AAU - Wrestling

Written by: Jeff Graham

The AAU Wrestling Executive Committee is proud to announce the 2012 AAU Wrestling Hall of Fame Inductees. This year, the five outstanding members of the Wrestling Community selected to be in this elite group will be Bill Koll, Doug Moses, James “Chico” Hernandez, Paul Basinger, and Tom McCann.

Bill Koll* of Fort Dodge, Iowa, excelled as a collegiate wrestler, winning every match as well as three consecutive National Championships in a three and a half year span at the University of Northern Iowa. He also served three years with the combat engineers in World War II, earning the Bronze Star. After college, Bill won three consecutive National AAU titles and, in 1948, won the US Olympic trials at 147.5 pounds and placed fifth in the unfamiliar international style at the London Games. He then began his coaching career. Bill was instrumental in inaugurating the NCAA’s Collegiate Division national tournament and served as host and tournament director of the first two events in 1963 and 1964. As one of the truly great wrestlers of the modern era, and a coach of national stature, Dr. William H. Koll was inducted in 1977 as a Distinguished Member of the National Wrestling Hall of Fame.

Doug Moses is the current coach of New Mexico Highland University. Throughout his wrestling career he has received the title of NAIA National Champion and AAU National Champion. He was also a 2-time Member of the USA World Cup Team and has wrestled in the USA vs. Russia duals. During this time, the AAU was the governing body for wrestling in the US. Throughout Doug’s coaching career, he has coached 72 All-Americans and 19 National Champions. He has also been awarded the Rocky Mountain Athletic Conference Coach of the Year and is a Member of the NCAA II Coaches Association Hall of Fame.

James “Chico” Hernandez has wrestled for Reavis High, Chicago State University, the University of Maine at Presque Isle and the US Army National Team. Hernandez was named Outstanding Wrestler as he won the AAU National Sambo Championships defeating Earl Norman 12-0 in the 163lbs weight class. In April 2000, Hernandez won the XXV National AAU Sambo Championships held at Disney’s Wide World of Sports Complex. He has also been inducted into the Maine Sports Hall of Fame, the University of Maine at Presque Isle Athletic Hall of Fame, and the Illinois Wrestlers Hall of Fame. In addition, Hernandez holds the distinction of being one of only two master’s division wrestlers in the county to have won gold medals in three wrestling disciplines: Greco-Roman, Freestyle and Sambo.

Paul Basinger has been certified through the Ohio High School Athletic Association for 30 years. He has also been the Head Officials/Rules Interpreter for the Ohio Junior High & Elementary State Championships for 25 years. Paul is currently the only official to officiate all of Ohio’s Tournament of Champions, which is the largest one day tournament in the world. He has also officiated 11 National High School Coaches Associations Senior Nationals Finals and 11 National High School Coaches Dual Team Nationals. Paul attributes the bulk of his success to the AAU. He has currently officiated 11 AAU Scholastic Duals events, as well as, several AAU World Folkstyle Nationals and Spring Youth Nationals events. Due to his hard work and dedication to the sport, Paul has been named Delaware’s Beast of the East Official of the Year and AAU Outstanding Official of the Year.

Tom McCann’s wrestling career began at Aviation High School where, as a four year varsity letterman, he became a Conference Champion, Regional Champion, CIF State Runner-up, and Wrestling Athlete of the Year. Throughout his college career, Tom became a two-time Metropolitan Conference Champion, Regional Champion, California State Champion, and Cal Poly Invitational Champion. He also placed first and second at the UCLA Invitational, placed second at the Olympic Regional, and was an Olympic Final Trials competitor in 1964. Like our other inductees, Tom has also participated in AAU Events. He is a California AAU Champion, a National AAU Invitational Runner-up, and a nine-time National AAU Freestyle/Greco Masters Champion. After college, Tom began his 45 year coaching career most of which were spent at Kearney High School. There he won 21 Team Conference Championships, 14 Team District Championships, and 1 State Championship. He has also coached 15 College All-Americans and 2 NCAA Gorrarian/Most Falls Trophy Winners. Because of Tom’s success he has also earned the AAU Willard T. Vandiver – AAU Junior Olympic Games Service Award, as well as, the AAU Most Outstanding Association Volunteer award.

The AAU Wrestling Committee truly values each of these individuals for their hard work and dedication to the AAU and the sport of Wrestling. The Induction Ceremony will take place on June 29th, 2013 in Orlando, FL during the AAU Scholastic Duals. For more information, please contact the Hall of Fame Chairperson, Cindi Trombly, at cinditrombly@aol.com.

*This induction is being made posthumously.

AAU WRESTLING HALL OF FAME - 2012 INDUCTEES