He was a coach who never wrestled. But even so, Marv Hess left an indelible mark on the sport of wrestling. He played overlapping roles as a coach and contributor. In 25 years at the University of Utah, he posted a dual meet record of 222 victories against 102 defeats and kept the Utes competitive nationally without full scholarships. He was chairman of the NCAA rules committee, a member of the Olympic wrestling committee and one of the original six organizers of USA Wrestling.

He was instrumental in starting Freestyle wrestling in Utah and the Rocky Mountain area. He sponsored the first dozen or so Freestyle tournaments in Utah, providing organization, officials and awards, and also directed the state high school championships.

But it was as executive vice president of the National Wrestling Coaches Association that Hess best showed his tireless work ethic for the sport. He became a member of the NWCA executive committee in 1962, and served as its president in '67. Then he became the "full-time staff" as executive vice president. When he took the helm in 1971, he found a struggling organization with an annual budget of less than $5,000. Today, that budget, and the scope of the association, is 30 times as large.

Hess inaugurated the East-West All-Star Classic. He developed the national tournament T-shirt concession which kept the organization solvent, and spent countless hours behind the sales counter. He managed all the details of NWCA membership. As one of his colleagues put it, "He has been the backbone of the coaches association for nearly 30 years."

Hess never competed in wrestling, but was a basketball, football and track star in high school, All-State in all three sports. At Utah, he was all-conference in football and All-American as a high jumper. He coached football for nine years and track for 14, along with his wrestling duties.

In recognition of his tireless dedication to the advancement of wrestling, Marvin G. Hess is honored as a Distinguished Member of the National Wrestling Hall of Fame.