First Look
The Chattanooga Mocs wrestling program was proud to see one of their own enter the National Wrestling Hall of Fame and Museum over the weekend. Ken Mara, who wrestled for the Mocs in the late '60s and early '70s, was inducted as Meritorious Official. The ceremony was held in Stillwater, Okla., home of the Hall of Fame and Museum.
 
First Take
"Is there a better honor for a lifetime of work and dedication to your craft? To be recognized among the best to ever do it? We are extremely proud for Ken and his family on this well-deserved honor. He had an incredible impact on our sport both nationally and here in his home state of Tennessee." – Coach Kyle Ruschell
 
The Breakdown
Mara was one of eight honored on Friday and Saturday. The Class of 2025 included Mara, Distinguished Members Darryl Burley, Matt Lindland, Terry Steiner and Greg Wojciechowski, Order of Merit Recipient Van Stokes, Medal of Courage recipient Mark Coleman and Outstanding American honoree Terry Davis.
 
A Chattanooga native, Mara joined the Mocs from Notre Dame where he was an individual state champion while leading the Irish the team title in 1968. He enrolled at Chattanooga before starting his Hall of Fame journey as a way to earn some extra cash after getting married according to the Hall of Fame's release which can be viewed here.
 
It marked the start of the career of one of the country's top wrestling officials. Mara worked 25 years as an NCAA wrestling official refereeing 20 NCAA Division I national championship finals matches. He also officiated NCAA Division II and NCAA Division III Regionals and served five years as an NCAA Division I official evaluator.
 
Mara officiated at NCAA National Duals Championships, Big Ten Championships, Southern Conference Championships, Virginia Duals, Mid-American Conference Championships, Southeast Conference Championships and All-Academy Championships. He also had more than 50 years of service to the Tennessee Secondary School Athletic Association, including officiating 28 TSSAA state championships in 35 years as a high school wrestling official.
 
He received the Lifetime Service to Wrestling award from the Tennessee Chapter of the National Wrestling Hall of Fame in 2008 and was inducted into the Greater Chattanooga Sports Hall of Fame in 2007. Mara was presented with the TSSAA Distinguished Service award in recognition of his 50 years of service in 2020.
 
Final Thoughts
"How did I get here? How did I get my name and story among the great stars of the sport?" I stepped on the mat 61 years ago. Wrestling gave me all of these opportunities, and I hope I took advantage of the opportunities to give back to the sport a little bit." – Excerpt from Mara' acceptance speech shared via the National Wrestling Hall of Fame website
 
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