John Klein
John Klein may not be a wrestling coach, but his contributions to the sport are nothing short of astounding. His reporting career began as a high school student writing for the Perry Daily Journal. Since then, he has used the power of print to promote wrestling and all of the many Oklahoma athletes that have participated in the sport. After graduating from wrestling powerhouse Perry, Klein attended Oklahoma State University where he honed his writing skills covering the Cowboys. He served as sports editor of the Daily Ardmoreite from 1976-78 before joining the Tulsa World as a sports writer. He left Tulsa for a stint at the Houston Post covering the Southwest Conference, but returned to the Tulsa World in 1990. He became the World's sports editor in 1995 and since 2005, has continued to serve the paper as a leading sports columnist. In 2013, Klein was named to the Oklahoma Journalism Hall of Fame. He has also been honored with the Perry High School Alumni Honor Roll, the Oklahoma Wrestling Coaches Association Sports Writer of the Year eight times, Oklahoma Sports Writer of the Year in 2000, and has won numerous writing awards from the Associated Press and Society of Professional Journalists.
Awards:
Year
2014
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Award
Lifetime Service to Wrestling
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Chapter/Region
Oklahoma
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Our Mission: To honor the sport of wrestling by preserving its history, recognizing extraordinary individual achievements, and inspiring future generations