California Chapter

Official State Chapter of the National Wrestling Hall of Fame

The Board of Governors of the National Wrestling Hall of Fame & Museum established the State Chapter program in 1993. The purpose is to pay tribute to those coaches, officials and contributors who represent the best qualities of what the sport of wrestling has to offer and who share those characteristics with young people day in and day out. The purpose of our annual banquet is to honor and recognize those individuals who have made such a vital impact upon our sport in our community and in our State. Thank you for visiting our website and we look forward to seeing you at our next banquet.

If you like, you can make a donation to the CA Chapter of the National Wrestling Hall of Fame and Museum. Your check should be made payable to the National Wrestling Hall of Fame & Museum, CA Chapter and sent to Dale Deffner, 5921 Kenbrook Dr., Huntington Beach, CA 92648.

INDUCTION CEREMONIES 2023:

August 20, 2023

LAGUNA HILLS COMMUNITY CENTER
25555 Alicia Pkwy, Laguna Hills, CA 92653

Time: Social Hour 2:00pm – 3:00pm
Dinner & Induction: 3:00pm – 6:00pm

Tickets: $75.00 (Prior NWHOF inductees' dinner fee is $45.00)

Checks: Mail to: Dale Deffner, 5921 Kenbrook Dr., Huntington Beach, CA 92648 Payable to: NWHOF.CA

Ticketleap: https://ca-nwhof.ticketleap.com

Nominations

Lifetime Service To Wrestling Given in recognition of years of dedication to the development of leadership and citizenship in the youth through the sport of wrestling.

Outstanding American Given to former wrestlers who are highly successful and use the disciplines learned in wrestling in their profession.

Medal of Courage Is presented to a wrestler or former wrestler who has overcome what appear to be insurmountable challenges.

Nomination Forms

Criteria & Procedures

Nominations come from a diverse cross-section of the wrestling community, including the public. The State Chapter nomination form needs to be submitted for an individual to be considered for induction into the National Wrestling Hall of Fame - State Chapter. Nominations are due by August 15.

Nomination Form:

For consideration for the National Wrestling Hall of Fame - State Chapter, complete this form: State Chapter

Submit the form for consideration to:
Dale Deffner

5921Kenbrook Dr.

Huntington Beach, CA 2648

or

daledeffner@gmail.com

In addition to the completed nomination form, the following items should be included:

A letter over your signature telling why the nominee is a valid candidate for election.

A detailed resume of the candidate’s personal history and qualifications.

A minimum of three letters of character reference and support of the nomination.

Further documentation (copies of articles, tributes, et al) is welcome.


NOTE: The nomination forms are in Adobe Acrobat format. Complete instructions are in the nomination forms, and they should be printed on a high quality printer.

California Chapter Board

California Committee Members

Mark Black, Chairman
Tom Hazell, Vice Chairman
Natalie Hayes, Secretary
Dale Deffner Treasurer.

 Don Apadoca, Randy Hartman, Cliff Jarmie, Rick Riofrio, Stan Roberts, Karen Tufnell, Don Valdez

Ad Hoc Committee Members

Tom Slowey, Bob Stolo, Mike Stricker, Chris Horpel, Mike Stricker, Paul Keysaw

Please mail nominations to: Dale Deffner, 5921 Kenbrook Dr., Huntingon Beach, CA 92648

California Chapter Inductions

2023 INDUCTEES

Lifetime Service to Wrestling

Donald Apodoca

John Beresford

Mark Calentino

Neal Campbell

Kenneth C. Lane

Michael Lebgyel

Tony Leon

John Phillips

Ricardo Trevino

Michael Young

Our Mission: To honor the sport of wrestling by preserving its history, recognizing extraordinary individual achievements, and inspiring future generations