EWL Hall of Fame to Induct Five New Members on Sunday
McDonald, Four Edinboro Wrestling Greats to be Inducted
March 3, 2006

EDINBORO, PA – The Eastern Wrestling League will hold its 2006 induction ceremonies on Sunday, March 5. The ceremonies will get underway at 4 p.m. at McComb Fieldhouse, just prior to the finals of the 2006 EWL Tournament.

All five inductees have ties with Edinboro University, with four former Fighting Scot All-Americans, and the fifth the man responsible for taking Edinboro wrestling to the Division I level.

Former Director of Athletics Jim McDonald will join wrestling greats Josh Koscheck, Tony Robie, Jason Robison, and Tom Shifflet.

Here’s a look at the five inductees:

JIM McDONALD
Jim McDonald’s leadership and vision embarked Edinboro on its journey into Division I wrestling. While serving as the Director of Athletics, Jim McDonald was responsible for taking Edinboro University’s wrestling program to Division I status. His aggressive recruiting tactics enticed Mike DeAnna to take over as head coach and Bruce Baumgartner as the assistant coach. His emphasis on fundraising brought in over $5 million dollars. In addition, he enjoyed great success as men’s basketball coach at Edinboro, posting a 181-89 record. He joined Edinboro in 1962 and served as the men’s basketball coach from 1962-75. During that span his cagers won four PSAC Western Division crowns, the Pennsylvania state championship, and two District 18 titles that netted trips to the NAIA National Tournament. While serving as the Director of Athletics, he initiated the highly-successful camp system, and also promoted NFL scrimmages with the Buffalo Bills, Cleveland Browns and Pittsburgh Steelers at Sox Harrison Stadium. His legacy lives on today with his decision to move wrestling to Division I, as the Fighting Scot grapplers have gone on to be one of the best programs in the East. This weekend Edinboro seeks its fourth straight EWL crown and eighth in the last nine years.

JOSH KOSCHECK (1997-02)
Josh Koscheck is Edinboro University’s only four-time All-American and one of just two wrestlers to win an NCAA Division I national championship. He captured the title at 174 lbs. in 2001, along with a second place finish in 2000, a third place in 2002, and a fourth place in 1999. He is a two-time EWL champion (2000, 2001) and was named the EWL Wrestler of the Year in 2000 and 2001, the Freshman of the Year in 1999, and the EWL Tournament Outstanding Wrestler in 2001. Koscheck concluded his brilliant career with a 128-17 record, including a perfect 42-0 campaign in 2000-01. He ranks fifth in career victories at Edinboro, and is first in career winning percentage (.883). After a 31-9 record as a redshirt freshman, he went on to go 38-4 as a sophomore, losing in the 174 lb. title match to Byron Tucker of Oklahoma by a 3-0 decision. He came back the next season to cap a brilliant 42-0 season with an 8-1 decision over Army’s Maurice Worthy. A neck injury limited him as a senior, yet he still battled his way to a third place finish and a 17-4 record. He finished with 27 career falls, good for fifth all-time at Edinboro.

TONY ROBIE (1992-97)
Tony Robie was a three-time All-American at Edinboro University, finishing second at 158 lbs. in 1997 and fifth in 1995. He earned three EWL titles, all at 158 lbs., in 1994, 1995 and 1997. Robie concluded his career with a 126-24 record, ranking sixth in career victories, and is also third in career winning percentage (.840). He finished his career by winning his final 43 dual matches. He capped his career with an appearance in the 1997 finals at 158 lbs., suffering a 5-3 loss to Iowa’s Joe Williams. He finished the season with a 35-5 record while helping the Fighting Scots to a perfect 14-0 dual season. Robie posted a 40-4 record in 1993-94, winning the EWL title at 158 lbs. As a junior, he finished with a 32-3 record and finished fifth at Nationals, with both of his losses coming in sudden death. That included a loss to eventual national champion Ernest Benion of Illinois. He redshirted in 1995-96, then came back to defeat Benion in the semifinals before losing to Williams. Robie is currently the head coach at Binghamton.

JASON ROBISON (1993-98)
Jason Robison was named the EWL Wrestler of the Year while competing at 190 lbs., and won his third EWL title that year to earn EWL Tournament Outstanding Wrestler honors. He was also an EWL champion in 1995 and 1997. Robison would go on to earn All-American honors three times while representing Edinboro University. He placed second in 1998, sixth in 1997, and seventh in 1995. He concluded his career with a 145-23 record, a school record for career wins that still stands. He is also tied for the career record in falls with 42, and owns a tie for season falls with 18 as a senior. Robison came one match shy of joining Koscheck as the only Edinboro wrestler to go undefeated. He entered the 1998 national title bout at 190 lbs. with a perfect 45-0 record and ranked number one, before suffering a 6-4 loss in overtime to Minnesota’s Tim Hartung. He was the first Edinboro wrestler to earn a number one seed going in Nationals. Robison had a 29-12 record as a freshman, then went 35-7 with eight falls as a sophomore. He redshirted in 1995-96, then came back to finish 36-3 with ten falls, in ’96-97, helping Edinboro to a sixth place finish at Nationals. That is the best in school history. He actually was undefeated that season, as well, with 36 straight wins before dropping a 3-2 decision to Lee Fullhart of Iowa in the semifinals. An injury in the semifinals forced him to default to sixth place.

TOM SHIFFLET (1991-95)
Tom Shifflet earned All-American honors three times while competing for Edinboro University. Following a seventh place finish at 142 lbs. in 1992, he placed sixth in 1993 and third in 1995. He finished with a 31-5 record in 1994-95 and was named the EWL Wrestler of the Year. He helped Edinboro finish 11th at Nationals. Shifflet reached the semifinals at Nationals that year before suffering a 2-1 defeat to eventual national champion John Hughes of Penn State. He rebounded to win two more matches for third place. In 1992, Shifflet was voted the EWL Freshman of the Year after finishing with a 32-13-1 record. In the process he became Edinboro’s freshman All-American. The following year he went 31-8 and once again earned All-American honors. He missed the first half of the ’93-94 campaign with a back injury that eventually led to surgery, then returned to go 15-5. He concluded his career with a 109-31-1 record, currently ranking 15th in career wins. He is 14th in career winning percentage at 77.7 percent. Shifflet currently serves as the wrestling coach at North Carolina-Greensboro.