The wrestling community is travelling from across the nation for the 34th annual National Wrestling Hall of Fame Honors weekend in Stillwater, Okla. June 4-5.

Rulon Gardner, who pulled off one of the greatest upsets in wrestling history at the 2000 Sydney Olympics when he defeated Russian superstar Alexander Kareline in the Greco-Roman super heavyweight finals is among the many wrestling greats to be honored this weekend.

Honors Weekend begins Friday, June 4 at 6:00 p.m with the Reception and Unveiling of Plaques. On Saturday, June 5, the Golf outing will be followed by a luncheon at noon. The 34th Honors Banquet will be hosted at the OSU Student Union Ballroom on Saturday night at 7:00 p.m.

Distinguished Members
• David Auble of Ithaca, N.Y.
• Russ Camilleri of Richland, Mo.
• Rulon Gardner of Logan, Utah
• Lincoln McIlravy of Iowa City, Iowa

Auble was a 1964 Olympian, 1959 Pan American Games champion and 1962 World fourth place finisher in freestyle wrestling. He won two NCAA titles for Cornell (1959-60).

Click for complete Dave Auble biography

Camilleri was a two-time Olympian in Greco-Roman wrestling (1960, 1964). He won six AAU National freestyle titles and six AAU National Greco-Roman titles and was Outstanding Wrestler six of those times. He competed for San Jose State.

Click for complete Russ Camilleri biography

Gardner was a 2000 Olympic champion, 2004 Olympic bronze medalist and 2001 World champion in Greco-Roman wrestling. He had one of the biggest upsets in Olympic history when he defeated three-time Olympic champion and previously unbeaten Alexander Kareline of Russia in the 2000 gold-medal match. He won four U.S. National Greco-Roman titles, and was an All-American at the Univ. of Nebraska.

Click for complete Rulon Gardner biography

McIlravy won a 2000 Olympic bronze medal, a 1999 World silver medal and 1998 World bronze medal in freestyle wrestling, and was a three-time NCAA champion for the University of Iowa. 

Click for complete Lincoln McIlravy biography

Other award winners include
• Outstanding American, Chief Chad Smith of Tahlequah, Okla.
• Order of Merit, Dr. Bernard Feldman of Palos Park, Ill.
• Medal of Courage, Rick Yarosh of Windsor, N.Y.
• Lifetime Achievement for Officials, Jim Ramirez of Arkansas City, Kansas
• Dave Schultz High School Excellence Award winner Logan Stieber of Monroeville, Ohio

A high school wrestler, Smith has been the Principle Chief of the second largest Indian tribe in the United States since 1999, the Cherokee Nation.  Feldman has served the U.S. National and International Teams as a team physician since 1983 including five Olympic Games.  Yarosh, an accomplished high school wrestler, suffered burns on his entire body when his tank hit an explosive in Baghdad in 2006. Ramirez is one of the most accomplished collegiate and folkstyle officials in the nation having officiated 16 straight NCAA Div. I National Championships. Stieber is a four-time state champion in Ohio, a bronze-medalist at the U.S. Senior Freestyle Open, and a multiple national champion in the international styles.

Click for complete Chief Chad Smith biography

Click for complete Dr. Bernard Feldman biography

Click for complete Rick Yarosh biography

Click for complete Jim Ramirez biography

Click for complete Logan Stieber biography

TheMat.com will be providing coverage and interviews from Hall of Fame Honors weekend.