Hall of Fame

ELDON ZIMBELMAN

Kansas wrestlers, coaches, and fans have a difficult time recollecting a season without the presence of longtime referee Eldon Zimbelman. He has been a constant and influential fixture in the sport of wrestling for well over forty years.

Mr. Zimbelman has compiled a remarkable officiating career in the sport of wrestling. He began officiating in 1962 and continued to officiate while a student at Fort Hays State University, from which he received his B.S. in 1966 and his M.S. in 1969. Mr. Zimbelman has worked the Kansas State Wrestling Tournament for an incredible forty years, many of them as the head official. He officiated the two Kansas Grand State Tournaments conducted in the mid-seventies, officiated six National Junior College Tournaments, four NAIA National Tournaments, and three Big Eight Wrestling Championship Tournaments during his long career.

Mr. Zimbelman has been awarded many times as a result of his unmatched tenure and his effectiveness on the mat. He has earned the Kansas Wrestling Coaches Association’s Kansas Official of the Year eight times, and has been awarded the Official of the Year by the National Federation of High Schools (NFHS) in 2003, and received the NFHS Official of the Year Citation for all sports in 2005.

Off the mat, Mr. Zimbelman has positively influenced wrestling by co-founding the Kansas Wrestling Officials Association and serving as its president for two years. He continues to serve on the Executive Board of the KWOA and evaluates officials at the NCAA Division I Finals. Currently, Mr. Zimbelman resides in St. Francis, Kansas.