A 1972 graduate of John Marshall High School, Ray Marling wrestled for hall-of-fame coaches Bill Hinegardner, and Ed Dugas from 1970-72. Throughout the years, Marling has credited these two gentlemen for nurturing his love for wrestling. In 1982 with the blessing of Coach Hinegardner and the guidance of Coach West, Ray, his high school best friend and teammate Rick Kittle and other former JM wrestlers started a middle school wrestling program in Marshall County. A self-supporting venture, it was there that Ray got his initiation into officiating. As a member of the Ohio Valley Wrestling Officials Association (OVWOA), Marling started officiating in 1985. He took on a leadership role of the association in 1988 as the board secretary, a position he held for 14 years. He also served as its Vice President for the last 5 years and was instrumental in starting an official's scholarship for an area wrestler every year. During those years, Marling served on the Ohio High School East District Association Appeal & Review Board, as well as the Assignor for Sectionals and District Tournaments for 12 years. He retired from officiating in March 2017. As an arbiter of the mats for over 30 years, Marling worked 28 West Virginia State Tournaments, 30 OVAC Tournaments, 14 West Virginia AAA regional tournaments, 15 West Virginia AA/A Regional tournaments, 19 Ohio Division II & III District tournaments, and 15 Ohio Division II & III Sectional Tournaments. In fact, he is one of only two wrestling officials to be invited to referee the West Virginia State Championships in his first year of eligibility. Over the years, Marling has received numerous accolades for his mat officiating mechanics. In 1994, he was selected as the West Virginia Wrestling Official of the Year. Marling was also named the 1998 Ohio Wrestling Official of the Year. But most rewarding to Ray Marling is being selected three times as the Larry Deaton Official of the Year (1996 - 1998 - 2005) by the OVAC wrestling coaches. In fact, he was not only the first recipient of the award, but the only Valley official to be selected three times. A retired underground coalminer for CONSOL ENERGY, Ray and his lovely wife Jackie reside in Bridgeport, Ohio. They have four children - Jack, Jason, Heather and Rob - and are now enjoying their five grandchildren: Drew, Derion, Zane, Maddie and Tori. The National Wrestling Hall of Fame honors Ray Marling with a "Lifetime Service to Wrestling" award, class of 2018.