Rick Tucci elected as Distinguished Member of the National Wrestling Hall of Fame
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(National Wrestling Hall of Fame)
02/11/2001
The fifth of the new Distinguished Members to be announced is Olympic referee Rick Tucci. Each day this week, TheMat.com will profile one of the new Distinguished Members in the Hall's 25th class. One would be hard pressed to find a facet of the sport of wrestling that has gone untouched by Rick Tucci. On the mat, Tucci went undefeated in dual meets during his four years at Toms River South High School. As a coach, Tucci was equally impressive, posting an amazing record of 106-4 in ten seasons at Miami Dade Junior College. Tucci has patrolled the mats as an official for four Olympic Games, the Pan American Games, the Goodwill Games, the World Cup, and 60 World Championships at all levels. He was named the Outstanding Referee at the 1977 World Championships and received the Gold Whistle Award at the 1988 Olympics for his outstanding officiating. In 1992, Tucci was named USA Wrestling's Official of the Year and was the recipient of the National Wrestling Hall of Fame's Lifetime Achievement Award for Officials two years ago. At the administrative level, Tucci currently serves as the president of the United States Wrestling Officials Association, a post he has held since 1986. He has served as the head official at every U.S. Olympic Trials since 1988. In addition, Tucci is a member of the USA Wrestling Executive Board and has served on numerous freestyle and Greco-Roman committees.