Seven Georgia coaches and administrators past and present will be inducted into the National Wrestling Hall of Fame in a ceremony hall of fame’s Georgia Chapter on May 6.
The seven will be inducted as "Lifetime Service to Wrestling" recipients in recognition of contributing at least 20 years to the sport as a coach, referee or contributor. The induction will take place at the Sonesta Gwinnett Place Atlanta.
The Georgia inductees will be:
*Stacey L. Davis, Sr. – current coach at Holy Innocents’; FILA/Olympic official and former longtime GHSA official and head of Georgia Wrestling Officials Association; many years as coach of Team Georgia USA wrestling teams, former standout at the University of North Carolina.
*Jerry Goldstein – current assistant coach at Lovett; past Georgia Tech and Florida assistant; longtime coach of Georgia Kids programs for Walton High and Morris Fitness; high school head coach in Michigan and Georgia; Georgia Tech Athletic Hall of Fame.
*William Howington – 44 years of service as a championship high school coach at Winder-Barrow, Monroe Area and Dawson County, and/or GHSA wrestling official in Georgia.
*Pat McCance– Head coach at Pebblebrook and Loganville; many years as McEachern assistant/associate head coach during the school’s dominant reign in the GHSA; active member of the Atlanta Takedown Association.
*Don St. James –coach at Etowah, Centennial and Cambridge; coached 13 GHSA state champions; former assistant at the University of Tennessee under Gray Simons; clinician at numerous camps and clinics across the country; collegiate star at Georgia and Tennessee.
*Denis Tallini – 43 years of service, most recently as GHSA associate director; past member of National Federation of High School Associations (NFHS) wrestling rules committee; 31 years as a high school wrestling official in Louisiana with 11 more after his move to Georgia; a mainstay on the mats for state-level tournaments; remains active as an official with the Metro Atlanta Wrestling Officials; former collegiate star at Mohawk Valley CC (NY) and University of Southwestern Louisiana (now University of Louisiana – Lafayette).
*Bruce Towson – Longtime coach in the Henry County school system filling multiple roles at Henry County and Luella, often coaching both middle and high school teams; credited by many for the growth and success of wrestling in Henry county and surrounding areas. The National Wrestling Hall of Fame and Museum is located in Stillwater, Okla. Event and ticket information is available by emailing wrestlinghofga@gmail.com or by registering online.
