“As a wrestler, an assistant coach, a head coach and now as a businessman, Tom Shifflet has excelled and proven to be skilled, driven and loyal,” wrote Cornell head coach Rob Koll. Because of this excellence, the National Wrestling Hall of Fame, Upstate New York chapter is excited to induct Shifflet for Lifetime Service to Wrestling in 2020. 

Shifflet grew up in an athletic environment, participating in a number of sports, including football, baseball, lacrosse, and cross country. But there was something special about wrestling. “I started probably when I was around seven,” Shifflet said. “My dad was the high school wrestling coach at the time and my two older brothers were already wrestling, so by default I started going to practices. I enjoyed being part of the community - every Sunday going to a kids tournament, getting practices in during the week. It was the start of lifelong relationships.” 

One event he always looked forward to was the New York State high school championships. “My dad would have his wrestlers go to the Onondaga War Memorial in Syracuse and I would go and watch too,” he said. “From the time I was really little, it was a dream of mine to wear that orange singlet to represent Section 6.” 

He was hoping to make that dream a reality as a sophomore at Sweet Home High School, but fell one match short. However, as a junior, he broke through, winning the Section 6 title to make the trip to Syracuse. He advanced to the finals, but was pinned by John Bena at 132 pounds, calling it “very motivating.”

In his senior campaign, Shifflet returned and ended his career on a high note with an 8-5 state championship victory over Brandon MacNaught of Walton. “It was extra special because I was my dad’s only state champion wrestler and that match was the last one he ever coached at Sweet Home,” Shifflet said. “It was a great way for both of us to finish.”

But Shifflet was far from finished on the mat. His next stop: Edinboro University. “I didn’t really have expectations when I got there quite honestly,” he said. “I didn’t follow college wrestling and I probably had never watched a college wrestling match at that point. I just knew I was motivated and when you get into an environment with other motivated people like Bruce Baumgartner, Mike D’Anna, Lou Rosselli and others - that breeds success. To this day, I look back and am thankful that I chose a school that gave me the ability to maximize my talent.” 

His talent was apparent from the start. But he said his experience could’ve been completely different if not for a big comeback in a match at the Eastern Wrestling League (EWL) tournament as a redshirt freshman. “I was wrestling a kid from Bloomsburg and losing 7-2,” he said. “I came back to win and wound up fourth at EWLs, which was crucial because I needed to finish top four to make the national tournament. That was a defining moment in my career -- I think it could’ve gone in another direction if I didn’t win that one.” Tom would go on to place 7th, 6th and 3rd in the NCAA tournament and win the MVW Award in the EWL wrestling tournament in his senior year.

In 2011, Shifflet realized it was time to approach the next step. “In wrestling, you always raise the bar and try to do more, but there’s only so much time in the day,” he said. “There were only three people in my life who I would leave coaching at that level for - my wife [Alice] and two kids [Owen and Elouise]. It was an easy decision - it was a chance to find another opportunity.”

He did, in the fitness industry in Atlanta. Of course, he also helps out the wrestling team at nearby Lambert High School, because “wrestling has been so much of my life, I’ll never leave the sport entirely.”

His contributions haven’t been forgotten. Shifflet was inducted into the Edinboro and EWL Halls of Fame in 2006. He won’t be the first Shifflet in the NWHOF, Upstate New York Chapter, as his father Joseph was inducted, with Tom doing the introduction.  

 “My dad was a great coach and such a big influence,” Tom Shifflet said. “My entire family sacrificed a lot for me. My mom sat through years of wrestling and was always holding down the fort and being supportive, sacrificing things she wanted to do. I wrestled for my parents - I wanted to make them proud because I appreciate everything they did for me.”

 His gratitude goes beyond his family. “My godfather Bob Barczak was so influential in my life - I miss him. Ron Tatar, the head coach at Sweet Home after my dad, was my workout partner when I came home from college. I’ve mentioned many of the people I worked with before, but also Tim Flynn was always a big part of my success. I know how fortunate I was to be around these successful people in wrestling.”

 Indeed, Shifflet has tremendous gratitude to have crossed paths with so many royals of the sport. As a standout wrestler, coach, and innovator, there’s no doubt that Tom Shifflet belongs with them in the Hall of Fame.