An outstanding coach and ambassador for our sport, Russ Schenk has been involved in scholastic wrestling in Florida for at least 30 years.

While attending high school and wrestling for Tarpon Springs, he was the first state wrestling champ in his school's history and undefeated his senior year.

Schenk received his bachelor's degree from the University of Central Florida and earned NCAA Division II All-America honors with an eighth-place finish at 158 pounds in 1984.

He earned his master's degree in education from National Louis University (Curriculum & Instruction).

After his high school career, he worked as an official and officiating Florida High School Athletic Association competition for 10 years, until the birth of his son, Storm.

He is a former FHSAA Wrestling Advisory Board member and Pinellas County Florida Wrestling Coach of the Year.

He was a silver medalist for the United States in the 1998 Masters World Championships in France and was an AAU Masters Greco-Roman national champion.

Schenk is also a coach practitioner through the National Strength and Conditioning Association, and he has coached national weightlifting team champions as well as serving as the National High School Coaches Association's national director for grappling and weightlifting.

Because of his lifetime of dedication to the sport of wrestling, we are honored the present Russ Schenk with the Lifetime Service to Wrestling award from the Florida Chapter of the National Wrestling Hall of Fame.