TO BE INDUCTED INTO DIVISION II HALL OF FAME

KENOSHA, Wisc. – Stan Dziedzic, a 1976 Olympian and four-time national champion wrestler at Slippery Rock University in the early 1970s, will be one of five men inducted March 13, 2003, into the Division II Wrestling Hall of Fame.

Dziedzic (pronounced DESS ick) will be honored during a banquet held in conjunction with the 41^st Annual NCAA II National Wrestling Championships hosted in Wheeling, W. Va., by West Liberty State College.

Also being inducted will be Pitt-Johnstown head coach Pat Pecora, West Liberty head coach Vince Monseau, former Ashland (Ohio) University standout Jeff Esmont and former California University of Pa. standout Ken Hackman.

According to a press release issued by the NCAA II Wrestling Coaches Association that announced Dziedzic’s impending induction into the Hall of Fame:

“(Dziedzic’s) “accomplishments at SRU and in the international style of freestyle wrestling after graduation make him possibly the greatest wrestler to ever participate in the NCAA College Division which eventually evolved into the NCAA Division II.”

Dziedzic had a career record of 118 wins and only two losses at The Rock, with both of his losses coming against eventual NCAA Division I national champions and in Division I national tournament competition.

He won three College Division national championships, two as a 150-pounder and one at 158 pounds, and also claimed the University Division 150-pound national championship as a sophomore. Dziedzic was awarded the University Division national championship “Outstanding Wrestler” honor after winning his big-school national title in 1970-71.

Dziedzic also earned University Division national runner-up honors as a senior 158-pounder after claiming a University Division third-place finish as a sophomore.

Behind Dziedzic’s lead, The Rock placed second in the College Division national team standings in 1970-71 and was fourth in 1971-72.

Dziedzic was included in a group of eight individuals who comprised the inaugural class of inductees into the Slippery Rock University Athletic Hall of Fame in 1988.

Following graduation from The Rock, Dziedzic served six seasons as assistant coach at Michigan State University. While working and training there, he won four national freestyle titles and two World Cup gold medals. He culminated his career by earning a bronze medal in the 163-pound weight class at the 1976 Olympic Games in Montreal and winning the world championship in 1977.

Dziedzic has remained active in national and international wrestling since concluding his competitive career. He is currently serving a two-year term as the President of USA Wrestling. In 1996, he received wrestling’s highest honor when he was inducted into the National Wrestling Hall of Fame.

Dziedzic was an assistant coach and manager for the 1984 U. S. Olympic freestyle team that won seven gold medals in Los Angeles, as well as serving six years as the Amateur Athletic Union national freestyle coach. In 1980, he was selected as “Wrestling’s Man of the Year.”

Dziedzic is now the managing director of the Lehman Brothers investment firm in Atlanta. He and his wife, Arlene, live in Roswell, Ga., with their four children: Jodi, Katie, Tom and Emily.

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