He was one of the first giant heavyweights of modern American wrestling, but Bill Kerslake's achievements on the mat far surpassed even his physical stature.

He had no high school wrestling opportunity and little collegiate experience, although he starred in football and track at both levels. But in post-graduate wrestling, he became the dominant figure of the 1950s, winning 15 national championships in a row in Freestyle and Greco-Roman.

Over an eight-year span starting in 1953, he won 76 consecutive bouts in national tournament competition, and the national championship in both styles, until his streak was broken in the Greco-Roman finals of 1960.

One of his tournament bouts in 1956 ended in just four seconds, still a record for the fastest fall in national competition.

He won a gold medal in the Pan American Games of 1955 and three times represented the United States in the Olympic Games, placing fifth, eighth and seventh from 1952 through 1960. After his retirement from competition, he remained active in the sport as a referee for more than a decade.

While his collegiate days at Case Tech may not have been the ultimate preparation for competitive wrestling, he took advantage of exceptional academic opportunities in engineering. Throughout his wrestling career, and afterward, he was an aerospace research engineer for the National Aeronautics and Space Administration. As co-inventor of the ion thruster, he helped speed our astronauts to the moon.

As a wrestler of exceptional achievement, and as an outstanding example of leadership in the world of technology, William Roy Kerslake is honored as a Distinguished Member of the National Wrestling Hall of Fame.