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2009 Inductees
The 2009 inductees to the National Wrestling Hall of Fame
through the Michigan Chapter, are
Dr. Jim Miller
Jim is a graduate of Central Michigan
University where he earned a bachelors degree in chemistry in 1981.
He also was a member of CMU’s wrestling team and his senior
season was voted most improved wrestler.
After graduation, Jim continued his wrestling career and education.
Jim competed in Greco Roman wrestling enjoying a stellar career.
He wrestled his way to an alternate position on the 1988 U.S. Olympic
Greco-Roman wrestling team and medaled twice in both the Pan American
Games and U.S. Olympic Festival. Jim also competed for the United
States in over twenty international events and continuously finished
in the top six of his weight class at the U.S. Greco Roman Senior
Nationals.
While competing, Jim also earned his doctorate degree in Optometry
from Ferris State University and served as the Head Wrestling Coach
at Ferris State for ten seasons. During his tenure as the Bulldogs
head coach the team finished in the top twelve at Division II nationals
seven times including a runner-up finish. Jim coached thirty-three
Division II all-Americans, fifteen academic all-Americans and had
a record of 78-43-1 as a head coach at Ferris State.
Jim also served as an assistant coach at Central Michigan University
helping lay the foundation for the great success this program has
recently enjoyed at the Division I level.
Jim continues to teach in the school of Optometry at Ferris State
University and lives with his wife and daughter in Big Rapids, Michigan.
Jim has been extremely influential in the lives of many great wrestlers,
coaches, and students from the state of Michigan.
Dave Mills
Dave Mills, a three time state placer and state champion at Mt. Pleasant
High School took his act down the road to Central Michigan University
in 1980 where he captained the Chippewas his junior and senior seasons,
finishing as MAC runner up in 1985. After college Dave continued
to complete, winning two Ironman Championships and claimed the Master’s
World Championship in 1998. Dave began his coaching career as an
assistant at Grand Valley and at Cedar Springs High School. His first
head coaching position came at Forest Hills Central where his teams
won five straight conference championships including 87 regular season
wins in a row. As a high school coach, Dave mentored 23 state placers
and five state champions. With the help of Tom Krepps, Dave resurrected
the program at Grand Valley as an NCWA club and won the national
championship in their first year. While at GVSU, Dave guided the
Lakers to three consecutive national team titles and coached numerous
All Americans and National Champions. Grand Valley has become a dynasty
program and the benchmark for which all NCWA programs are measured
due in large part to the efforts of Dave Mills. Dave was named the
NCWA national Coach of the Year in 2001 and 2006. Still an assistant
at GVSU, Dave has produced and marketed over a dozen wrestling technique
videos with the assistance of and featuring; Tom Borelli, Dan Gable,
Tom Brands, Steve Fraser, Nick Simmons and others. Dave has also
been inducted into the Mt. Pleasant high School and National Collegiate
Wrestling Association Hall’s of Fame.
Eric Kopsch
Eric Kopsch has worked as a volunteer coach throughout the Detroit
area serving YMCA, AAU and MI USA clubs and programs for over 20
years. He his well known for his use of “visualization” in
sports psychology. Years ago Eric found his way to Dean Rockwell
and the MI Wrestling Club; he competed briefly and successfully before
realizing his future was in coaching and officiating. As an assistant,
he played an important role in the development of John Matthews,
Rudy Williams, Mike Rodriguez and Steve Fraser. Eric served as President
of the Detroit Chapter of the Amateur Athletic Union for five years
and not only coached but directed and hosted cultural exchange programs
with Japan, Canada, France, Germany, Turkey, Russia and Greece. Eric
also took Michigan teams to Turkey, Sweden, Japan and Germany for
competitions. Additionally, Eric built quite a reputation as a top
notch mat official being named USA Wrestling’s Official of
the Year at the Junior Nationals in Iowa. Eric has refereed in Turkey,
the former Soviet Union, Canada and France and has become one of
USA Wrestling’s top instructors of officiating technique.
Ron Gaffner
A graduate of Central Michigan University with a B S degree in Education
and an MA in Athletic Administration, Coach Ron Gaffner has amassed
over thirty six years of coaching experience. Mr. Gaffner has been
head coach of the Muskegon Community College Jayhawk wrestling program
for 23 years.
During that time the Jayhawks had over 300 wins and placed in the
top ten eleven times. They won 6 MCCAA championships, 13 NJCAA Region
XII championships, and had 7 individual nation champions and 58 All-Americans.
Mr. Gaffner was selected MCCAA Coach of Year thirteen times, and
NJCAA Coach of the Year once.
During his career, Coach Gaffner has been an active participant
in the National Junior College coaches Association where he held
the office of secretary/treasurer, vice president, and then president
four years. He was NJCAA Man of the Year in 1981, is a member of
the NJCAA Hall of Fame, Michigan Wrestling Coaches Hall of Fame,
and Greater Muskegon Area Hall of Fame.
Bill Regnier
John Virnich
John began his coaching career in Michigan in 1991 at Algonac High
School, where he successfully led a program that had been struggling
and helped the school achieve its first ever team district title.
After two years, John moved to Lapeer West High School in 1993.
During John’s head coaching tenure at Lapeer West, the school
won the Division II team state championship in 2000 and 2001. Overall
at Lapper West, John’s teams won two team state titles, three
team regional titles, and nine team district titles. Lapeer West,
during John’s tenure as head coach, had 10 individual state
champion, 34 state place winners, and 68 state qualifiers. John retired
from coaching at the end of the 2003. In 2001, Lapeer West High School
was ranked 20th in the United States, and John Virnich was named
the National Wrestling Coaches’ Association Coach of the Year
for Region 4. John was also named Coach of the Year for the State
of Michigan. John returned to coaching at Algonac High School shortly
after, and he worked as a head coach there from 2003 until 2006.
Once again, Algonac High School improved dramatically with his returned,
as the school won back-to-back team district titles.
In addition to John’s coaching credentials, those coaches who
competed against a John Virnich team understood that his teams were
always in great condition, were technically sound, and were, for
lack of a better term, “mat savvy.” John was highly
regarded among his peers due to his integrity, his passion for the
sport, and his ability to turn underachievers into successful wrestlers
and more importantly, better human beings.
John spent several years coaching in the State of Illinois before
moving to Michigan in 1991. In Illinois, John coached the Illinois
Kids Wrestling Federation (IKWF) for six years. Also, John served
as an assistant with the Villa Lombard Cougars, where the school
finished second in the state. In addition, John served as the head
coach of the Lake Park Lancers where Sam Gerasi and Brett Janise
went on to become Illinois High School state champions.
John Virnich never had a losing season as a coach.
Tom Muir
Tom Muir walked on to Michigan State’s wrestling team with
almost no prior experience. As a red-shirt sophomore Muir became
a Big Ten Champion and an All American. He earned three varsity letters
and was a member of three Big Ten Championship teams. He was given
the Outstanding Senior Wrestler award in 1971. Muir graduated with
honors in pre-med Biology and was winner of the Hannah Award , presented
to the outstanding student athlete of the year at MSU. Muir was also
winner of the Big Ten Medal, given to the student who demonstrated
the greatest proficiency in scholarship and athletics. In spite of
numerous injuries and surgeries Tom Muir continued to compete after
graduation, becoming a National Freestyle Champion, an alternate
on the 1976 Olympic team and represented the U.S. in competition
against Japan, Poland, Iran, Russia Canada, Argentina, Cuba and Germany
posting a 15-2 record.
After serving as an assistant coach at Michigan State from 1974
-77, Tom became head coach at Grand Ledge High School and remained
in that position for 36 years. His accomplishments are as follows:
7x Lansing Area Officials Assn. Coach of the Year.
3x Division 1 MWA Regional Coach of the Year
2003 MWA Division 1 State of Michigan Coach of the Year
2005 MHSCA Coach of the Year
2005 NFHSCA Mid-West Coach of the Year
Coached 2 Conference Championship Teams
Coached 7 District Championship Teams
Coached 2 Regional Championship Teams
Coached 2 MHSAA Final 4 Teams
Coached 5 All State Academic Teams
Coached Individual State Qualifiers 32 out of 36 Years
Coached 38 All State Wrestlers
Coached 4 State Champions
Dual Meet Record: 312 - 187
Overall Record: 1,008 - 426
His college coach, Grady Penninger said of Tom: “ I have coached
more talented and successful wrestlers but I have never had one that
commanded my respect more than Tom Muir.
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