National Wrestling Hall of Fame & Museum

05/23/2026

50th Anniversary Video Vault 🎥

Tonight’s Honors Weekend Flashback: J Robinson — Distinguished Member (2005)

Watch the induction video → https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ysFUDyi1qJE&list=PLb1MGOVOrnkSBTZijD17qiTUyvXNI5V9D&index=8

See the full class playlist → https://youtube.com/playlist?list=PLb1MGOVOrnkSBTZijD17qiTUyvXNI5V9D&si=TZ3VVGxdsp7R2G7p

Please subscribe to the Hall of Fame YouTube channel at https://www.youtube.com/

Subscribing is free!



You can be whatever you desire in this sport because wrestling truly is for everyone!

Each honoree inducted into the National Wrestling Hall of Fame has a video highlighting their career. Distinguished Members can be a wrestler who has achieve...

05/22/2026

Look great while supporting your Hall of Fame.

The National Wrestling Hall of Fame’s exclusive 50th Anniversary merchandise collection with Cliff Keen Wrestling features apparel and gear designed to celebrate five decades of wrestling history and achievement.

Place your order TODAY at https://thehall50th.itemorder.com/shop/home/

Every purchase directly benefits the Hall of Fame.

Shop now and celebrate 50 years of wrestling excellence.



You can be whatever you desire in this sport because wrestling truly is for everyone!

05/22/2026

Congratulations to Cael Sanderson, who was inducted into the National Wrestling Hall of Fame as a Distinguished Member in 2011 and was the Utah and West Region winner of our Dave Schultz High School Excellence Award in 1997, on being named 2026 NCAA Division I Coach of the Year by The Open Mat.

READ more about Cael -> https://nwhof.org/hall_of_fame/bio/2490



You can be whatever you desire in this sport because wrestling truly is for everyone!

Cael Sanderson has been announced as the 2026 NCAA Division I Coach of the Year by The Open Mat after leading Penn State to another historic season. The Nittany Lions captured their fifth straight NCAA team title in dominant fashion, breaking their own scoring record. https://theopenmat.com/articles/tom6a1083eb6bf65

05/22/2026

Congratulations to Jax Forrest, who was the Pennsylvania winner of our Dave Schultz High School Excellence Award in 2026, on being named 2026 NCAA Division I Freshman of the Year by The Open Mat.

READ more about Jax -> https://nwhof.org/hall_of_fame/bio/16987



You can be whatever you desire in this sport because wrestling truly is for everyone!

Jax Forrest of Oklahoma State has been named the 2026 NCAA Division I Freshman of the Year by The Open Mat after winning a national title in his debut season. He finished the season with a perfect 18-0 record. https://theopenmat.com/articles/tom6a1053206c0c4

05/22/2026

Exciting news from Ohio as Wilberforce Athletics / Wilberforce University announce the addition of men's and women's wrestling, beginning in the 2026–27 academic year.



You can be whatever you desire in this sport because wrestling truly is for everyone!

🐾 HISTORY. GROWTH. INNOVATION.

Wilberforce University is continuing to make history in HBCU athletics with the addition of MEN’S and WOMEN’S WRESTLING beginning in the 2026-27 academic year!

With the recent addition of flag football, the Bulldogs will now sponsor 14 varsity sports as Wilberforce continues expanding opportunities for student-athletes nationwide.

🏆 Wilberforce will become:
✅ The ONLY NAIA HBCU to sponsor wrestling
✅ One of just THREE HBCUs nationwide with men’s wrestling
✅ One of only TWO HBCUs nationwide with women’s wrestling

“This is about positioning Wilberforce as a leader in innovation and opportunity within HBCU athletics,” said Director of Athletics Roosevelt Barnes.

The university also announced the hiring of Kyle R. Jones as Director of Wrestling and inaugural head coach for both programs.👉

The future of Bulldog Athletics continues to grow. 🐾💚💛

READ MORE 👉 www.wilberforcebulldogs.com/sports/mwrest/2026-27/releases/20260521fywvfv

05/22/2026

USA Wrestling has been notified that 2025 Senior World Team member Alexandria Glaude will not compete at 2026 Final X, presented by Kerberos Capital Management, due to injury.

She was scheduled to face 2024 Olympic gold medalist Amit Elor, the 2026 Senior World Team Trials Challenge Tournament champion, in the women’s freestyle 72 kg best-of-three series on June 19 at Prudential Center in Newark, N.J.

The "Women In Wrestling" exhibit at the National Wrestling Hall of Fame celebrates the rich history and significant milestones of women's wrestling and is a tribute to the resilience, determination, and talent of female athletes who have fought for recognition and respect in our great sport.

MORE:

Women's Exhibit -> https://bit.ly/3C9FFkq

Great Moments in U.S. Women's Wrestling History -> https://nwhof.org/national.../women-s-wrestling-experience



You can be whatever you desire in this sport because wrestling truly is for everyone!

The National Wrestling Hall Of Fame

05/22/2026

Astana, Kazakhstan will host the 2026 World Championships from October 24 to November 1.

United World Wrestling Bureau met on Friday and after careful consideration of the current geopolitical situation, particularly the ongoing uncertainty and impact on international travel, it decided to change the host for the 2026 World Championships.

Manama, Bahrain was scheduled to host the World Championships as it was awarded the tournament in Zagreb last year.



You can be whatever you desire in this sport because wrestling truly is for everyone!

The National Wrestling Hall Of Fame

05/22/2026

Thanks to the commitment of challenge participants and the generosity of supporters, this year’s Greg Strobel Leadership Challenge raised more than $7,600 and was another tremendous success. The event continues to be a meaningful experience for Greg’s family, friends, colleagues, challenge participants, supporters and members of the wrestling community.

Greg Strobel was inducted into the National Wrestling Hall of Fame as a Distinguished Member in 2012. The front lobby of the National Wrestling Hall of Fame has a cabinet that was constructed by Strobel and fellow Distinguished Member Bruce Baumgartner. The cabinet currently houses Baumgartner’s Olympic and World medals.



You can be whatever you desire in this sport because wrestling truly is for everyone!

The National Wrestling Hall Of Fame

05/22/2026

Three-time world champion and three-time NCAA champion Lee Kemp was inducted into the National Wrestling Hall of Fame as a Distinguished Member in 1990.

READ more about Lee -> https://bit.ly/3nvH3ro

LISTEN to Etched In Stone - Stories of Wrestling Legends podcast featuring Lee -> etchedinstonepodcast.com

WATCH the Hall of Fame's “Character Traits” video for "Discipline" that features Lee -> http://bit.ly/36xwGaH

Lee's book “Winning Gold: Secrets of a World Champion” can be purchased at https://leekemp.com



You can be whatever you desire in this sport because wrestling truly is for everyone!

Reintroducing my Blog on my website https://leekemp.com/blog/

These words and videos come from a man who has lived life fully.

From elite competition to business, from building a family to enduring loss, from the highest highs to the hardest lows—this is a life shaped by commitment, consequence, and resilience. Nothing here is theoretical. Everything shared has been tested in real time, under real pressure.

This blog is a place for reflection, perspective, and growth—offered honestly, without performance. Just lessons gathered across decades of living, falling, rising, and continuing forward with clarity and purpose.

My life journey is also captured in the full-length documentary Wrestled Away: The Lee Kemp Story—not as a highlight reel, but as a human story of perseverance, identity, and return.

Take what resonates.
Sit with what challenges you.
Move forward with what strengthens you.

⸻

READ & WATCH WITH INTENTION LINK IN BIO
⚫️⚫️⚫️⚫️⚫️

05/22/2026

Sports Business Journal shares the history of FloSports and FloWrestling.



You can be whatever you desire in this sport because wrestling truly is for everyone!

Early moments for the company that stand out to Floreani include the first live stream in 2007 at a Stanford track meet and the first time they showed the Penn Relays.

05/22/2026

As we celebrate Asian American & Pacific Islander Heritage Month, we are recognizing some of the many AAPI wrestlers who have excelled on the mat. May was chosen for because it commemorates the immigration of the first Japanese person to the United States on May 7, 1843.

Stephanie Murata was a nine-time U.S. Nationals champion and competed in eight world championships.

She lettered in soccer, swimming and track at Mercy High School in California and was a member of the women’s soccer and alpine ski teams for UC Davis Athletics. Convinced to try wrestling by a roommate, Stephanie borrowed equipment and trained two weeks for a tournament in Phoenix in 1995. She finished third and suddenly found herself in Sweden.

Stephanie, also an Osage Nation citizen, competed in her first world championship for USA Wrestling in women’s freestyle in 1996, finishing seventh. After fourth-place finishes in 1998 and 1999, she earned a silver medal in 2001 while finishing 10th in 2002 and fifth in 2007.

At 38, Stephanie competed in the 2009 World Team Trials and lost in the Challenge Tournament semifinals. She then began competing in grappling, a combination of wrestling, judo and ju-jitsu, and claimed a silver medal at the 2009 World Grappling Championships.



You can be whatever you desire in this sport because wrestling truly is for everyone!