National Wrestling Hall of Fame
Stillwater, Oklahoma

Sixth Annual "Hall of Fame Day" Banquet
Hershey Lodge and Convention Center
Hershey, PA
April 24, 1999
Induction of the "Lifetime Service to Wrestling" Honorees
▪ John T. Toggas, Robert Craig, Jerry Petrofes,
Dr. Theodore Rupp & Dr. Kenneth Cox.
  Presented by Stan Zeamer, President, PA Chapter - National Wrestling Hall of Fame
  Master of Ceremonies - Rod Frisco of the Harrisburg Patriot
 Invocation - Neil Turner
 Presenting the Awards - Myron Roderick, President - National Wrestling Hall of Fame


Coach John T. Toggas

John Toggas...
 can trace his successful wrestling career to the basketball court, when York High coach
Don Cockley cut him from the boys basketball team.  The rest, as they say, is history as Toggas
truly found his calling in the wrestling room.

Toggas was a district finalist at 133 pounds in both his junior and senior seasons at York High.
After graduating from William Penn High School in 1951 where he was a three-sport athlete,
 he earned his Bachelor's degree from Gettysburg College in 1958 and eventually got his Master's
Degree  in Education from Western Maryland University in 1971.

He began his coaching career at Biglerville High School in 1958 and remained there
until 1964, when he moved to West York High.  Toggas started the elementary at Biglerville and
his high school teams were 38-32-2.  Toggas also founded the elementary program at West York
 and amassed a record of 269-72-2 at the high school during two stints as head coach,
 from 1964-1983 and from 1986-1992.  His overall coaching record is 307-110-4 in 31 years,
 and he was the first York area high school coach to eclipse the 300-win mark.

Some of his accomplishments include five York County Interscholastic Athletic Association league
team titles, YCIAA Coach of the Year honors in 1972 and 1978, and three PIAA state champions.
Toggas also produced six Sectional team titles, 83 Sectional champions, 12 District Three champions,
 12 Regional champions and 18 PIAA Tournament qualifiers, including two third place finishers
 and two silver medalists in addition to his three champs.

John was inducted into the District Three Wrestling Coaches Wrestling Hall of Fame in 1980,
was given a 25 year Service Award by the National Wrestling Coaches Association in 1984,
 received the Leadership Award presented by the West York Area School District in 1993 and
 was inducted into the York Area Sports Hall of Fame for Outstanding Sports Achievement in 1995.

Toggas also served as a high school official and was a member of the NCAA Rules
Committee as a High School Representative.  Among his most treasured accomplishments
 was being inducted into the Pennsylvania State Wrestling Coaches Hall of Fame at the
  state finals in Hershey in 1992.  "I think my biggest thrill I ever got coaching high school was when
I got elected into the PA State Hall of Fame and having my two kids present me with the award,"
 he said at the time.  His son John S. Toggas was the head wrestling coach at Parkland High School.

For these achievements and more, John T. Toggas...
is honored by the National Wrestling Hall of Fame as a
"Lifetime Service to Wrestling" award winner, class of 1999.