By Sonja Chen
The Daily Free Press
Gary Abbott’s career was at a crossroads in 1988. He and his former coach, Hall of Famer Carl Adams, had just shuttered their magazine, Wrestling Masters, after five years of business.

But at the same time, there was an opening for the manager of communications at USA Wrestling — the sport’s national governing body. After Abbott applied, USA Wrestling offered him the role, but there was some hesitation on his part, he said.

“I almost turned it down, wasn’t sure I wanted to move to the Midwest,” Abbott said in an interview. “I took a chance and took the job, and I’ve never left it.”

Over 30 years later, Abbott is the director of communications and special projects at USA Wrestling. He will be honored for his lifetime of work in the National Wrestling Hall of Fame as an Order of Merit recipient in Stillwater, Oklahoma, on June 4.

The Order of Merit is awarded for making “a significant contribution to the advancement of wrestling, other than success as an athlete or coach” and chosen by Distinguished Members of the Hall of Fame, according to the selection procedures.

“What an honor that is, to be selected by your peers, the peers that he’s helped promote and market, our heroes of the sport,” Lee Roy Smith, executive director of the National Wrestling Hall of Fame, said in an interview. “What a gratifying experience that is for those honorees, and in particular, Gary Abbott.”

Abbott’s induction comes one year later than originally planned due to the COVID-19 pandemic. He said “it’s a blessing” to be able to attend the ceremony in person this year and that receiving the Order of Merit is an “ultimate honor.”

“It’s very humbling,” Abbott said. “I don’t belong in there as an athlete or a coach, I was decent at both of those, but then I built my career in wrestling through my communications abilities and my passion for being a good leader.”

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