Congratulations to the Oregon Chapter of the National Wrestling Hall of Fame's Class of 2024

These outstanding individuals were inducted on October 12, 2024.

2024 Lifetime Service to Wrestling

Bob Allen 

Bob Allen’s contribution to wrestling began first as a journalist when he was twice named a national finalist for wrestling writer of the year in 1968 and 1971. Later, he arranged NCAA tournament trips for teams, alumni, parents and fans through much of the 1970s. Bob served as the PA announcer for all OSU meets from 1968 through 1980 including the 1975 national collegiate all-star dual, the 1978 NCAA Division III national tournament and the 1980 NCAA championships. He worked on the OSU Blue Ribbon committee to ensure financial stability by helping to increase the wrestling endowment by nearly $2 million. He also produced quarterly newsletters to maintain awareness among the 700 living Oregon State wrestling alumni. In 2017, he authored the book “55 Years of Excellence” which documents Oregon’s wrestling history. The 350-page book was a five-year effort which details the impact of Oregon wrestling on both the national and international stage. He is in the twelfth year serving on the HOF Oregon chapter board. Bob lives in Newberg with his wife, Charlene. 

Anthony Amado 

Anthony Amado set a goal to become an Olympic wrestler before he ever won a city title. He put his dream in motion when he wrestled for Benson High School, winning a state championship and compiling a prep record of 114-9. In 1978, he won the National high school freestyle title and later placed third in the World Elite championships. After being recruited by Portland State University, he won the 1985 NCAA Division II championship. In 2017, Anthony was inducted into the NCAA Division II Hall of Fame along with seven other Viking teammates and coach. In 1986, Anthony won the U.S. Open in Greco. Part of his lifetime goal was achieved in 1987 when he finished fourth representing the United States in the World Championships. A year later he was the U.S. Greco-Roman team member at the Seoul Summer Olympics. In all, Anthony was a member of 13 U.S. teams at either the World Championships or World Cup events and earned 2 world titles, a 3rd, 4th and 9th. Amado has coached for over 30 years at the club, high school or college levels in Oregon.

Gene D’Agostini 

Gene D’Agostini has devoted more than 50 years of his life to wrestling. It began as a competitor for HOF coach John Dustin at Marshfield in Coos Bay. He spent four years at Willamette University, three times as a Northwest Conference medalist. In his final season he took over as interim head coach. After graduation, Gene was hired at North Albany Junior High to coach four sports. He remained there as wrestling coach for six seasons before being named assistant coach at West Albany High under HOF head coach Bruce Glenn. During this time, the Bulldogs won six District titles. In 1991, he was hired as the head coach at West Albany HS until 2003. In 2000, he was named team leader of Oregon Cultural Exchange that competed in Italy and Bulgaria. After 2003, the incoming coach, Bob Lee asked him to be a volunteer coach for three additional years. Gene also brought Olympic and World heavyweight champion Rulon Gardner to Albany for an assembly, clinic and a 72 ounce steak. His daughter Miranda is currently coaching wrestling at West Albany High School.  Gene continues to live in Albany with wife Robin.

Maureen Davis 

Maureen (Shaw) Davis began her association with wrestling as a high school scorekeeper at Lebanon under the direction of HOF charter member Dick Weisbrodt. She picked up scoring chores again at OCE (now Western Oregon) in 1971 when she met and married Kurt Davis. Maureen set-up and directed tournaments at Astoria from 1972 though 1977, at Grant High School of Portland from 1980 through 1985, and at Redmond High School from 1985 through 2002. When Oregon’s largest tournament, the Oregon Wrestling Classic, moved to central Oregon in 2002, she became facilities director for the next two decades. Her duties included supervising all volunteers, security, ticket sales and hospitality plus set-up and clean- up in the massive Deschutes County Fairgrounds. In 2020, Maureen became the first woman to hand out awards at the OSAA state championships. To guarantee keeping busy, she has created and calligraphed awards at every stop in her career for 50-plus years. Maureen lives in Astoria with her HOF member husband, Kurt.

Jeremy Ensrud 

Jeremy Ensrud was part of a powerhouse Hillsboro team in the early 90s and finished his prep career as an Oregon state champion on Ron James’ state runner-up team. Jeremy enrolled at the University of Oregon where he became a two-time Pac-12 champion. He placed fourth in the nation in 1997 and third in the nation a year later. He followed those performances by twice becoming University freestyle national champion. His alma mater honored him with the award for top male athlete in 1998. He then served as an assistant coach with the Ducks from 1998 through 2006. He was named head coach of the storied Canby High School squad beginning in 2006 until his retirement from coaching in 2023. During that span, Jeremy led the Cougars to six league titles, three state trophies and a dual meet record of 230-45. From 2000 till 2004 he also coached the U.S. Junior national team. In 2008, he was named Oregon’s 6A Coach of the Year. He is now Athletic Director at Canby where he lives with his wife Alyson and children Ethan and Emilia.

Roger Matthews 

Roger Matthews was on the leading edge of a trend in the 1990s: Coaches who love their sport, but work outside the school district, unlike the days when coaches were always on-site teachers. His love of the sport began in the late 1970s when his family moved to Portland and he met legendary club coach Roy Pittman. In 1985, he took his skills to Gresham High School where he was a team captain. He ended with a 89-7 prep record but never a state championship because four of his seven losses came at the state tournament. He credits that missed opportunity for his strong desire to coach. After establishing his building contractor business in 1996, he looked for a way to contribute back to wrestling. In 2000, he started a four year stint as the Centennial Middle School coach. In 2004, he moved into an assistant coach role at Centennial High School and a year later was named head coach. He has given the Eagles14 years of continual growth. He was named Mt. Hood Conference Coach of the Year three times in 2014, 2016, and 2019. Roger directed the Centennial Mat Club during this same period and still continues to coach as an assistant at CHS today.. Roger lives in Gresham with wife Stephanie, also a HOF member.

Bruce Robnett 

Bruce Robnett began his competitive career wrestling at Clackamas High School for HOF coach Bill Geister from 1969 to 1973. He moved to OCE (now Western Oregon University) in 1975 where he became an NAIA football All-American and got his first taste of coaching wrestling at his alma mater. Later, he joined the staff of Dennis Ingram at Barlow. Beginning in 1980, the Bruins of Barlow won 20 consecutive Mt. Hood conference championships and claimed the OSAA state titles in both 1980 and 1981. Bruce took over as head coach in 1994 and his teams were second in the state in both 1995 and 1997, third in 1998, and fourth in 1996. He coached 10 individual Oregon state champions during this period. In 1995, he was voted Oregon Coach of the Year. Bruce was chosen to lead the Oregon Cultural Exchange team to Hungary in 1999. He retired as head coach in 2002 and kept active by coaching the Sandy Middle School program for 10 years. He and wife Karen today reside on the Oregon Coast.

Romelio Salas 

Romelio Salas was born in Colombia and came to the United States in the late 1970s. After meeting Pacific’s HOF coach Mike Clock as a youngster, Romelio contacted Clock in 1977 to wrestle for the Boxers. By 1980 he was an All-American. What surrounded that event was a mixture of coaching and international competitions. In 1975, he was fifth at the Pan Am Games for Colombia in Greco and repeated that placement in 1987. Romelio secured a win at the 1984 Olympic Games before blowing out his knee against American Dave Schultz. He wrestled again in the 1992 Barcelona Olympics. That same year he won a freestyle gold medal at the Pan Am Games. He coached and trained with Roy Pittman at Peninsula Park from 1979 through 1989. He helped coach some familiar names in Oregon wrestling like Travis West, Hiag Brown, Tivon Abel, Glenn and Dave Nieradka and Mike and John Sills. Other coaching stops have included Grant High School from 1987-1989; Jefferson High School from 1989-1992; Tigard High School from 1992-2014; and McDaniel High School (formerly Madison) from 2015 to present. Romelio lives in Portland and has 3 boys: a 7th grader, a 12th grader and another enrolled at the Hillsboro Aero Academy.

Roger Sayles 

Roger Sayles brought success with him wherever he wrestled despite a litany of injuries. As a freshman at Barlow High School he scored the only points as the Bruins struggled to 43rd in state. As a sophomore they moved to 36th in state and jumped to fifth in his junior season. By 1980, Barlow claimed their first-ever state championship with Roger taking third following a semifinal injury. He chose Mt. Hood Community College and finished 34-1 as a sophomore, the national Junior College champion and won the Outstanding Wrestler award. Roger was picked as the U.S. representative for the Pan Am Games where he captured the gold medal. He took a year off to have both knees surgically repaired. He entered Cal Poly where his junior season ended with an injury at the NCAAs. In 1985, he enjoyed a 38-6 season which resulted in fourth place at nationals. He returned to Oregon where he coached three years at Damascus and nine years as an assistant at Barlow High. He took off several years to establish his excavation company and then used his skills to act as the general contractor and provide necessary excavation to build three homes, with the help of other wrestlers. These projects resulted in more than $300,000 in profit for the Barlow wrestling program. He started volunteer coaching in 2017 at the Sandy school district which continues today. Roger lives in Estacada.

Jeff Smith

Dr. Jeff Smith gave Roseburg High School the distinction of claiming him as runner-up in the very first Oregon state freestyle tournament when he finished between two future Olympians, Jess Lewis and Henk Schenk. He chose Oregon State for his bachelor and master degrees, finishing fourth in the NCAA tournament for the Beavers. He served as an assistant coach to Dale Thomas for three years before moving to the UO for his doctorate degree and another assistant coaching job for the Ducks between 1970 and 1975. His work with the “big guys” included coaching two-time national champion Jess Lewis at Oregon State and future World champion Greg Gibson at Oregon. After taking a professorship at Cal State Dominguez Hills, he coached at Huntington Beach High School for 10 years. After years of commuting between central Oregon and Los Angeles, Jeff coached at Sisters Middle and Sisters High Schools as an assistant and head coach for nineteen years.  In between his 30 years of coaching, he refereed 12 years in Oregon and two years in California. He lives with wife Ginny in Sisters.

Special presenters at the 2024 Awards included in the photo are Lee Roy Smith. Executive Director of the NWHOF, and 2000 Olympic Greco-Roman silver medalist Matt Lindland.