William A. (Bill) Welker, EdD, boasts over 55 years of experience as a successful wrestler, coach, and official. He is a former Pennsylvania Interscholastic Athletic Association (PIAA) state champion and PIAA state runner-up. Welker also competed at the collegiate level for the University of Pittsburgh. As head sophomore coach at Wheeling Park High School (West Virginia), he was instrumental in producing three AAA state championship teams. For his efforts as a high school coach, Welker was selected as one of the top wrestling coaches in the country by Scholastic Wrestling News. He has coached wrestling at the youth, middle school, and high school levels for three decades. In 2005, Welker retired after 25 years as a wrestling referee. During his officiating tenure, he has been named the West Virginia Official of the Year (1990), the National Federation of State High School Associations (NFHS) Mideast Section Distinguished Official of the Year (2001), and the National Official of the Year by Wrestling USA magazine (2002). Since 1989, Welker has been the West Virginia state clinician, rules interpreter, and state tournament supervisor of officials. He is currently serving on the NFHS national wrestling rules committee. Welker has written over 600 articles on the art and science of wrestling since 1974. He was named the National Sportswriter of the Year by Wrestling USA magazine in 1987, and he has received the West Virginia Snyder-Miller Media Award an unprecedented seven times by the state coaches' association. He also wrote the script and produced the DVD titled The Pancake Takedown Series (2008), which is being distributed throughout the United States. Welker has been inducted into four wrestling halls of fame, including the West Virginia chapter of the National Wrestling Hall of Fame and the Pennsylvania Wrestling Hall of Fame. He also received the prestigious Master of Wrestling Award from Wrestling USA magazine (2008). Welker earned both his bachelor's and master's degrees from the University of Pittsburgh. He later acquired a doctorate in the field of education from West Virginia University. Upon his retirement from his 40-year teaching career in 2009, Welker was named Teacher of the Year by the Wheeling Area Chamber of Commerce. Welker and his wife, Peggy, have four children and 13 grandchildren. They reside on Wheeling Island in Wheeling, West Virginia. About the ContributorsJim Akerly is the founder, director, and coach for the Quest School of Wrestling in Canonsburg, Pennsylvania, where he has produced many prominent youth, scholastic, and collegiate wrestlers. While wrestling for West Virginia University, Akerly became the third-winningest wrestler in school history, recording 119 victories, and was a silver medalist at the prestigious Midlands Tournament in 1986. He qualified for the NCAA Division I Championships three times and earned All-American laurels in 1987. As a coach, Akerly headed up the Pennsylvania freestyle and Greco national teams from 1989 to 1997. At the collegiate level, he coached at West Virginia University, Edinboro (Pennsylvania), Rider University (New Jersey), the University of Virginia, and American University in Washington, DC. While coaching at American University, he was selected as the Colonial Athletic Association's Wrestling Coach of the Year in 1997. Akerly resides in Canonsburg, Pennsylvania. Bill Archer is the principal at St. Joseph Central Catholic High School in Huntington, West Virginia. Under his direction as head wrestling coach at Huntington High School, his teams have amassed a phenomenal dual-meet record of 426-83 (.837). Over a 33-year period at the helm, his teams have won 24 regional championships (which ranks him as one of the top 10 coaches in the state) and produced 26 individual West Virginia state champions. In 2001, the two-time state Coach of the Year was selected as the National Wrestling Coach of the Year by the National High School Coaches Association. A former West Virginia Secondary School Activities Commission (WVSSAC) state champion, Archer was the all-time winningest wrestler at Marshall University in Huntington and was inducted into the university's Athletic Hall of Fame in 2004. Archer is the state editor of Wrestling USA magazine and has served as the state chairman for USA Wrestling since 1986. He was selected as the 2006 West Virginia Wrestling Coach of the Year by his coaching peers and received the Master of Wrestling Award from Wrestling USA magazine. Archer is a member of the West Virginia chapter of the National Wrestling Hall of Fame. He holds a master's degree in educational administration. Archer and his wife, Diane, have two children and four grandchildren. They reside in Huntington, West Virginia. Since 2001 Bruce Burnett has been the head coach of the Navy wrestling program with the goal of adding to the storied tradition while helping mentor what will be our nation's leaders. During his tenure, he has led the Midshipmen to a 101-50 record (.669) that featured six straight seasons of 10 or more wins from 2002 to 2007. Along the way, he has helped produce nine EIWA champions while 10 wrestlers have garnered All-American recognition under his tutelage. Burnett started his coaching career at Meridian High School in Meridian, Idaho, where he was the head coach from 1974 to 1987. In his 14 years, Burnett had a stout record of 154-13-2 (.917). His teams won nine conference, six district, and four state championships. He was named Idaho Coach of the Year six times. Burnett is a 1973 graduate of Idaho State, where he received his bachelor of arts degree in secondary education. He and his wife, Karen, live in Annapolis, Maryland. Dave LaMotte was the head wrestling coach for the Salt River Pima-Maricopa Indian Community High School in Scottsdale, Arizona. During his 24-year coaching tenure, LaMotte has produced 17 individual state champions, 53 state place winners, 28 district titlists, and 3 high school All-Americans. LaMotte began his coaching career at his alma mater in Bridgeport, Ohio, where his 1988 team captured the Division III state championship and he was voted the Ohio Division III Coach of the Year in 1989. In 1993 LaMotte earned Coach of the Year honors when his Gilbert High School (Arizona) squad won the 5A state championship. LaMotte also coached his two sons, who were both Arizona state champions and NCAA Division II All-Americans. As a competitor, LaMotte was an all-state high school wrestler and compiled a record of 103-14-2 for West Liberty State College in West Virginia. He was also a two-time National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics (NAIA) All-American and an NAIA champion. In 2004 he was inducted into West Liberty University's Athletic Hall of Fame. LaMotte and his wife, Vickie, reside in Gold Canyon, Arizona. Pat Pecora, who also serves as Pitt-Johnstown's athletic director since July 2008, took over the Mountain Cat wrestling program in 1976. In 36 years, his teams have captured 20 NCAA Regional Championships, including 5 straight from 2003 to 2007 and 10 in a row from 1992 through 2001. Coach Pecora has been selected as the NCAA Regional Coach of the Year 14 times. His Mountain Cat squads have finished in the top 20 in the nation 29 times and have combined to win 48 team tournaments and 500 dual meets. Coach Pecora has tutored 134 All-Americans and 10 individual national champions, including Shane Valko (133 lbs.), the 2010 National Wrestler of the Year. Academically, his teams led the nation in NWCA All-Academic wrestling team selections from 1997 through 2000. Since 1990, Coach Pecora has coached 95 NWCA All-Academic wrestling team members. In 1996 and 1999, his teams captured the NCAA Division II National Championship, the first and second in school history. In 1995 and 1999, Coach Pecora was named NCAA Division II National Coach of the Year. Also in 1999, he received the National Wrestling Coaches Association Coaching Excellence Award, given to the best coach in all divisions. Coach Pecora also coached the national all-star team, which showcased the best wrestlers in the nation from all divisions. On February 14, 2012, Coach Pecora became the first in NCAA Division II history and just the sixth in all divisions to earn 500 career dual-meet victories. He has been inducted into five halls of fame, including the Division II National Wrestling Hall of Fame and the Pennsylvania Wrestling Hall of Fame. Coach Pecora and his wife, Tracy, have four children. The late Edwin C. Peery was a professor and coach emeritus for the United States Naval Academy. He was head coach of the Midshipmen wrestling team from 1960 until 1987 and retired from the Academy in 2000. During his coaching tenure, Peery posted a 311-90-14 dual-meet record, coaching eight Eastern Intercollegiate Wrestling Association (EIWA) championship teams, 48 individual EIWA titlists, and 16 NCAA All-Americans. He was named NCAA Coach of the Year in 1968 and received EIWA coaching honors in 1974 and 1986. He was an honorary lifetime member of the National Wrestling Coaches Association, having served as its president and as a member of its rules committee. A two-time Pennsylvania Interscholastic Athletic Association (PIAA) state champion, Peery won three NCAA titles under the coaching of his father, the legendary Rex Peery, at the University of Pittsburgh. Peery was also a distinguished member of the National Wrestling Hall of Fame and the Pennsylvania Wrestling Coaches Hall of Fame, and he was selected as an Outstanding American by the Maryland chapter of the National Wrestling Hall of Fame. Peery is survived by his wife, Gretchen. Larry Shaw was the head wrestling coach at Oak Glen High School in New Cumberland, West Virginia, for 31 years, retiring in 2010. He led his Golden Bears squad on an incredible run of 13 consecutive West Virginia AA state championships from 1997 to 2009. This feat is unmatched by any other wrestling program or any other sport in West Virginia and ranks fifth among wrestling programs across the United States, tied with St. Edward's in Lakewood, Ohio. Shaw also posted five straight West Virginia AAA runner-up finishes (1987-91). He finished with a career dual-meet record of 330-96-4. Shaw coached 51 individual state champions and more than 160 others who earned all-state honors. For his efforts, Shaw was named the West Virginia AA Dix Manning Coach of the Year seven times. He is the only wrestling coach to be selected the West Virginia All-Sports Coach of the Year by the West Virginia Sports Writers Association in 2000. Shaw was also honored as the National Wrestling Coach of the Year in 2008 by Wrestling USA magazine. A past president of the West Virginia Wrestling Coaches Association, Shaw has promoted wrestling throughout the state and continues to do so. He has been inducted into five wrestling and sports halls of fame, including the West Virginia chapter of the National Wrestling Hall of Fame in 2010 and the NFHS National Sports Hall of Fame in 2011. Shaw and his wife, Cindy, reside in New Cumberland, West Virginia. Ken L. Taylor has been head wrestling coach at Rocky Mountain High School in Fort Collins, Colorado, since 2001. During this time, he has led teams to 6 regional championships and 3 conference titles as well as producing 10 individual state champions. His squads have had 5 top 10 finishes at state championships. Taylor was also a 1972 NAIA All-American silver medalist for Colorado's Adams State College and captain of the school's 1972 NAIA national championship team. During Taylor's 15-year coaching tenure at Poudre High School (Colorado), his teams won four district titles and two regional championships. He also produced seven top 10 teams at the state level, six individual state titlists, and two state runner-up squads. Taylor has been voted Colorado State Wrestling Coach of the Year on three occasions. He also coached the Colorado wrestling all-star team in 1981 and 1990. Taylor and his wife, Julie, reside in Fort Collins, Colorado. Craig Turnbull has served as the head wrestling coach at West Virginia University since 1979. He is the winningest coach in West Virginia University history, having built one of the strongest and most dominating wrestling programs in the United States. His teams have compiled a record of 265 dual-meet wins, ranking him the seventh-winningest active coach in Division I wrestling. He produced 42 Eastern Wrestling League (EWL) champions, 26 All-Americans, 7 NCAA finalists, and 3 wrestlers who won five NCAA Division I titles. Since he has won the NCAA Division I Rookie Coach of the Year award, Turnbull's squads have consistently placed in the top 25 nationally. In 1990, Turnbull was selected as the Eastern Wrestling League's Coach of the Year as West Virginia University captured its first Eastern Mat Poll No. 1 ranking. Turnbull was also selected to coach the National Wrestling Coaches Association's All-Star Classic in 1992. He has been named the EWL's Coach of the Year three times and has won five Eastern Dual Meet Championships from 1990 to 2003. Turnbull is a member of the Wesleyville-Iroquois-Lawrence Park Hall of Fame and the Metro Erie chapter of the Pennsylvania Sports Hall of Fame. He is currently a board member of the National Wrestling Coaches Association. Coach Turnbull and his wife, Sue, have two children and reside in Morgantown, West Virginia.
