STILLWATER, Okla. - Seven outstanding individual representatives of the sport of wrestling will be inducted into the Oklahoma Chapter of the National Wrestling Hall of Fame at its annual banquet on Oct. 6 in Edmond.

Receiving the Lifetime Service to Wrestling award are officials Danny Blackshear, Brady Finton and Rance Stein, and coaches Mike London and Dean Robertson. Girls wrestling pioneer Joey Miller will receive the Outstanding American Award and two-time NCAA champion Ricky Stewart will be honored with the Medal of Courage.

The Henning family will receive the Madalene and Lee Roy Smith Family Award. The Oklahoma Chapter will also recognize the state’s 2024 winners of the Tricia Saunders and Dave Schultz High School Excellence Awards, Kali Hayden, a three-time state champion for Union High School and Gage Walker, who won four state titles representing Bixby High School.

Tickets are $75 per person and can be purchased at nwhofok.ticketspice.com/ok2024 or by contacting Howard Seay at c4dcowboys@aol.com or 918-639-8868. The banquet will be at the Hilton Garden Inn, 2833 Conference Drive in Edmond. A reception begins at 3 p.m., followed by a banquet at 4 p.m. and the induction ceremony at 5.

The Lifetime Service Award is presented to coaches, officials and contributors who have devoted a minimum of 20 years of service to wrestling. The Outstanding American Award is presented to individuals who have used the disciplines of wrestling to launch notable careers in other walks of life such as science and technology, business and industry, and the arts and humanities. The Medal of Courage is awarded to a wrestler or former wrestler who has overcome seemingly insurmountable challenges.

While the other three categories of awards are given by chapters across the nation, the Madalene and Lee Roy Smith Family Award is exclusive to the Oklahoma Chapter of the National Wrestling Hall of Fame and is given to a family that has had great success in wrestling and brought credit to the sport in the state.

2024 Honorees:

Ricky Stewart

Duncan native Ricky Stewart was a two-time NCAA champion for Oklahoma State and only the second Cowboy ever to earn All-America honors four times. He went on to successful assistant coaching stints at OSU, Clemson, Notre Dame and Oregon. But his biggest challenge came on Dec. 15, 2020 when a gas explosion at his home in Texarkana, Texas burned him over 70 percent of his body. He spent eight months in an induced coma, lost a leg and fingers on both hands, but credits the sport of wrestling for teaching him never to give up and helping him survive.

Dr. Joey Miller, DPT, PT

Dr. Joey Miller, DPT, PT was the first Oklahoma girl to place in the boys’ high school state tournament, finishing fourth twice for Woodward High School. She wrestled collegiately for Oklahoma City University, winning two national titles and finishing as an All-American four times. She pursued a Doctor of Physical Therapy degree at the University of Miami, graduating in 2018. While still in school, she was one of two physical therapy students from across the country invited to the White House to advocate for the country’s geriatric population. She is the owner of Joey Miller Physical Therapy and serves as head of the Department of Physical Therapy of the Miccosukee Tribe in Miami, Fla.

Danny Blackshear

Danny Blackshear has been an official for more than 20 years in both high school and Olympic styles of wrestling. A four-time Oklahoma Wrestling Coaches Association official of the year, he has officiated the Oklahoma high school championships 12 times and at high school regionals 14 times, including seven times as the head official. He has officiated at every level of freestyle and Greco-Roman wrestling, from kids wrestling to the senior World Championships and Olympic Qualifying Tournaments. He has officiated five World Cups, three senior World Championships and was an alternate for the Tokyo Olympic Games.

Brady Finton

Brady Finton began his officiating career in Kansas in 1989, moving into Oklahoma wrestling in 1991 and into officiating NCAA matches in 1998. He has refereed numerous Oklahoma high school dual state championships and officiated the high school state championships 19 times. He also officiated the NAIA national championships 11 times. He was honored with the Onions Martin Award in 2021 and is a former Oklahoma Wrestling Coaches Association official of the year.

Mike London

Mike London coached youth wrestling in Tuttle for more than 37 years. He was the founder and head coach for Tuttle’s youth wrestling program and was instrumental in Tuttle High School adding the sport in 1984. He coached freestyle and Greco-Roman wrestling with the Oklahoma City Athletic Club throughout the 1980s, taking many teams on international tours. His family has carried his legacy forward with his son Trent, a three-time high school state champion and collegiate All-American, serving as the head coach of Tuttle Little League Wrestling. His daughter Dusty, serves as the little league director.

Dean Robertson

Dean Robertson introduced the sport of wrestling to Pryor High School in 1965 and for the next 25 years, served at whatever level was needed to help the program be successful. He was head coach at the high school level from 1965- 68 and from 1973-79. He was a high school assistant coach from 1969-72 and was the junior high head coach 1n 1968. After coaching, he served as the Pryor Junior High athletic director from 1992-99 and was on the Pryor Board of Education from 2009-2023. The Pryor High School wrestling room is named the Dean and Jean Wrestling Room, reflecting the years of service both he and his wife, Jean, dedicated to the team.

Rance Stein

Rance Stein served as a high school wrestling official for 30 years and as a freestyle and Greco-Roman official for 15 years. He was a volunteer coach for Oklahoma City University women’s wrestling team from 2007 to 2019, helping them to four Women’s Collegiate Wrestling Association national titles and five national dual titles. But his contributions off the mat have been equally as impactful. He is a longtime member and officer of USA Oklahoma, a former member of the USA Wrestling Board of Directors and has served on numerous committees both at the state and national levels, including a long stint on the USA Wrestling Kids Council. His service to wrestling was instrumental in helping Oklahoma attract national events to the state, including USA Wrestling’s Junior National Duals and the women’s University Nationals.

The Henning Family

Greg Henning was a two-time runner-up and state champion at 115 pounds for Southeast High School in the early 1970s. He was the first of six brothers to wrestle, although Gary, Mike, Randy, Steve and Ronnie competed at Del City. After college at Southwest Oregon Community College and the University of Oklahoma, Greg went into coaching, serving stints at Sallisaw and Stillwell before moving to Tuttle. In his 21 years as head coach, the Tigers won five state championships and six dual state titles. He coached 43 individual state champions, including 11 titles won by sons Jeff, Jared and Ryan. Jeff and Ryan were each four-time state champions, while Jared won three. Ryan was the Oklahoma winner of the Dave Schultz High School Excellence Award in 2004. Jeff and Jared were both two-time All-Americans at the University of Central Oklahoma.