PWCA HALL OF FAME TO WELCOME NINE NEW MEMBERS TO THE CLASS OF 2016

On Sunday April 10h, the Pennsylvania Wrestling Coaches Association will induct nine (9) former wrestlers, coaches

and/or contributors into the Pennsylvania Wrestling Hall of Fame, Class of 2016. For the eighth consecutive year, the

banquet and induction ceremonies will be held at the Ramada Inn and Convention Center in State College beginning at

12:30 pm with a hospitality hour. The banquet will follow beginning at 1:30 pm and induction of new members will start

promptly at 2:30 pm.

As has been the case for the past seven years, the official ceremonies will be held separate from the PIAA State Wrestling

Championships, but inductees will be recognized in the PIAA State program.
Tickets to attend the Hall of Fame banquet  and induction ceremonies are priced at $35 and  can be obtained by contacting

Hall of Fame chairman Norm Palovcsik by phone (570-295-3795) or by mail to 151 Bathgate Drive, State College, PA 16801.
Tickets can reserved for pickup at the registration table at the Ramada Inn on April 12th.
The PWCA Class of 2016 marks the 47th consecutive year that the Pennsylvania Wrestling Coaches Association has inducted

a class of deserving individuals starting in 1970.

The Class of 2016 consists of the following individuals (in alphabetical order):

Doug Buckwalter (Coach-District 6) – Doug Buckwalter was a graduate of Warrior Run High School and a graduate of

Lock Haven University with a B.S. degree in health and physical education. In 1984, he was hired as head coach at Lock Haven

High School where he amassed a 121-47-3. After serving as assistant wrestling coach at LHU, he returned to high school coaching

at Central Mountain. In his ten seasons at Central Mountain, his teams posted a 186-31 record making his combined high school coaching

record at 307-78-3. His teams won eight District 6 team championships as well as capturing the District 6 Team Duals Championship six

times. Buckwalter guided his 2010 Central Mountain team to the PIAA Class AAA state championship and he was named PIAA Class

AAA Coach of the Year. He was also voted District Coach of the Year ten times and served as District 6 Coaches President from 1991-93.

Individually, he coached 54 District 6 champions, 33 NW regional champions, eleven 100-match winners and nine PIAA state champions

including Brian Merrifield, Pete Rinella, Steve Krouse at Lock Haven and three-time champion Dylan Alton, two-time state champion

Andrew Alton and Brian Brill at Central Mountain.

Bob Derr (Contributor – District 4) – Bob Derr is a 1967 graduate of Warwick High School and a graduate of West Chester State College.

Derr was a member of the Warwick High wrestling, football and track teams during his high school career. After graduating from West Chester,

Derr was appointed Warwick’s junior high wrestling coach and compiled an 88-8 record over nine seasons including a 65-meet win streak from

1975-1981. His teams also captured six Lebanon-Lancaster junior high league championships and six Elizabethtown Optimist Team Tournament

Titles. Derr is a nationally recognized field hockey coach with over 500 wins, 14 sectional, eleven league, 6 District and three PIAA state titles.

He was named 2000 NFHCA Coach of the Year and 2001 National Field Hockey Coaches Hall of Fame, and, in 2010, was voted recipient of the

60th annual prestigious Geroge W. Kirchner Memorial Award. In addition to coaching, Bob is one of the Keystone State and nation’s top scholastic

and collegiate wrestling officials. His 40+-year career includes officiating 10 NCAA Division I Wrestling Championships and five PIAA State

Championships. Bob is a member of District 3 Coaches Association Hall of Fame, the Lancaster-Lebanon Wrestling Hall of Fame and the National

Wrestling Hall of Fame – Pennsylvania Chapter.

Gilbert “Gib” FInk (Wrestler – District 6) – Gib Fink is a 1972 graduate of Tyrone High School and a graduate of North Carolina State University.

He was the first Tyrone wrestler to win three District 6 titles. In 1971 and 1972, he also became the first Tyrone wrestler to win back to back PIAA

state championships, defeating Easton’s Brad Weaver in 1971 and Greg Filipos from Bethlehem Liberty in 1972. In the final two years at Tyrone, Gib’s

high school won-loss record was 44-0. In college, he earned a varsity letter in wrestling, competing on the ACC championship North Carolina State

wrestling team in 1976 that finished 16-4. In 2001, Gib Fink was inducted into the Tyrone High School Sports Hall of Fame.

Bill Luckenbaugh (Wrestler – District 3)- Bill Luckenbaugh is a 1969 graduate of West York HS and a 1974 graduate of East Stroudsburg University.

He was a three-time York County champion, two-time District 3 and Southeastern regional champion and a two-time PIAA state finalist, winning the

1969 PIAA state championship at 127 pounds. In 1968, he was the 120-lb. state runner-up, losing in the state finals to Norm Palovcsik, 11-8. He finished

his high school career with a 69-5 record. In college, he was a 4-year letterwinner, compiling a 77-7-1 record with 59 falls. He served as the 1973-74

ESSC team captain. He was a PSAC champion (1974), a two-time East Stroudsburg Open Champion and OW in 1971, two-time Coast Guard Invitational

champion and two-time OW, and 1974 NCAA Division II National Champion at 150 lbs. He coached twelve years at two high schools: Elizabethtown

(1976-82, 76-23-1) and West York (1991-97, 76-23-0). He was voted District 3 Coach of the Year in 1994. Luckenbaugh is a member of the District 3 ,

ESU Sports(1996), NCAA Division II and Elizabethtown HS Hall of Fame and was selected two-time ESU OW and ESU Male of the Year in 1974.

Mike Pirozzola (Wrestler – District 1) - Mike Pirozzola is a 2000 graduate of Neshaminy High School where he competed for HOF head coach

Vic Stanley. Pirozzola also attended Lehigh University where he earned his Finance degree in 2004. He was one of the few who participated in four

consecutive PIAA Class AAA state finals matches, winning titles in 1999 and 2000 as a junior and senior. Pirozzola was voted the 1999 Outstanding

Wrestler following the 1999 tournament and was voted to receive the same award in sectionals, districts and regionals his senior season. His high

school record was a stellar 141-7 record which included 106 career pins. As a youth wrestler, Pirozzola claimed eight East National Championships.

Pirozzola began his collegiate career at Lehigh where he won 10 of his 11 matches in his freshman year, but dropped to 10-8 as a sophomore before

he suffered a career ending torn rib cartilage.

Tom Teagarden (Wrestler/Coach – District 7) - Tom “Tuffy” Teagarden was a four-year letterwinner at McGuffey HS where he won the 1969 PIAA

state championship at 95 pounds as a sophomore. The following year, in 1970, Teagarden advanced to the PIAA state finals at 103 pounds before dropping

a 4-4, 2-1 overtime decision to Dan Blakinger from Manheim Township. In 1971, he was upset in the sectional finals by eventual state champion George

Bryant from Washington. He attended Penn State where he was a two-time EIWA runner-up and became the first freshman to compete for the Nittany Lions

in wrestling. He began a 22 year career as head wrestling coach at Bentworth HS where he led his team to the 1984 WPIAL Class AA team title and was

voted Class AA Coach of the Year in the WPIAL that year.

Rob Waller (Wrestler – District 7) – Robbie Waller is a 1998 graduate of Mt. Pleasant High School and a 2003 graduate of the University of Oklahoma.

He received his Master of Education degree in English Education from the University of Missouri-Columbia in 2007. In high school, Waller was a two-time

Beast of the East champion, a three-time Powerade champion, two-time WPIAL champion, three-time PIAA Class AAA state finalist and a 1998 PIAA State

Champion. He as a FILA Junior National Freestyle champion and finished his high school career at 128-3. In college, Waller was a two-time Big 12 champion,

a four-time NCAA Tournament Qualifier, where he earned a pair NCAA medals including capturing the 2003 NCAA Championship at 165. He finished his

collegiate career with 103 wins against 30 losses. In 2003, Waller was selected to the NWCA Academic All-America 1st team as well as selected to the

Big 12 Commissioner’s Honor Roll four times. He served as assistant coach at University of Missouri (2003-2005) and the University of Oklahoma (2005-2009)

and served as head wrestling coach at Lock Haven University (2009 – 2013).

Col. Dave Warnick (Wrestler – District 5) –Col. Warnick is a 1988 graduate of Meyersdale High School and received his commission from the United

State Military Academy in 1993. In high school, Warnick was a two-time Southwest Region champion and a two-time PIAA State champion in 1987 and

1988. He was a AAA vs AA Challenge of Champions winner in 1988 and a winner in the Pittsburgh Wrestling Classic that same year. He finished his

high school career with a 117-11-1 won-loss record. Warnick was also successful freestyle and Greco-Roman wrestling, winning five Pennsylvania

Freestyle championships (1984-88), earning a pair of Cadet National Freestyle medals (3rd in 1985 and 1st in 1986), placed second in the Cadet

Greco-Roman Nationals in 1986 and finished 4th in the 1988 Junior National Freestyle Championships. At West Point, Warnick was a three-time EIWA

runner-up and three-time NCAA Tournament Qualifier. He holds the Army record for most falls in a season (21) and career falls (58). He was named to

the Amateur Wrestling News’ Freshman All-American Team in 1990 and was named the West Point Mike Natvig Award in 1999. He career record

Army was 117-30-1.

Ken Wunderley (Contributor – District 7) – Ken Wunderley is a 1977 graduate of South Allegheny HS and a 1981 graduate of Penn State University.

Wunderley had no formal affiliation with the sport of wrestling until he was hired by the McKeesport Daily News, wto cover a few wrestling matches.

He became a freelance writer for the Pittsburgh Press in 1984 after being laid off in McKeesport. After three months are the Press, he was designated to

be the wrestling writer for six zone editions. Since that time, he has chronicled the countless wrestlers, coaches and teams who have made the Southwestern

region of Pennsylvania a hotbed for scholastic wrestling since 1936. In the past three decades, he has covered wrestling at 31 WPIAL, 31 PIAA, 25

Dapper Dan Wrestling Classics, 3 NCAA Division I Tournament, one Division II Championship, two freestyle Olympic Team Trials and two Grand Master

wrestling events. He has covered wrestling for the Associated Press, the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette, Pittsburgh Press, Washington Observer Reporter,

Pittsburgh Tribune Review, Valley News Dispatch, North Hills Record, Indiana Gazette, Johnstown Tribune Democrat, Lewistown Sentinel,

Easton Express-Times and McKeesport Daily News. During his 31-year writing career, he’s compiled a statistical history of the WPIAL beginning in 1994

and followed by editions in 2004 and 2015. Wunderley designed the WPIAL website in 1999 and served as its webmaster for five years. In 2001, he became

the sole proprietor of the Tri-State Sports & News Service, a media outlet that provides freelance writers for the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette. Wunderley has

also served as a statistician for the Pittsburgh Steelers for all homes games for the past 32 years. He was named Wrestling USA National Writer of the

Year in 1989 and Pennsylvania Wrestling Round-up Media award winner in 1991. He was inducted into the Southwestern Pennsylvania Wrestling Hall of

Fame in 2003 and, in 2010, he was inducted into the National Wrestling Hall of Fame’s Pennsylvania Chapter for Lifetime Service to Wrestling.