WATERLOO, Iowa — Featuring 22 individual state championships, 13 NCAA All-Americans, two NCAA champions, five team state championships, and one of the top lifetime supporters of wrestling in the Cedar Valley, the Class of 2024 will be inducted into the National Wrestling Hall of Fame Dan Gable Museum’s Glen Brand Wrestling Hall of Fame of Iowa on June 21.

Lee Fullhart, Steve Hamilton, Perry Hummel, Tony Ramos, and the 2022-23 Waverly Shell Rock High School girls wrestling team will be inducted while the Light Family will be presented with the Bowlsby Family Legacy Award, Brent Jennings will receive the Bob Siddens High School Coaching Excellence Award and Shawn Kelly Sr. will be presented with the Russ Smith Community Impact Award.

Named in honor of Glen Brand, a 1948 Olympic gold medalist from Clarion, Iowa, the Hall of Fame is located inside the Dan Gable Museum in Waterloo, Iowa. It was established in 2002 to honor native-born Iowans and those who wrestled or coached for an Iowa school who have made an impact on wrestling on a national level or who have done extraordinary work in Iowa.

A banquet honoring the Class of 2024 will be held at Prairie Links Golf & Event Center in Waverly, Iowa, on June 21, 2024. Click here to purchase tickets. For more information, contact the National Wrestling Hall of Fame Dan Gable Museum at (319) 233-0745 or dgmstaff@nwhof.org.

Lee Fullhart, a native of Decorah, Iowa, was a four-time conference champion and a three-time Iowa high school state champion with a career record of 140-7. Fullhart was a 1992 Cadet National Freestyle champion and a two-time Junior National freestyle All-American, finishing fifth in 1993 and second in 1994. He was an NCAA champion and a four-time All-American with a career record of 107-18 for the University of Iowa. He won his national title as a sophomore wrestling for the legendary Dan Gable before finishing third and second as a junior and senior wrestling for Jim Zalesky. Fullhart was the U.S. Freestyle Nationals champion in 2004 and finished runner-up four times. He was runner-up at the U.S. Olympic Trials twice and at the U.S. World Trials three times. Fullhart resides in his hometown of Decorah, Iowa with his wife, Doreen, and their sons, Bill and Edisen, and daughter, Jodi.

Steve Hamilton, a native of Emmetsburg, Iowa, was a two-time Iowa state high school champion, capturing the 126-pound title in 1985 and the 138-pound title in 1987. He helped Emmetsburg win the Iowa state team title in 1985. Hamilton was a four-time All-American for Iowa State University, wrestling for Jim Gibbons. His 123 career wins ranks him in the Top 10 for the Cyclones and he was voted the school’s most valuable wrestler as a junior and senior. Hamilton continued to wrestle after college with the Hawkeye Wrestling Club. He became an assistant coach for Mark Manning at the University of Northern Iowa in 1997 and in 2000 joined Manning at the University of Nebraska for two years. After coaching at the University of Tennessee Chattanooga, Hamilton became head coach at Perry High School in Perry, Iowa in 2007. He left Perry in 2011 and moved to Georgia to continue his teaching and coaching career. Hamilton is teaching and coaching at Dalton High School in Dalton, Georgia. He and his wife, Erin, have three daughters, Emma, Maggie and Avery, and a son, Billy.

Perry Hummel, a native of West Des Moines, Iowa, was a two-time Iowa state high school champion for West Des Moines Dowling Catholic High School. He was a three-time All-American and a two-time Big Eight Conference champion for Iowa State University. Hummel finished second at the NCAA tournament in 1980 and fourth in 1981 and 1982. He was part owner of Hummel Nissan, a multi-award winning dealership in Urbandale, Iowa, before retiring. Hummel and his wife, Sharon, have two sons, Levi and Jake, who were both members of the Iowa State football team.

Tony Ramos was an NCAA champion at 133 pounds in 2014 and a three-time All-American for the University of Iowa. He had a career record of 120-14 and was named Iowa’s Male Athlete of the Year in 2014. He competed in the 2014 and 2015 World Championships. The Carroll Stream, Illinois native was a three-time Illinois state high school champion for Glenbard North High School. Ramos became a volunteer assistant coach for the University of North Carolina in 2016 and was promoted to assistant coach in 2018. He became associate head coach in 2019. Ramos is married to the former Megan Eskew, who was a volleyball team captain for the University of Iowa. The couple has two sons, A.J. and Lincoln, and two daughters, Calla and Molly.

The Waverly Shell Rock High School girls wrestling team was dominant in 2022-23, compiling a 14-3 record and winning the first Iowa girls state high school wrestling tournament sanctioned by the Iowa Girls High School Athletic Union. Led by head coach Josh Meier, the GoHawks won the state tournament with 123 points. Kiara Djoumessi was undefeated and won the 140-pound state title while Haidyn Snyder at 145 pounds, and Madison Hinrichs at 235 pounds were both state finalists. Eva Heise and Lilly Stough finished seventh at 125 pounds and 130 pounds, respectively. Other team members were Abby Doyle, Kyla Foy, Ashley Heine, Kiley Holmeister, Amber Hoth, Jacie Koch, Alexis Johnson, Alex Johnson, Macie Johnson, Brinley Meier, Karissa Oldenburger, Alli Seegers, Macy Tiedt, Evie Wagner, and Rylee Yant. Other members of the coaching staff were Alino Djoumessi, Avery Meier, Rusty Hagarty, Andrew Snyder, and Jacey Meier. The WSR team is making history again as they become the first girls team to receive the Glen Brand Wrestling Hall of Fame of Iowa Team Award.

Comprised of 12 wrestlers, the Light Family will receive the Bowlsby Family Legacy Award. The Light’s wrestling tradition begin with brothers Randy and Rudy, who wrestled for Lisbon High School from 1966 to 1969 and from 1968 to 1971, respectively. Randy’s son, Vance, was a two-time Iowa state champion, a three-time finalist and a four-time place-winner with a career record of 132-6 for Lisbon from 1984 to 1987. After placing second at 98 pounds in 1984 and fourth at 105 pounds in 1985, Vance won back-to-back state titles at 112 pounds in 1986 and at 119 pounds in 1987. He wrestled at Drake University from 1987 to 1992, qualifying for the NCAA Division I Championships in 1992 at 126 pounds. Vance has been the head wrestling coach at Mount Vernon High School for the last 30 years. Randy’s daughter, Stacy, broke new ground as the first female wrestler to join the varsity team at Lisbon High School. She further etched her name in history by competing in Iowa's very first varsity female wrestling match in 1993, facing off against Atina Bibbs from Davenport Central during a dual match between Lisbon and Davenport Central. That year, Stacy achieved two notable victories; her first win came against Mt Vernon, where her brother Vance served as head coach, and she recorded a triumphant pin at sectionals. Rudy’s four sons, Shane, Zach, Ike, and Tyler, all wrestled for Lisbon High School. Shane was a four-time Iowa state champion and had a career record of 139-9 from 1987 to 1990. He was a Junior World Team Trials runner-up in 1990 at 132 pounds. Shane wrestled for Ellsworth Community College and was a National Junior College Athletic Association national qualifier in 1992 at 125 pounds. He was an assistant coach for Ellsworth for two seasons and then was an assistant coach for six seasons at Lisbon, under his head coach Brad Smith. Zach was a two-time Iowa state champion and a three-time place-winner with a career record of 152-8 for Lisbon from 1989 to 1992. He placed seventh at Junior Nationals in 1991 and second in 1992. Zach wrestled for Ellsworth Community College and was an NJCAA runner-up in 1992 at 142 pounds. Ike won three Iowa state championships and had a third-place finish while compiling a 157-6 record for Lisbon from 1990 to 1993. He wrestled for Ellsworth Community College and coached for four years at a high school in California. Tyler wrestled for two years at Lisbon. Randy’s grandsons, Zebula and Justin, wrestled for Mount Vernon High School from 2006 to 2009 and from 2014 to 2017, respectively. Zebula had a career record of 118-46 and finished seventh at the state tournament at 119 pounds in 2009. Justin had a career record of 109-53 and qualified for the state tournament in 2016 and 2017.

The Bowlsby Family Legacy Award is named after the Bowlsby Family from Waterloo. John Bowlsby and Bob Bowlsby wrestled for legendary coach Bob Siddens at Waterloo West High School while their parents, Bob and Pat, and sisters, Ann, Sarah, and Jane, were instrumental in their careers.

Shawn Kelly Sr., a prominent figure in the Cedar Valley wrestling community and president of Black Hawk Roof Company in Cedar Falls, will receive the Russ Smith Community Impact Award, presented to individuals who demonstrate exceptional local impact on wrestling in Iowa. A former wrestler at the University of Northern Iowa, Kelly has been instrumental in fostering the sport in the region. In 2009, the Kelly family transformed a building they owned in Cedar Falls from a weightlifting gym into a dedicated wrestling facility while also establishing the USA Mat Club. Shawn firmly believes in accessibility, emphasizing that financial constraints should not bar young talent from training, noting that "We still let them train and be a part of our team. It is not a money issue for us.” Kelly's commitment to the sport has had a huge impact on the UNI wrestling program. In 2023 when UNI shut the doors of the historic West Gym, Kelly graciously offered the USA Mat Club facilities as a home for the Panthers until a new training facility is built. This gesture is another testament to his dedication to supporting our great sport at every level in Iowa. UNI head wrestling coach Doug Schwab said, “I am so grateful for Shawn Kelly and the entire Kelly family. They have been in support of our program from day one. And they did not sit back when the West Gym was closed, they volunteered to be a part of the solution. Our staff, team, alumni, and fans will be forever grateful.”

Brent Jennings will receive the Bob Siddens High School Excellence Award, presented to a current Iowa high school wrestling coach who exemplifies the high standards that Siddens set during his coaching career at Waterloo West. Siddens was inducted into the GBHOF in 2003 and was the inaugural recipient of the coaching award in 2012. Jennings was a three-time state qualifier, including a runner-up finish at 126 pounds as a senior, with a career record of 90-13 for Clarinda High School. He has been a wrestling coach for 32 years, including the last 28 years as the head coach of Osage High School. Beginning his career at Osage in 1996, Jennings has 550 dual wins, which ranks fourth overall in Iowa history. He has led the Green Devils to three State Dual titles and 11 State Dual appearances. Osage won traditional titles in 2020 and 2023 while finishing second in 2021 and 2022. The team scored the third-most points in Class 2A history with 175.5 points in 2023. Jennings has coached his teams to 21 conference titles with 135 state qualifiers, 15 state champions and 82 place-winners. He has served as Junior Director for Iowa USA Wrestling the last nine years and led Iowa to the Freestyle National dual championship in 2021. Junior Team Iowa won the freestyle and Greco-Roman crowns at the 2022 National duals and a team title at the prestigious 2022 U.S. Marine Corps Junior Freestyle Nationals in Fargo, North Dakota.