EWL Hall of Fame Inductees
The 2016 Hall of Fame Class is made up of four former wrestlers, one former coach and five contributors
Neil Turner (coach)
Coach Turner was the founder of the Mat-Town USA Wrestling Club as well as the head coach at LHU from 1979 to 1990. Under Turner’s leadership, the program compiled a record of 120-63-3 with four NCAA All-Americans, including three-time All-American Brad Lloyd and three-time EWL Champion Rick Petersen. Turner was instrumental in building the camp system while at Lock Haven, which ultimately led to the creation of an endowment account for scholarships. A NCAA Division III Hall of Fame member for his success coaching at Messiah College, Turner has coached wrestling for over forty years and was twice EWL Coach of the Year (1985, 1988).
Bob McCool (contributor)
McCool covered LHU wrestling, the Eastern Wrestling League and the EWL Championships in one form or another for nearly 33 years. He served as the sports editor at the Lock Haven Express from 1978 to 1990, providing extensive LHU wrestling and EWL coverage throughout that tenure. McCool left the Express in 1990 to take a job at LHU, where he continued to volunteer as the sports photographer until his retirement in 2011. At one time, McCool attended 18 consecutive NCAA Championships, providing coverage of LHU and the EWL, while also taking photos for EWL schools Cleveland State and Edinboro. McCool started covering the sport of wrestling in 1968 for the Lewistown Sentinel as a high school senior and for over five decades has provided tremendous wrestling coverage in Central, Pennsylvania.
Bill Albright (contributor)
For the last 52 years Bill Albright has been covering the sport of wrestling at every level and helping to promote, and publicize the sport in the region. Much of that time he’s also spent interviewing and writing about LHU wrestlers. For 34 years Albright’s provided extensive coverage of the Eastern Wrestling League and EWL Championships. He’s covered four NCAA Championships to go along with 19 PIAA Championships. Albright’s a member of the PIAA District IV Wrestling Hall of Fame and received the PSAC’s George Heaslip Award in 1997.
Mike Maney (wrestler)
A 2004 graduate of Lock Haven University who finished his career with 119 wins. Maney was a two-time EWL Champion and two-time NCAA All-American for the Bald Eagles in 2002 and 2003. Maney recently finished his Master’s Degree at Lock Haven. He currently serves as the head coach of Bellefonte High School.
Mike Rogers (wrestler)
A 1997 graduate of Lock Haven University who finished his career with 112 wins. Rogers was a two-time EWL Champion and two-time NCAA All-American for the Bald Eagles in 1996 and 1997. He was part of the 1997 EWL Championship team that placed fifth at the NCAA Tournament. Rogers was also one of only seven Bald eagles to win four PSAC titles. He is currently the head coach at Franklin and Marshall in Lancaster.
Mike Geurin (wrestler)
A 1997 graduate of Lock Haven University who finished his career with 108 wins. Geurin was a three-time EWL Champion and two-time NCAA All-American in 1996 and 1997. He was also a part of the 1997 EWL Championship team that placed fifth in the NCAA Tournament. Geurin also enjoyed a successful professional MMA career.
Jamarr Billman (wrestler)
A 2002 graduate of Lock Haven University who finished his career with 117 wins. Billman was a two-time EWL Champion as well as a two-time NCAA All-American for Lock Haven in 2001 and 2002. Prior to attending Lock Haven, Billman was an All-American for Penn State and ranked as high as No. 1 in the country. He is currently an assistant coach with Wilson High School.
Ron Bowes (contributor)
Ron has been a consistent contributor to the EWL and NWCA, as well as serving on many Hall of Fame Committees across the state. He is a member of the NWCA HOF-Maryland Chapter, as well as a 1994 Inductee into the LHU Wrestling Hall of Fame. His contributions to the sport of wrestling have spanned over 50 years from coaching, to serving in many important roles to grow the sport of wrestling. Ron has been instrumental in the growth of the EWL and LHU wrestling.
Bruce Closson (contributor)
Closson founded The WrestlingReport.com in 1995 and now serves as the editor and webmaster for the site. Bruce, along with Allen Brown, managed the EWL website for many years, maintaining the results, history and tradition of the conference. Bruce has served in various roles within the wrestling community and has provided extensive coverage, rankings and news stories for the EWL and EIWA. The EWL is thankful for his service and proud to have him as a member of the Hall of Fame Class of 2016.
Allen Brown (contributor)
The late Allen Brown spent his youth in Lock Haven while his father was a professor at the Lock Haven State Teachers College. Upon graduation from high school he attended and graduated from the University of Maryland. He spent much of his professional career as a US Government Employee for the Civil Aeronautics Board and Dept. of Transportation. After retirement, Allen dedicated much of time to wrestling and served as the editor for The WrestlingReport.com along with many other roles. A wrestling enthusiast and icon in the sport, Brown spent much of his time promoting and managing media within the EWL and Pennsylvania State schools. The EWL is honored to have him as part of our wrestling Hall of Fame.
