Published: October 14, 2008 11:58 pm         

Bennett to be inducted into national wrestling hall

Wayne Bennett wrestled only one year at Woodrow Wilson High before graduating 40 years ago.

But something about the sport would not let him go.

Now, after serving as a coach, official and wrestling ambassador for nearly 30 years, Bennett is being recognized for his service to the sport.

Bennett is one of eight people who will be inducted as part of the West Virginia chapter of the National Wrestling Hall of Fame. The ceremony will take place Sunday, Oct. 26, at Embassy Suites in Charleston.

The honorees will be permanently recognized at the Hall of Fame and Museum in Stillwater, Okla.

“To be honored by your peers is certainly important,” Bennett said. “You don’t set out to get into a hall of fame. This is quite an honor.”

Bennett has been involved in wrestling most of his life. After competing as a sophomore at Woodrow for legendary coach Vic Peelish, he realized the sport had an appeal that other sports did not.

“Wrestling is different,” he said. “It grew on me. I played other sports, too, but wrestling is a pure sport. You don’t have other elements involved with it.”

Eventually, Bennett became a wrestling coach and did so for 24 years. He was an assistant in 1976 at Woodrow and the head coach the following year.

He then coached the team at Park Middle School for 22 years.

He was also a referee for 28 years.

In 1977, Bennett helped establish the Southern West Virginia Wrestling League through the Beckley-Raleigh County YMCA. The youth league today attracts about 400 wrestlers each year.

The success of the area’s high school teams illustrates the importance of feeder programs, Bennett said.

“You have to have good (youth) coaches, and when they get to high school, you’ve got to have coaches who can get them to the next level,” he said.

In addition to his direct involvement in the sport, Bennett also has been a contributing weekly columnist for The Register-Herald every wrestling season since 1982. In 2001, the state’s high school coaches named him the West Virginia wrestling writer of the year. He was also honored as such by USA Wrestling magazine.

Bennett is thankful to coaches such as Peelish, Pete Culicerto, Randy Lilly, Phil Honaker, Gilbert Pennington, Scott West, Jim Mihalik, Charlie Bowling and Chuck Smith for helping him over the years.

The induction ceremony will begin at 1 p.m. with a social hour, followed by dinner at 2 p.m. Cost to attend the event is $50.

Registration forms to attend can be obtained at www.wvmat.com. The deadline to purchase tickets is Saturday.

— E-mail:

gfauber@register-herald.com