Stan Zeamer to receive Order of Merit from National Wrestling Hall of Fame
1/11/2005
Gary Abbott/USA Wrestling
Stan Zeamer of Manheim, Pa. has been selected to receive the Order of Merit
from the National Wrestling Hall of Fame and Museum.
The Order of Merit is presented to an individual who has made a significant
contribution to the advancement of wrestling, other than success as an
athlete or coach. The winner is selected by a vote of the Distinguished
Members of the National Wrestling Hall of Fame.
He will receive this prestigious honor, along with other national award
winners, at the Honors Weekend at the National Wrestling Hall of Fame and
Museum in Stillwater, Okla., June 3-4.
Zeamer has been involved in wrestling for many years, including serving as a
leader at the highest levels, as well as having success as an athlete and
coach.
He currently serves on the Board of Governors for the National Wrestling
Hall of Fame, and served as its chairman for a number of years. His
leadership has helped the Hall of Fame grow and expand its activities for
the sport.
Zeamer also served as the president of the Pennsylvania chapter of the
National Wrestling Hall of Fame from 1993-2003. In that capacity, Zeamer
helped organize highly successful banquets for the honored inductees,
setting a standard for how state chapters of the Hall of Fame should
operate.
He generously leases office space from his business headquarters to two
important wrestling organizations, the National Wrestling Coaches
Association (NWCA) and the Wrestling Hall of Fame state chapters program. He
has been a longtime supporter and leader within the NWCA.
Zeamer graduated from Manheim Central High School in Pennsylvania, where he
was a two-time district champion, two-time regional champion and the Most
Valuable Wrestler at the high school.
As an undergraduate, he attended Northwest Missouri State University, where
he was a 1970 NCAA College Division national champion and a two-time
All-American. He was the Outstanding Wrestler at Northwest Missouri State in
1969, set a number of school wrestling records and completed his career
never having been pinned.
He served in a number of coaching positions on the junior high, high school
and college levels, starting with his first assignment in 1970 as the head
coach at Manheim Central High School, his alma mater. His coaching career
has gone full circle, as he is presently the head coach at Manheim Central
Middle School.
Among his college coaching positions has been as head coach and assistant
coach at Franklin and Marshall College, as an assistant coach at Clarion
University and as an assistant coach at Elizabethtown College. He also was
an assistant coach at Wheatland Middle School.
He has received numerous awards and honors for his wrestling activities.
Among the Halls of Fame that he has been inducted into are the Pennsylvania
Sports Hall of Fame (2003), Northwest Missouri State Univ. M Club Hall of
Fame (1998), District III Wrestling Hall of Fame (1982), Manheim Central
High School Hall of Fame (2005) and the Sports Hall of Fame of Columbia, Pa.
(1975).
Zeamer received the Meritorious Service Award from the National Wrestling
Coaches Association in 2003. He was also named Lancaster/Lebanon Middle
School Coach of the Year in 2004. He has also founded "Building Leaders in
Life," a respected leadership development program.
After receiving his Master's degree from Slippery Rock Univ., Zeamer went on
to become a successful businessman. Since 1978, he has been the
Owner/President of Utility/Keystone Trailer Sales, Inc. of Manheim, Pa.
Since 2002, he has been Owner/President of Transport Auctions, LLC of
Manheim, Pa. He was named National Trailer Dealer of the Year in 2000.
Because of his tremendous success in business, as well as a life-long
commitment to wrestling, Zeamer has made a significant contributions to
wrestling in many ways. The Distinguished Members of the National Wrestling
Hall of Fame have selected Zeamer to receive its Order of Merit award in
2005 for his impact on the sport.