-0, Eric Poehler (’91) recording a record of 37-1, Josh Bryant (’95) recording a record of 38-3 and Steve Doerrer (’95) recording a record of 37-1. In his own wrestling career, Ash Jr. was a member of Columbus Central High School wrestling team where he placed in the City League Championships. He then wrestled for two years for Otterbein College, named the vice president of his class, followed by four years of competing in freestyle and open tournaments. Alongside wrestling, Ash Jr., was a four-year letterman in Football at Otterbein College and a member of the Varsity “O†Club. Currently Ash Jr. is a retired principal, teacher and coach from Hilliard City Schools holding the Vice President position with the Central District Wrestling Coaches Association. He is also a supporter of the Ohio High School Wrestling Coaches Association, the National Wrestling Coaches Association and the AAU Wrestling Association.
John Borszcz
Nominated for a lifetime of service to wrestling, John Borszcz has set Team Dual Record’s at every establishment he coached at throughout his 17-year coaching career. Beginning at Davis County High School, as the Head Wrestling Coach and Science Teacher, a Team Dual Record of 50-1 was achieved by Borszcz in just two years. Borszcz continued his coaching career at Eastern Iowa Community College where he held positions as the head wrestling coach and athletic director setting a Team Dual Record of 39-8. A final shift in location landed Borszcz at Cuyahoga Community College where he set his third Team Dual record, this time 176-13-1. Alongside setting a Team Dual Record, Borszcz was also served as a Professor of Physical Education, Program Coordinator of the PE Department, spent two terms as PE Director, 19 years as Program Coordinator and two terms as the interim athletic director. Throughout his time at Cuyahoga Community College, Borszcz also held positions as the Assistant Coach of the National Junior College during the Champions Olympic Trials and Head Freestyle Coach, Team Leader and Chief of Mission for US Junior Pan American Wrestling tallying a total of four National Place Winning teams, two first-place teams and two first-runner up teams. He also held positions as Secretary Treasurer, Vice President, and President of the National Junior College Wrestling Coaches Association and was the Tournament Director, Consultant to Head Wrestling Coach, Ricky Schade, Advisor on Wrestling Eligibility and Student Affairs and Athletic Director for Tri-C Wrestling. During Borszcz coaching career he received multiple awards and incredible achievements including: United States Congressional Recognition Hour of Representatives Tribute to the Cuyahoga Community College, Western Campus, Wrestling Team, Lake Erie AAU District Junior World Wrestling Chairman, induction into the National Junior College Hall of Fame, recognition for outstanding collegiate coaching and dedication, support and encouragement of High School Wrestling, 10 National Team Standings with one national Championship finish and two National Runner-Up finishes, and a total of 51 Team Tournament Victories. As a wrestler himself, Borszcz wrestled for nine years compiling six varsity letters, was a two-time Sectional Champ, a two-time District Champ, 145-pound State Champ at Maple Heights High School and had an undefeated senior year prior to injury at the University of Wyoming. John lives by the following sentiment, “Winning is important- but it is not the most important thing. Getting 100 percent of someone’s ability, whether it is a wrestler, student, friend or my own; is what really counts.†This is spoken through his mentoring, philanthropic, business and family extra-curricular activities, starting “Fitness Body by Borsz helping a stroke client and young boy with cerebral palsy attain a physical fitness routine, opening batting cages name “Strike Zoneâ€, serving at St. Francis Xavier Catholic Church on the Hospitality ministry and spear headed the food drive at Cuyahoga Community College benefiting the Greater Cleveland Food Bank.
Tom Ehlert
Nominated for a lifetime of service to wrestling, Tom Ehlert impacted the Ohio wrestling world in many ways but one specific unique way. As a coach, Ehlert started the wrestling program at North Canton High School in 1956. Following the success of building a high school wrestling program, Ehlert was the head wrestling coach and football coach at Rhodes High School during which he started and built another wrestling program at Cuyahoga Community College in 1969. Ehlert also is a Founder of the Greater Cleveland Wrestling Officials Association and mentored many new wrestling officials. He continued his coaching career coaching football at Solon High School for 10 years and at John Carroll University for five years. Ehlert also contributed heavily to wrestling through his 35 years as a Wrestling Official, officiating numerous State Tournaments as well as officiating Ohio Conference, EWOL, and an NCAA qualifier. As an athlete, Ehlert wrestled at West Tech High School where he graduated in three years with three state championship team titles. Ehlert continued his wrestling career at Ohio University, later inducted into the Ohio Wrestling Hall of Fame. Ehlert is a very humbled man who was never one to brag about his accomplishments therefore unsure of his own record from high school or college or the number of wrestlers he coached that qualifies for or placed at the state tournament.
Chuck Forward
Nominated for a lifetime of service to wrestling, Chuck Forward has a dense history with the sport of Wrestling. As an athlete, Forward was a four-time Michigan Center High School Cascade Conference Champion, a Class B State Champion and a member of the Adrian College Wrestling Team. Transferring over to his coaching career, Forward started as the Delta, Ohio Varsity Assistant Wrestling Coach and then became the head wrestling coach at Archbold High School for the next 28 years holding a team dual meet record of 308-81 with 57 tournament championships, eight sectional championships, 10 sectional runner-up’s, two District Championships and three District Runner-ups. Individual results consisted of 92 Northwest Ohio Athletic League Individual Champions, 82 Ohio State Tournament Qualifiers, 31 Ohio Top 6 State Placers, eight Individual State Runner-up’s, six State Champions, and one National Champion. Throughout his wrestling and coaching career, he received multiple awards including Ohio Wrestling Coaches Association Division III Coach of the Year, induction into the Michigan Center High School Athletic Hall of Fame, Adrian College Athletic Hall of Fame as a member of the 1970 MIAA Wrestling Championship Team, and induction into the Ohio High School Wrestling Coaches Hall of Fame. Forward was also a volunteer USA Ohio Wrestling Coach, Cadet and Junior levels, in both Freestyle and Greco Roman National Championships and various other USA Wrestling competitions. Continuing his coaching career, Forward held a Head Coach group Leader position for the USA Ohio Junior National Dual Team 1997 and 1998. Outside of Forward’s coaching and athletic contributions and success’s, he was a part of the District 5 Northwest Ohio Wrestling Officials Association for 15 years, was part of the Northwest Ohio Wrestling Coaches Association for 30 years, named a Northwest Ohio Rep for OHSWCA, started the Archbold Youth Wrestling Club and was the director of the Archbold Rotary Wrestling Club Tournament. Significantly impacting the Northwest Ohio wrestling atmosphere, he organized and directed the first “satellite†wrestling camps in Northwest Ohio, organized, raised funds and solicited volunteers to help expand Archbold Wrestling weight room annex in 1975 and in 1993, and formed a committee to investigate building a new wrestling room and weight room complex which raised over $300,000 dollars for the current, one of the best facilities in the state of Ohio.
Bill McGrain
Nominated for a lifetime of service to wrestling, Bill McGrain holds a spot in one of three coaches in Ohio wrestling history to coach a state champion in all three divisions. McGrain was an English and Social Studies as well as the Head Wrestling Coach at Olmsted Falls High School for 27 years. Prior to his time at Olmsted Falls, McGrain was the Head Wrestling Coach at Waynedale High School, an assistant coach at Buckeye High School and an assistant coach at Miami (OH) University. Throughout his coaching career, McGrain accumulated a record of 350-58-3 coaching 15 state finalists, seven individual state championships, 45 state place winners, 80 individual state qualifiers and 73 Southwestern Conference Champions. He recorded twelve Top-10 team state finishes, 68 Tournament Team Championships and 13 South Western Conference Championship teams as well as appeared in 12 Sectional Championships and two District Championships. McGrain compiled multiple awards throughout his coaching career consisting of, election into the Ohio Wrestling Hall of Fame in 2006, the Olmsted Falls Athletic Hall of Fame and the Olmsted Falls High School Wrestling Hall of Fame, the Waynedale Hale School Hall of Fame in 2014 and was named the Ohio Division II Coach of the Year in 1997. He was also selected as the Cleveland Plain Dealer Coach-of-the-Year in 1999 and the Greater Cleveland Coach-of-the-Year on three occasions as well as selected 13 times as the South Western Conference Coach-of-the-Year. As an athlete, McGrain was an NCAA qualifier and team captain at Ashland University and a member of the Junior National team. During his time as an athlete, he was awarded the Ashland Iron Man Award twice and served as the team captain for two seasons at Southwestern Michigan Community College. McGrain has held an OHSAA Wrestling officials license for over 30 years, is an Ohio State certified wrestling official and has been actively officiating wrestling from youth levels to varsity levels in Northeast Ohio for the past 5 years. He is a member of the Ohio Wrestling Coaches Association NEO District, Greater Cleveland and Wrestling Coaches and Officials Association, National Wrestling Coaches Association, Greater Cleveland Officials Association, and National High School Wrestling Coaches Association. He earned his Master of Arts from Miami (OH) University, a Bachelor of Science from Ashland and an associate degree from Southwestern Michigan College.
Outstanding American From the State of Ohio
Stephen E. Chappelear
Nominated for outstanding American from the state of Ohio, Attorney Stephen Chappelear attended the Ohio State University receiving his bachelor’s degree in Social Sciences and continued his education in the Ohio State University College of Law. While at the Ohio State, Chappelear received scholar-athlete recognition and the Varsity O Award as well as appeared on the President’s and Dean’s List all while being full-time employed as a circulation district manager for the “Columbus Citizen-Journal.†He is also a recipient of the Outstanding Service to the College Award from the OSU Social and Behavioral Sciences College and the Distinguished Alumni Service Award from the OSU College of Arts and Sciences. Chappelear remains heavily involved with and supports the Buckeye Wrestling Donor Club as well as serving as Board member and President of the Varsity O Alumni Society. He is also a member of the Ohio State University Sports & Society Initiative Board of Advisors. Attorney Chappelear is the senior litigator in Frost Brown Todd’s Columbus office with 39 years of experience litigating and trying cases including jury trials, bench trials, appeals, arbitrations, meditations, injunction hearings, and settlement negotiations. He is active in both federal and state courts throughout Ohio. Alongside his extensive excellence in his experience, he has written five books, a law review analyzing local jury trials, he has published over 75 articles in legal publications and has lectured more than 200 times to lawyers around the country on topics of trial advocacy, trial techniques, professionalism in the courtroom and jury verdicts.
Chappelear is recognized as one of Ohio’s leading business litigators being listed in The Best Lawyers in America for more than 20 years. He was Best Lawyer’s Construction Lawyer of the Year in 2012 for Columbus and has been listed for many years by Best Lawyers in five categories. He has been names one of the Ohio Super Lawyers every year since 2004, one of the top 50 lawyers in Columbus in 2015-16 and was one of the Top 100 Lawyers in Ohio in both 2017 and 2009. He holds the highest level of excellence and ethics, AV-Pre-Eminent, from Martindale-Hubbell and was included in Chambers USA: America’s Leading Lawyers for Business rankings. He is a former President of the Ohio State Bar Association, where he now serves on Council of Delegates and the Council of the Litigation Section as well as remaining very active in the Columbus Bar Association, where he was former president, CBA Common Pleas Court, Federal Court, and Professionalism Committees. Receiving numerous, numerous awards, two of which are Columbus Bar Association’s highest award, the Bar Service Medal and Ohio State Bar Foundation’s highest award, the Ritter Award. Attorney Chappelear, according to former college teammate, David N. Camione, “Chappelear graduated with high academic honors and was cited as one of the finest student-athletes on campus. He served as a volunteer coach at three different high schools in the Columbus, OH area for over 20 years, helping develop seven individual state champions while also being a lifelong supporter of the OSU wrestling program significantly helping with fundraising activities.†Camione also spoke to attorney Chappelear’s “extensive and extraordinary contributions†to the Ohio State University. Attorney Chappelear stated himself that success in the courtroom, as on the wrestling mat, comes from preparation; hard work; discipline; focus; and sacrifice. In both places, success rarely comes easily when it counts. There is constant pressure, and there are setbacks. Great wrestlers, and great lawyers, know how to deal with pressure, and adversity, and fight through to get the right result.â€
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