The Oregon Chapter of the National Wrestling Hall of Fame inducted eight members in its Class of 2026.

Jeff Corliss, Tammy Johnson, Walt Markee, Kacey McNulty, Jeremy Rhoades, Dan Russell, Joe Russell and Jeff Zerba are all recipients of the Lifetime Service to Wrestling award.

The digital program can be found at this link: https://online.fliphtml5.com/frwvx/qwxx/

Jeff Corliss

Jeff Corliss has dedicated more than four decades to wrestling as a referee, coach, mentor, and advocate for wrestler safety throughout northern Oregon. His competitive career began at South Eugene High School before he continued at Lane Community College, where he was named the school’s Most Inspirational Wrestler in both 1981 and 1982. While attending Oregon State University, Jeff began his long career as a wrestling referee in Corvallis.

Jeff later added coaching to his wrestling career, serving as head coach at Warrenton Middle School for five years and as head coach at Astoria High School in 1993 and 1994. In 1996, he began coaching at Seaside High School, where he coached 34 of the school's 49 state placers. He also spent 10 years working with Oregon's Cadet National Teams, including coaching a national team on a cultural exchange tour of Japan.

Beginning in 2014, Jeff served as an Oregon Body Fat Initial Assessor, helping promote wrestler safety through proper weight management. Away from the mat, he designs and builds laser-cut wooden awards for North Coast teams and individuals. His work includes 116 plaques honoring every Seaside district champion and state placer.

Jeff and his wife, Suzanne, have two adult children.

Tammy Johnson

Tammy Johnson has devoted much of her life to supporting wrestling as a team manager, tournament administrator, statistician, educator, and mentor. Her involvement began during her first days of junior high school, when she volunteered to serve as a team manager. She continued in that role throughout high school and college at Pacific University.

At Pacific, legendary coach Mike Clock expanded Tammy's responsibilities to include directing the bracketing room for the Pacific Open and tutoring Boxer wrestlers in their academic work. When Pacific's wrestling program faced the possibility of elimination, Coach Clock identified Tammy as a key contributor to the successful effort to preserve the program.

After leaving Oregon, Tammy trained student volunteers to manage dual meets and tournaments in Hawaii and Richland, Washington. After returning to Oregon as a science teacher at Forest Grove High School, she continued supporting wrestling at her alma mater while also assisting the Forest Grove wrestling program.

Tammy has provided statistician crews for numerous OSAA state championship tournaments and has managed college and high school tournaments for schools throughout the region. Her contributions have helped countless wrestlers, coaches, officials, and tournament workers succeed behind the scenes.

Tammy and her husband, Frank, have three adult children.

Walt Markee

Walt Markee established himself as one of Oregon's premier high school wrestlers at Tillamook High School, where he became a four-time district champion and three-time state champion. He was rated the nation's top prep wrestler at 138 pounds and represented Oregon on a Japan Cultural Exchange tour following his freshman season.

Walt continued his career at Oregon State University, where he became a two-time Pacific-10 Conference champion. After joining the Oregon State Police, he continued giving back to wrestling through volunteer coaching at The Dalles High School and North Valley High School in Grants Pass.

After moving to the Dallas area, Walt helped establish the Dallas Mat Club in 1993, beginning a coaching connection that has spanned more than three decades. Throughout his career, he has worked extensively with at-risk youth. As an assistant coach at Dallas High School, he has helped the Dragons win three state championships in boys wrestling and two state runner-up finishes in girls wrestling.

Following his retirement as Director of the Oregon State Police Fish and Wildlife Enforcement Division, Walt operated a deep-sea fishing business. For more than a decade, proceeds from the business have been donated to support the Dallas wrestling program.

Walt and his wife, Theresa, have two adult children.

Kacey McNulty

Kacey McNulty began his wrestling career at Tigard High School, becoming the school's first freshman to qualify for the state tournament. After one year at Madras High School, he completed his final two high school seasons at Redmond High School, where he served as team captain as a senior.

A three-time OSAA state placer, Kacey continued his wrestling career at Southern Oregon University. He earned three NAIA All-American honors, including a national runner-up finish as a member of the Raiders' 1994 national championship team. He remained at Southern Oregon for one year as a graduate assistant coach before continuing his coaching career at Grants Pass and Glencoe High Schools.

In 2000, Kacey became head coach at North Medford High School, where he coached for four years before being selected as head coach at Eagle Point High School. He led the Eagle Point program for 21 years and was selected as conference Coach of the Year four times.

During his Eagle Point tenure, Kacey coached 250 state qualifiers, 97 state placers, 19 state finalists, and eight state champions. Three of his wrestlers went on to earn college All-American honors. He also served the Eagle Point youth wrestling program as president for 10 years and as a board member for 20 years.

Kacey concluded his high school coaching career in 2024 after more than two decades at Eagle Point and later served as an athletic director at Redmond High School.

Kacey and his wife, Jill, have four children.

Jeremy Rhoades

Jeremy Rhoades has made a lasting contribution to Oregon wrestling as a competitor, coach, referee, and leader in officiating. Before entering the officiating ranks, he competed for Lebanon High School, becoming a four-time state qualifier and two-time OSAA state placer. In 1991, he represented Oregon on a Cultural Exchange team that toured Japan and was also recognized as a Greco-Roman All-American.

Jeremy competed for three years at Southern Oregon University before beginning his coaching career. He spent two years as a volunteer coach at Lebanon High School and seven years as an assistant coach at West Albany High School.

Jeremy began refereeing in the Albany region, where he spent 22 years as an official and served 12 seasons on the association's Board of Directors. In 2016, he joined the Mid-Valley Officials Association, where he became one of the primary trainers for officials and held the positions of president or vice president for nine of his first 10 years with the association.

His officiating experience includes Pac-12 dual meets, junior college tournaments, the Oregon Classic, the OSAA state championships, and the Reser's Tournament of Champions. He has officiated the Oregon Classic and OSAA state tournament for 19 years and the Reser's Tournament of Champions for four years.

In 2018, Jeremy was selected as Oregon's Official of the Year.

Jeremy and his wife, Stephanie, have two daughters.

Dan Russell

Dan Russell is an internationally recognized wrestler, coach, sport diplomat, and founder of Wrestling for Peace. One of Oregon's most accomplished wrestlers, he completed an undefeated high school career and became Oregon's first four-time state champion in 35 years.

At Portland State University, Dan earned four Academic All-American honors, two NCAA Division I All-American honors, and four Division II national championships. He was named Outstanding Wrestler at the national championships in 1989, 1990, and 1991.

Dan represented the United States on the national team from 1989 through 1996 and served as an Olympic Team alternate in 1992 and 1996. In 1995, he won the prestigious Ivan Poddubny Tournament, earning recognition as an unofficial world champion.

His coaching career has included club, high school, college, and international competition. He served as an Olympic coach in 2004 and spent eight years as an Olympic Solidarity instructor in Palau and the Federated States of Micronesia, helping develop wrestling programs and coaches.

In 2017, Dan became the U.S. Ambassador for Wrestling for Peace. In 2025, he established Wrestling for Peace as a nonprofit organization while residing in Amman, Jordan. Through the organization, he uses wrestling as a vehicle to serve vulnerable communities, empower young people, and promote peace around the world.

Joe Russell

Joe Russell has built an exceptional career as a wrestler, coach, and leader at the national and international levels. He won two individual state championships at Gresham High School. Following his junior season, he won both the national prep freestyle and Greco-Roman championships and placed fourth at the U.S. Senior Open.

That summer, Joe suffered severe injuries in a motorcycle accident and was told he might never walk again. He overcame those challenges to fulfill his dream of competing for the University of Minnesota, where he became a team captain in 1992. In 2005, he was honored by the Minnesota chapter of the National Wrestling Hall of Fame as its Medal of Courage recipient. One year later, the National Wrestling Hall of Fame honored him with the same distinction.

After graduating from Minnesota, Joe joined the Gopher coaching staff while earning his law degree. In 1996, he became an assistant coach under legendary head coach J Robinson. During his tenure, Minnesota won NCAA championships in 2001, 2002, and 2007. In 1999, Joe was named USA Wrestling's Person of the Year.

Joe later served seven seasons as head coach at George Mason University in Virginia. In 2017, he joined the USA Wrestling staff, helping guide United States teams to World Team Championships in 2017, 2022, and 2023. He also coached U.S. teams to U23 World Championships in 2023 and 2025 and served as coach of the U.S. U20 team in 2026.

Joe's career reflects a lifetime of overcoming adversity while contributing to wrestling at the highest levels.

Jeff Zerba

Jeff Zerba was a two-time state champion at McLoughlin High School in Milton-Freewater. In 1984, his competitive wrestling career ended when he suffered a spinal cord injury while trying out for the Cultural Exchange team, leaving him paralyzed. Rather than diminish his determination, the experience strengthened his resolve to continue contributing to wrestling and his community.

After graduating from Oregon State University, Jeff became head coach at Cleveland High School in Portland, a position he held for 33 years. During his tenure, his teams recorded more than 300 dual-meet victories and won 21 Portland Interscholastic League championships. His individual wrestlers included 134 district champions, 61 state placers, and nine state champions.

One of Jeff's proudest accomplishments was seeing four of his assistant coaches go on to become head coaches themselves. He also holds the distinction of being honored twice by the Oregon Chapter of the National Wrestling Hall of Fame, receiving the 2000 Medal of Courage.

Jeff's accomplishments extend well beyond wrestling. He has competed in wheelchair rugby, including as a member of a 2013 national championship team. He has completed three marathons, participated in 13 Hood to Coast relays, and has been a scuba diver for more than three decades.

Jeff concluded his coaching career in 2023. He and his wife, Linda Jo, subsequently made their home in Ketchum, Idaho.

Special guests at the banquet included: Sandy Stevens, Nancy Schultz Vitangeli, Larry Owings, Rich & Michelle Bender, Randy Couture & Randy Tomaras to mention a few.

The digital program can be found at this link: https://online.fliphtml5.com/frwvx/qwxx/