Wrestling: Turnbull Picked for Erie Hall
May 31, 2011 02:45 PM | General
MORGANTOWN, W. Va. – With an outstanding athletic resume and 33 years as head coach of the West Virginia University wrestling team, Craig Turnbull has been selected as a member of the 2011 class of the Metro Erie Chapter of the Pennsylvania Sports Hall of Fame.
The Erie, Pa., native will be inducted to the hall at a banquet on Tuesday, June 21, at Zem Zem Shriners in Erie, Pa. He will be honored along with Julian Blanks, Cliff Crosby, Nancy Eisenman-Elwell, Brooke Freeburg, John Leisering, Andy Schulz, Joe Scholtis, Roger Sweeting and the late Joe Sivak.
“My initial thought is that I must be getting old,” Turnbull says. “It’s a tremendous honor and I’m grateful to be associated with this group of athletes. The city has laid a foundation of support that has allowed many of us to create paths for ourselves.”
Currently the ninth-active winningest coach in NCAA Division I wrestling, Turnbull is a four-time Eastern Wrestling League (EWL) Coach of the Year and has coached 18 All-Americans, five national champions, 22 EWL champions and has sent 155 individuals to the NCAA Championships. He also spearheaded the $1.4 million WVU Wrestling Pavilion that was completed in 2006.
“I consider myself very fortunate to have received the educational and athletic support from so many individuals from Erie,” Turnbull says. “This honor is also in recognition of those who have helped me along the way.”
Turnbull wrestled at Clarion University, where he was an All-American in 1973 and compiled an 87-14 career record. He graduated from Clarion in 1974 with a bachelor’s degree in special education and received a master’s degree in sports psychology from West Virginia University in 1978.
The Erie, Pa., native will be inducted to the hall at a banquet on Tuesday, June 21, at Zem Zem Shriners in Erie, Pa. He will be honored along with Julian Blanks, Cliff Crosby, Nancy Eisenman-Elwell, Brooke Freeburg, John Leisering, Andy Schulz, Joe Scholtis, Roger Sweeting and the late Joe Sivak.
“My initial thought is that I must be getting old,” Turnbull says. “It’s a tremendous honor and I’m grateful to be associated with this group of athletes. The city has laid a foundation of support that has allowed many of us to create paths for ourselves.”
Currently the ninth-active winningest coach in NCAA Division I wrestling, Turnbull is a four-time Eastern Wrestling League (EWL) Coach of the Year and has coached 18 All-Americans, five national champions, 22 EWL champions and has sent 155 individuals to the NCAA Championships. He also spearheaded the $1.4 million WVU Wrestling Pavilion that was completed in 2006.
“I consider myself very fortunate to have received the educational and athletic support from so many individuals from Erie,” Turnbull says. “This honor is also in recognition of those who have helped me along the way.”
Turnbull wrestled at Clarion University, where he was an All-American in 1973 and compiled an 87-14 career record. He graduated from Clarion in 1974 with a bachelor’s degree in special education and received a master’s degree in sports psychology from West Virginia University in 1978.
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