Jun 6, 2017 4 min read

Two of this area’s legendary wrestlers were recognized with the sport’s highest honor.

Cary Kolat and Tony Gizoni were two of the inductees into the National Wrestling Hall of Fame during ceremonies held Saturday.

That alone would be a superb honor, but Kolat was recognized as a Distinguished Member for the Modern Era. A little extra oomph in status for him and well deserved.

Gizoni, a graduate of Washington High School and Waynesburg University, was selected by the Veterans Committee.

Kolat is recognized by most as the greatest wrestler of his era, but he found a lot of disappointment on the international stage.

“It’s the biggest accomplishment of my career,” Kolat said in a release from Campbell University, where he is head wrestling coach. “When I started out, I never set out for the hall of fame. That was down the road and not something as a young man you think about. Now at the age of 44, looking back on it and having people vote me in, it is the biggest honor and cements your place in the sport.”

Kolat emerged from tiny Jefferson-Morgan High School, where he was an undefeated four-time PIAA Class AA champion with a 137-0 record. He was recognized as the top schoolboy wrestler in the country and even had a story about his exploits published in “Sports Illustrated” magazine.

Kolat spent two years at Penn State, where he was an All-American both seasons. He transferred to Lock Haven, where he won two NCAA Division I titles.

That type of success at the international level eluded him. A series of controversial bouts in international events and Olympic competitions ended Kolat’s hopes of becoming a world champion and Olympic gold medalist.

In the 1997 World Championship, Kolat lost a controversial match to Abbas Hajd Kenari of Iran. During the match, Kenari untied his shoelaces out of the view of the referee to force a stoppage which allowed him to catch his breath while retying his shoes. Today, wrestling shoes either do not have laces or have them covered by material such as Velcro. This rule became known as the Kolat Rule in response to Kenari’s actions.

In the 1998 World Championships, Kolat defeated Serafim Barzakov of Bulgaria only to have officials from Fila – International Federation of Associated Wrestling Styles – overturn the decision and force a rewrestle that Barzakov won.

The following year, Kolat defeated Elbrus Tedeyev of the Ukraine only to have the decision overturned by Fila and the bout rewrestled. Kolat lost, but the furor that followed eventually exposed the corruption of Fila.

Kolat left the sport for a time, but returned with a desire to coach. Now 44, he is in his third season at Campbell and this past season, led the Camels to a Southern Conference Championship and was named SoCon Coach of the Year. Campbell sent a program-best five wrestlers to the NCAA Championships and earned its first All-American in program history.

Gizoni became the fourth wrestler in Pennsylvania history to win three state championships, capturing the title at 101 pounds in 1946, 103 pounds in 1947 and 112 pounds in 1948. He won back-to-back NCAA Division I championships for Waynesburg, and was voted Outstanding Wrestler after winning at 121 pounds in 1950 and defeating Bill Borders from the University of Oklahoma in 1951.

Gizoni’s record in college was 52-0 and he left Washington with a 120-3-1 mark. The three losses and one tie came in his freshman season. Over his final three seasons at Wash High and four years at Waynesburg, Gizoni had a 108-0 record.

Assistant sports editor Joe Tuscano can be reached at jtuscano@observer-reporter.com