Courtesy of the Pennsylvania Chapter of the Wrestling Hall of Fame
The Pennsylvania Chapter of the National Wrestling Hall of Fame held its 29th Annual Honors Day Banquet on April 30, 2023 at the Hershey Lodge, in Hershey, PA. This year actually marked the 30thyear since the Pennsylvania Chapter was established as the first and oldest State Chapter by the NWHOF Museum in Stillwater, OK. Ten outstanding individuals were inducted on April 30, and all will be enshrined in the National Wrestling Hall of Fame and Museum in Stillwater, OK. Approximately 390 attendees attended the Honors Day Banquet. The inductees were:
Lifetime Service to Wrestling. Frank Ferrandinoreturned to his alma mater and began coaching wrestling and football in 1991-92. The year before Frank became the wrestling coach, Wyomissing participated in NO DUAL MEETS, and the program was in danger of being eliminated. Frank took the helm and reenergized the program. Through the next 31 years, Frank guided the Spartans to 331 wins, entering the 22-23 season.
Frank coached 17 District, 8 Regional & 3 State Champs. His teams won 7 Sectional/League Team Titles, and reached the D-3Team Duals Finals 3 times. In 2022, Frank started one of the first girls wrestling teams in Berks County.
Frank is an assistant football coach for the Spartan team, and also was an assistant Baseball Coach for 18 years. He continues as the Athletic Director, head wrestling coach & head offensive football coach at Wyomissing. Since 1994 he’s been President of the Berks County Wrestling Coaches Association, the AD Sports Chair of Berks County Wrestling. And he serves on the District III Wrestling Steering Committee.
Lifetime Service to Wrestling. Todd Herzog is ateacher at Northern Lehigh Middle School and retired from Coaching in 2013. Todd was a 4-year letterman at Northern Lehigh High School, then attended East Stroudsburg University and graduated in 1990. Todd started coaching in 1991 as an assistant, then in 1996 he became the Varsity Head Coach. He was a 4X Colonial Coach of the year, 5X District XI Coach of the year, NE Regional Coach of the Year in 2000, in the 2005 PIAA AA Coach of the Year. Todd was inducted in the District XI Hall of Fame in 2011.
Todd coached 49 League, 35 District and 20 Regional Champions and has 4 PIAA State Champions, 65 PIAA State Qualifiers and 43 State Medalists.
He has twice won the District XI Officials Sportsman Award, 4 times the Morning Call Team of the Year, 5 times Colonial League Champion, 5 times District XI Tournament Champions, 5 timesDistrict XI Dual Meet Champions and twice were the Southeast Regional Champions.
Charlie Jacobs was a graduate of Dover High School and West Chester State.
Charlie started his wrestling coaching career in 1969 as Assistant Varsity Coach and Head Jr High Coach at Tussey Mountain School District. In 1972 he was Head Elementary Wrestling Coach at Dover Area School District, then in 1976 he became the Head Varsity Coach at Dover and continued there until 1992.
His overall Varsity coaching record is 194 wins, 56 loses, 2 ties. Charlie coached 16 seasons as a head wrestling coach, and each year his team had a winning record. His Team earned the PIAA District Ill Sectional Team Championships four times. In 1982-83, Dover was District Ill AAA Team Champs and South Central Regional Champions. In 1983-84, Regional Runners-up, and 3rd in 1983-84. His Eagles won two YCIAA League Championships, and one tough Manheim Central Christmas Tournament. He coached 9 District Ill Champs, 36 Sectional Champs, and 11 Manheim Holiday Champs
In 1991, he was inducted into the District Ill Wrestling Coaches HOF. In 2005, Charlie was Inducted into the York Area Sports HOF, and in 2015 he was inducted into the Pennsylvania Wrestling Coaches HOF.