2023 NWHOF Illinois Chapter Honors Banquet Info

The Illinois Chapter of the National Wrestling Hall of Fame will induct eight (8) new individuals this coming October at its annual Honors Banquet to be held on Sunday, October 22, 2023.

Here are the details:

WHEN: Sunday, October 22, 2023

WHERE:  DoubleTree by Hilton Alsip
5000 W 127th St, Alsip, IL 60803

CLICK HERE TO PURCHASE TICKETS

DIRECTIONS TO THE BANQUET

CLICK HERE FOR HOTEL RESERVATIONS 

Agenda for the Banquet: 

3:00 - 4:00 PM - Arrive, Appetizers, Social

4:00 PM - Opening Remarks, Dinner

5:00 PM - Presentation of Awards 

Who is being inducted? 

2023 NWHOF Illinois Chapter - Lifetime Service Awards

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SEAN BORMET

• 3x IHSA State Placewinner; 3rd in 1987 & 1988; IHSA State Champion (1989)

• Asics Dream Team Member (1989)

• IHSA Team State Champions 1988, 89

• IHSA Single Season Pin Record – 48 pins with 53-0 record 1989 (Record still stands)

• 3x IWF Freestyle State Champion 1987, 1988, 1989

• 3x USAW Junior Freestyle All-American 

• 2x NCAA All-American (158 pounds, 1993, '94)

• NCAA finalist (1994)

• NCAA Gorriaran Award winner (1993 NCAA Championships), most falls in least time

• 2x Big Ten Champion (1993, '94); Midlands Champion (1993)

• Career record of 125-21 with 44 career pins; 2x Michigan team captain

Service Record  (28 Years Total)

Wrestling Coaching:  (1995-Present)

• Assistant Collegiate Coach: Univ. of Wisconsin (1995-99; 4 years);  Univ. of Michigan (1999-01, 2011-17; 8 years)

• Overtime School of Wrestling (Founder 2001-2011; 10 years) - 38 USAW Cadet & Junior Freestyle National Champions

• 221 USAW Cadet & Junior Freestyle All-Americans; 95 High School State Champions

• Head Coach at Univ. of Michigan (2019-Present; 4 years)

• USAW/International Coaching:  (2006-Present; 17 years)

• 2008 & 2012 USA Olympic Team Coaching Staff

• Coached four Olympians, including 2020 bronze medalist Myles Amine (86kg)

• Coached five senior world medalists in Adam Coon (silver, 130kg Greco), Jake Herbert (silver, 84kg), J'den Cox (silver, 92kg) Donny Pritzlaff (bronze, 74kg), Stevan Micic (bronze, 57kg)

Awards

• 3X Terry McCann USA Freestyle Coach of the Year

• USA Wrestling Developmental Coach of the Year (2004)

• Amateur Wrestling News Rookie Coach of the Year (2019)

• 2022 Big Ten & NWCA Coach of the Year

• IWCOA Hall of Fame 2008

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MIKE BUKOVSKY

• 4 Years Wrestling/Football/Track at Montini Catholic

• 2X Conference Champ, Team Captain & MVP in Wrestling

• All Conference, All Area, Special Mention All-State in Football

• North Central College Wrestling (1983-85); CCIW Placewinner

Service Record (38 yrs Total)

Wrestling Coaching:

• Assistant Wrestling Coach - Montini Catholic HS (1985-94; 9 yrs)

• Head Wrestling Coach - Montini Catholic HS (1994-2010; 16 yrs)

• 8 IHSA Team State Championships

• 11 IHSA Team State Trophies

• 13 IHSA State Qualifying Teams

• 15 IHSA Regional Championships

•  460-39 Overall Team Record

• 3- 4X Individual State Champions (Chase Beebe, Conor Beebe, Mikey Benefiel)

• 140  IHSA State Qualifiers, 81 State Placers, 32 State Champs

• IWCOA Executive Board Member 1999-Present  (25 yrs)

• IWCOA Hall of Fame Selection Committee 2008-Present (16 yrs)

• IWCOA Past President 2008 & 2009

Awards

• IWCOA Hall of Fame 2008

• IWCOA Man of the Year 2010

• 3X IWCOA Coach of the Year (1998, 2002, 2008)

• NHSACA  “National Wrestling Coach of the Year” 2009

• IWCOA/IHSA Grand Marshal 2017

• IWCOA Lifetime Service Award 2020

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BILL HONEYCUTT

• 4 Years Wrestling and Football at Morton East

• Monmouth College - Football & Wrestling 1970-71

Service Record  (55 yrs Total)

• Asst. Wrestling Coaching:  Morton East HS - 1966-70 (4 yrs)

• Head Wrestling  Coach:  St. Viator HS - 1976-78 (2 yrs)

• IHSA/IESA & NCAA DIII Wrestling Official:  1972-Present (51 yrs)

• 27 IHSA Individual Boys State, Girls State & Dual Team Tournaments

• 13 IESA State Tournaments

• IESA Advisory Committee (2005-2008)

• IHSA Officials Advisory Committee (2009-2012)

Awards

• IWCOA Hall of Fame 2003

• 2007 NFHS Official Year of the Year for Illinois

• 2010 IESA State Tournament Grand Marshall

• IWCOA Lifetime Service Award 2018

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ROB MURPHY

• 3 Sport HS Letterman in Football, Wrestling, Track at Coal City HS

• IHSA All-State Football - Linebacker

• 2X IHSA State Qualifier; 3rd Place in 1981 (Team State Runner-up

• Juco National Qualifier for Joliet Junior College

• Olivet Nazarene University - 3X National Christian College Athletic Assoc. Champion

• 3X NAIA National Qualifier; Over 100 Career Collegiate Wins

• NCCAA Team Champions 1987, 1988

• Wrestled with Athletes in Action in Japan and S. Korea

Service Record (34 yrs Total)

• Assistant Wrestling Coach:  Lincoln HS - 1988-94 (6 yrs.)

• Head Wrestling Coach: Wilmington HS - 1994-2022 (28 yrs.)

• 570 Career Head Coaching Wins

• 3 IHSA Dual Team State Championships

• 6 IHSA Dual Team State Trophies

• 9 IHSA State Qualifying Teams

• 10 Conference Team Titles; 12 Regional Championships

• 129 IHSA Individual State Qualifiers; 52 State Place Winners; 10 State Champions

• IWCOA Executive Board Member 1998-2023 (25 yrs.)

• IWCOA Past President 2016-2017

• IWCOA Hall of Fame Selection Committee 2016-2023 (7 yrs.)

• NHSACA Wrestling Chairman 2021-22 (2 yrs)

 Awards

• 10 Times Conference COTY 2005, 2006, 2007, 2008, 2009, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2015, 2016

• IWCOA COTY 2006, 2010

• NHSACA COTY Finalist 2010, 2018

• IWCOA Wrestling Hall of Fame 2011

• IWCOA Silver Award 2014

• IWCOA Man of the Year 2015; IWCOA Gold Award 2018

• IHSA Wrestling State Finals Grand Marshal 2019

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MICK RUETTIGER

• 3 Sport Letterman (Football, Wrestling, Baseball) at Providence Catholic HS

• PSL Conference Wrestling Champ 1972

• Wrestling at Joliet Junior College (1973-75); Eastern Illinois University (1975-78)

Service Record  (45 yrs Total)

• Graduate Assistant Wrestling Coach: Eastern Illinois 1978-79 (1 yr)

• Volunteer Assistant Wrestling Coach:  Mt. St. Joseph Prep, Baltimore, MD (1979-81) (2 yrs)

• Head Wrestling Coaching:  Plano HS - 1981-82 (1 yr)

• Head Wrestling Coaching:  St. Charles HS - 1982-97 (14 yrs)

• 1997 3rd Place IHSA Dual Team State; Sectional Champs

• 44 IHSA Individual State Qualifiers; 21 State Placewinners, 2 State Champions

• Head Wrestling Coaching:  Neuqua Valley HS - 1997-2017 (21 yrs)

• 277 Dual Team Wins; 8 Conference Team Titles

• 99 Individual Conf. Champs; 54 State Qualifiers; 29 State Placewinners; 2 State Champions

• Volunteer Assistant Wrestling Coach:  St. Charles East HS - 2017-Present (6 yrs)

 Awards

• IWCOA Hall of Fame 2002

• IWCOA Lifetime Service Award 2022

• IHSA State Tournament Grand Marshal 2022

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MICK TORRES

• 3X IHSA State Placewinner; 108-17 HS Record at Yorkville HS

• 4th in State (1976); 3rd (1978); 2nd (1979)

• Wrestled at Northern Illinois University (1979-80); Career ended by injury

Service Record (38 yrs Total)

• Head Wrestling Coach, Lake Zurich HS:  1985-1992 (7 yrs)

• 23 Sectional Qualifiers, 4 State Qualifiers, 3 State Placers, - 2X State Champ (Al Strobl)

• IHSA Tournament Management (ILWrestle.com) - 1994 - Present (29 yrs)

• Tournament Director for over 200+ Individual IHSA Tournaments including 44 IHSA Individual Regionals & Sectionals; Also, multiple years at: Barrington (Moore-Prettyman), Buffalo Grove, Wheeling, Hinsdale Central (Rex Whitlatch), Dvorak, Hoffman Estates, MSL, NSC, MSC, Leyden, Lake County Annual Tournaments

• IHSA Wrestling Official: 1992-94

• Volunteer Assistant Wrestling Coach: Antioch HS (1995-2003); Vernon Hills HS (2004-2007)

• NWHOF Illinois Chapter Board of Directors (Secretary) - 2015-Present (8 yrs)

• IWCOA Executive Board Member - 2016-Present (7 yrs)

• IHSA Individual, Dual Team & Girls State Tournaments Announcer:  2019-2023

• NCAA Midlands Tournament Announcer: 2023

Awards

• IWCOA Hall of Fame - 2016

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2023 Illinois Chapter - Medal of Courage

DARRELL GHOLAR

• IHSA State Finalist (1980) at Chicago Dunbar HS

• AAU National Runner-up

• Both Football and Wrestling Team Captain at Dunbar

• 1981 Freshman All-American Team at Univ. of Minnesota

• Minnesota Team Captain (1984, 85)

• 3x USAW Greco National Champion

• 1988 USAW Olympic Alternate

• 1986 USA World Greco Team Captain

 Service Record

• Gholar went on to become a successful professional fighter, going 5-6 between 1998-2001.  As a pro fighter, Gholar was the 2000 World Vale Tudo Championship, middleweight champion vacating the title in 2001 when he retired from professional fighting.

• Gholar was a finalist for a Jerome fellowship in playwriting. He was a Walt Disney Pictures screenwriting fellowship recipient, where after completion he was offered a position writing for Walt Disney Pictures Touchstone division. While writing for Disney Mr. Gholar wrote and directed The Dancer at the Ivar theater in Hollywood.

• He then co-produced Looking for Bruce, a full length feature film starring Gil Gerard of TV and films Buck Rogers and Dan Clark of American Gladiators.

• In 2003 Mr. Gholar was named one of the world’s top 200 living poets and was invited to read in Washington D.C. at the National Society of poets 2003 National Convention.

• Darrell Gholar suffered a stroke in 2013.  Here is his story…  “Struggle to Survive, Thrive”

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 2023 Illinois Chapter - Outstanding American

TERRY MCCANN

• 4 Years HS Wrestling at Notre Dame HS (Niles, IL)

• Coached by IWCOA and NWHOF-IL Lifetime Award Winner Augie Genovesi

Service Record

• “With close to 20 years of experience in the insurance industry, Terry McCann began his career at AIG. In 1999, he joined CRC Insurance Services as vice president. He later became senior vice president and ultimately president of the Chicago office. Under Mr. McCann’s leadership, CRC awarded Chicago as the “Office of the Year” on several occasions. The company also named Mr. McCann “CRC Broker of the Year” in 2008 and 2009.

• In 2010, he had the opportunity to open RT Specialty’s Chicago office as well as lead the casualty practice for the firm.  Today, the Chicago office of RT Specialty places over $1.5 billion in premium.

• Mr. McCann’s expertise includes market rate, subsidized, and mixed-use schedules. He assists clients in placements where there is challenging loss development, the formation of new real estate portfolios, and forced place properties for financial institutions. He also assists his clients that have significant real estate development exposures in multifamily, hospitality or for sale projects.

• He was named Wholesale Insurance Broker of the Year in 2017 by Business Insurance magazine.  He was also named Casualty Insurance Broker of the year by Insurance Business America magazine in 2017.”

• “Terry McCann has been recognized as one of the leading professionals in the US insurance industry by being listed in the 2018 edition of Insurance Business America’s Hot 100.”  Article

• “Terry McCann of RT Specialty is part of Insurance Business America Top Specialist Brokers 2019.”  Article

• 2018 US Insurance Awards: R-T Specialty L.L.C., Wholesale Brokerage Team of the Year - Article

• Terry McCann is also brother to Kevin McCann, a standout in wrestling and football at Notre Dame HS who was tragically killed in 2004.  Article