LEDYARD, Connecticut, May 4, 2019 – Nearly 600 people attended the seventh annual induction banquet by the Connecticut Chapter of the National Wrestling Hall of Fame on Saturday night at Foxwoods Resort Casino.

They were expecting to see the induction of six men for their contribution to the sport of wrestling and our communities and an evening about Connecticut wrestling.

“To the surprise of many, this was so much more,” said Ted Oczkowski, President of the Connecticut Chapter of the National Wrestling Hall of Fame. “The banquet not only celebrated the great sport of wrestling but it showed how wrestling is the essence of success in many lives and is an essential component of people being grounded and realistic in today’s fast-moving world.”

Six men joined 38 other inductees in the Connecticut Chapter of the National Wrestling Hall of Fame. 

• Colonel Charles Anderson, a Bronze Star and Purple Heart recipient who has served in the Connecticut Army National Guard for more than 30 years, and as the head wrestling coach at both Trumbull High and Norwalk High

• John Bennett, a coach, official and four-time member of the U.S. Veterans World team

• Patrick Burns, former New Milford High coach, an official and CIAC wrestling committee member 

• Carmen DelVecchio, one of the top officials in New England and in the nation

• Jason Shaughnessy, the high school coach at Fairfield Warde and Fairfield High and founder and coach with the Police Athletic League (PAL) youth wrestling program in Fairfield

• Dennis Siegmann, the former head coach at Bristol Central High for 22 years and an assistant coach at two junior colleges that won four national championships in six years

Hall of Fame wrestler Gene Mills, a two-time World Cup champion, two-time NCAA champion and 1980 Olympian, was the guest speaker at the sold-out banquet. Lee Roy Smith, president of the National Wrestling Hall of Fame in Oklahoma, attended and presented awards to the inductees.

“We were honored with the attendance of world champion Gene Mills and NWHOF president Lee Roy Smith,” Oczkowski said. “The evening celebrated the life-changing experiences of wrestlers, coaches, officials and their families from having the opportunity to experience the sport of wrestling.”

“Guests walked away in awe of how the wrestling community celebrates their success on and off the mat and how that success in wrestling parallels success in life,” he said.

Bennett, Burns, DelVecchio, Shaughnessy and Siegmann received a Lifetime Achievement award for coaches, officials, or contributors with at least 20 years of service. Anderson was recognized as an Outstanding American, a former wrestler who is highly successful in his/her profession.

The Connecticut Chapter of the National Wrestling Hall of Fame holds induction banquets every three years with the next banquet scheduled to be held in 2022.

“If you are in the area in 2022, you are invited to attend this banquet and experience the miracle of wrestling and how the sport benefits our society,” Oczkowski said.

Published May 4, 2019 by the Connecticut chapter of the National Wrestling Hall of Fame