John Stephenson has been a leader in Ohio wrestling since he began coaching at Cadiz High School.

Even before his time at Cadiz, Stephenson had an impressive personal career as he was an NAIA All-American during his time at Fairmont State.

Immediately upon his graduation in 1974, Stephenson would begin his coaching career at Cadiz. Under Stephenson’s direction, Cadiz would win eight section championships, seven district championships, 18 Ohio Valley Athletic Conference dual meet championships, 12 OVAC AA Tournaments, and the overall OVAC tournament championship in 1981. In 1987, the Cardinals won the Ohio Division III state championship. He coached 70 state qualifiers and 29 state place-winners, two of which won state championships.

He was named the OVAC Coach of the Year 12 times and the Ohio Division III Coach of the Year in 1987.

Stephenson has left a major impact in Harrison County and the state of Ohio.

A member of both the Ohio Wrestling Coaches Hall of Fame and the Harrison County Hall of Fame, he was honored by Cadiz as the namesake of the gymnasium.

Many of his wrestlers qualified for national championships at the collegiate level and several would go on to become coaches themselves.

While Stephenson is no longer coaching wrestling directly, he continues to make a noticeable ​impact on the sport. He is still very active on numerous committees and has been the commentator for OVAC tournaments on television.

Stephenson has been a mentor to countless wrestlers across the state and continues to be an outstanding representative of wrestling.