Richard (Dick) Lang began his wrestling career at Orchard Park High School where he was a four year starter from 1956-59 placing 3rd at 96-pounds and 4th at 136-pounds in the Section VI tournament.

After high school, Dick served in the Coast Guard and wrestled in Cleveland, Ohio from 1962 to 1963. Upon his return, he wrestled on a traveling club team in Orchard Park and became involved in officiating in Section VI which he continued doing for 24 years.

In 1969, Dick and his wife Gretchen moved to Royalton, when he became a New York State conversation officer. Ironically, it was his association with the Royalton-Hartland wrestling program while his sons competed there that got Lang his first coaching opportunity in 1978.

In 1977 Dick started the Roy-Hart Junior Wrestling Club, and he began his coaching career at Roy-Hart in 1978. He founded the Roy-Hart Kid's Wrestling program as well as the Roy-Hart Sports Booster Club, and he continued coaching at Roy-Hart for the next ten years compiling a career win-loss record of 96-17-2.

During that span, his teams won 5 consecutive Niagara-Orleans League Championships which culminated with an undefeated 12-0 season and the 1988 # 1-ranked school in western New York. That year, he was honored as the Western New York Wrestling Coaches' Association "Coach of the Year," an honor he received four more times in his coaching career.

While at Roy-Hart, Dick coached five wrestlers to the New York State Championships: 1996 Olympian Lou Rosselli, who won two state championships (1986 and 1988) and placed 2nd (1987) and 3rd (1985), Nelson Colley, who placed 4th (1986) at States, Mark Baehr, also a 4th-place finisher (1987), and qualifiers Ken Copella and Rob Jaquin.

In 1988, Dick established the Newfane Junior Wrestling Club and became assistant coach at Newfane with Doug Ames, a position he held until 2000 when he took over the head coaching position which he held until 2007. While at Newfane, Dick took 7 Sectional Champions to the New York State Tournament: Matt Dawson (4th, 1991), Keith Jones (5th, 1997), Allen Gerhardt, Dan Rafferty, Tom Letcher, 3-time NYS champion Ryan Needle (1999, 2002, 2003), and NYS runner-up Jeremy Stopa (2004).

At Newfane Dick compiled a 198-26-2 record. Throughout his career, Dick has coached a total of seven # 1 ranked teams, 17 Niagara-Orleans League championship teams, 96 Niagara-Orleans League champions, 13 NYS tournament qualifiers, 2 NYS champions, 7 NYS placewinners, 3 Section VI Class AA Sectional Championship Teams, 20 Class AA Sectional Champions, and an overall coaching career record of 294-43-4.

For his many years of dedication to the sport of wrestling, the New York Chapter of the National Wrestling Hall of Fame is pleased to recognize the accomplishments of Richard Lang by inducting him into the National Wrestling Hall of Fame.