Ron Roch lettered in football and baseball at Carthage High School from which he graduated in 1948. The school did not have a wrestling team. After serving with the U.S Air Force from 1951 to 1955, including a tour with the 8th Air Force in the Korean Conflict, Ron discovered wrestling at Ithaca College. He loved it. In 1958, Ron became a student-teacher at Watertown High School and fell under the influence of Hall of Fame Coach Jack Williams. He also gained his first experience as a wrestling official that year at the Ontario League wrestling tourney. His course was set. Ron returned to Watertown High as Varsity and JV Coach in 1960 and began turning out impressive teams and individual wrestlers. Like most good coaches, Ron reels off the names of his wrestlers when asked about his own accomplishments. Ron remembers his successful teams that way - the "Bart Biondellio/Stan Duda era," the "Stan Sotherden/Bill Andersen era," the "Nick Porillo era," the "John Janiak era," the "Kurt Honis/Mike Catania era," the "Matt Van Housen era." From 1960 to 1964, eight of Ron's wrestlers became Sectional Champions. Dick Schneider was a runner-up in the State Tournament, Keith Rose took a second and a first, and Tom Capone became a two-time State Champion. In 1965, the Ontario League was disbanded, and Ron found himself without a varsity wrestling program. Watertown High Joined the Frontier League on a trial basis but was limited to JV, which Ron coached until 1967. During this period, Ron's activities as a wrestling official expanded. He helped to organize the Ontario Wrestling Officials Association and served as that organization's Secretary/Treasurer and later its President and Rules Interpreter. Ron also became the first Executive Secretary of the New York State Wrestling Officials Association and served in that capacity for three years during which he drew up the officials' territories for New York State and displayed previously unknown talents by designing the first shoulder patch for NYS officials. He served another two-year stint in that office in the 1980s. In 1968, Ron was hired to coach the varsity program at North Syracuse High School, and his winning ways continued. He produced 12 Sectional Champions during his years as a head coach in the North Syracuse Central School System, at North Syracuse High until 1980 and at the new Cicero-North Syracuse High School from 1981 until 1987 when he retired for the first time. Many of his wrestlers received athletic scholarships to such institutions as Syracuse, Springfield, and Tennessee, and eight of them further distinguished themselves as NCAA All Americans, including one runner-up in the NCAA Division I Championships. During his second year at North Syracuse, one of his two Section III Champions, Bill Andersen, was tragically killed in an accident on an icy rood one week after competing in the State tournament. Ron organized the annual "Bill Andersen Memorial Tournament" in honor of this fine young man, and it continues to be one of the most competitive high school tournaments, attracting the highest ranking teams in New York State. His 1975 team was co-champion of the Onondaga North Region, and his 1987 team were Onondaga County League Champions; that year, Ron was named Coach of the Year. By 1990 Ron had tasted a couple years of retirement. He was then hired by the Carthage Central School System to coach their wrestlers and their girls' softball and soccer programs. His 1991 team at Carthage went undefeated, captured the Frontier League Championship and were Class B champions of Section III, all firsts for the Carthage wrestling program. He retired again in 1992, but was induced to serve as head coach for one more year at South Lewis High School, coaching the team into the Section III Dual Meet Tourney. During his 30 years of coaching high school wrestlers, Ron's teams won 338 varsity meets, placing him among the top ten coaches in New York State wrestling history. Ron's officiating career is also distinguished. He officiated at the 1965 State tournament in Ithaca. That same year he began his 15-year tenure as on Eastern NCAA official. He also officiated many NYS Co-Collegiate tournaments. He served in various capacities as an officer of the Central NY Wrestling Officials organization and in the Ontario, Frontier, Northern and Onondaga League officials' organizations. While at Northern Syracuse and Cicero-North Syracuse, Ron originated and led the first pee-wee programs there, also the first summer youth tourneys in the region. During the 1980s, he helped organize and served as Co-Director of the Big Orange Wrestling Camp, and he directed wrestling camps in Cazenovia and Skaneateles and participated in many other instructional camp programs. Ron has been inducted into the New York State Wrestling Hall of Fame (1998) and the North Syracuse Hall of Fame (1987). Beyond wrestling, Ron has been recognized for his contributions and efforts for his community, including being named the Carthage area Elks/Chamber Citizen of the Year in 1998. He served three terms as President of the NYS Retired Teachers Association and sat on that organization's legislative committee trying to guide the unteachable in Albany. He has put in 15 years as Town Councilman and Deputy Supervisor for the Town of Wilma (Carthage) and is currently a director of the Carthage Area Chamber of Commerce and is an active member of numerous civic, fraternal and veterans organizations. He is also serving as the Co-Director of the Carthage Area Farmers' Market and has been instrumental in obtaining $250,000 in grant money for that worthy endeavor. Ron is the proud husband of Rita Roch, the proud parent of four children, the proud stepfather of three more and a very proud grandfather of a growing number of grandchildren. He is the author of "Basic Beginning Wrestling" published by North Syracuse Central Schools. He is an inspiration to his students and athletes, a great contributor to our sport and to his community, and a worthy inductee to the New York State Chapter of the National Wrestling Hall of Fame.