Maryland Wrestling Coach McCoy To Be Inducted Into Hall Of Fame

Mar 22, 2014; Oklahoma City, OK, USA; Jimmy Sheptock of Maryland prepares to wrestle Edward Ruth of Penn State for the 184 lb finals in the NCAA wrestling Division I championship at Chesapeake Energy Arena. Mandatory Credit: Alonzo Adams-USA TODAY Sports

Maryland has more recently become pretty well-known for its wrestling program, and a big part of that has been head coach Kerry McCoy. Now, McCoy is about to get the experience of a lifetime for a man in his profession, as he will be inducted into the National Wrestling Hall of Fame Class of 2014 over the weekend, per UMTerps.com.

The ceremony, which takes place in Stillwater, Oklahoma at the National Wrestling Hall of Fame (right next to Boone Pickens Stadium, where Oklahoma State plays their football), will be on Friday and Saturday. McCoy’s ceremony will coincide with the Medal of Courage being awarded to former Terps star wrestler Thomas Norris at the same ceremony. Per UMTerps.com, he’s ecstatic:

"You never think you will be in a position to achieve something like this. It’s truly an honor to be recognized and it’s even more special to be inducted alongside a Maryland great. – McCoy"

McCoy, a New York native and a two-time Olympian for the United States (2000 & 2004), has won three ACC Coach of the Year awards while with the Maryland Terrapins and has been the coach of seven All-American wrestlers during his time there. Prior to Maryland, McCoy was coach of the Stanford Cardinals from 2004 to 2008, at which time his program sent a record five wrestlers to nationals in ’08.

In six seasons with the Terps, McCoy has guided them to four top-20 finishes at the NCAA Championships including three straight from 2009-11, McCoy has won 71% (his record is 83-33-1) of dual competitions in College Park as well, which makes for the highest in the history of the program.

His wrestling career also speaks for itself. A nine-time member of the U.S. men’ss national team, he also won two Heavyweight Titles in 1994 and 1997 during his collegiate career at Penn State. He competed and own in the Pan-Am games, and was Penn State’s Athlete of the Year in 1997. That’s just the skinny of it.

A great accomplishment for the program and for the man. Congratulations, Mr. McCoy!