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Former E-W coach enters wrestling Hall of Fame

Published 9:00 pm Monday, October 16, 2000

By JOHN McDONALD / Prep Editor

By JOHN McDONALD

Prep Editor

Former Edmonds-Woodway wrestling coach Mike Hess, who died last May, is one of three coaches who will be inducted into the Washington Wrestling Coaches Association Hall of Fame during its annual banquet Saturday at Pacific Lutheran University in Tacoma.

Joining Hess as inductees are Ferndale coach Lee Andersen and former Newport and University of Washington coach Darren Sipe.

Tom Tipton of Puyallup will receive the Joe Babbitt Contributors Award.

Hess, who wrestled at Warden High School and the University of Washington, coached 34 years in the Edmonds District. He was the head coach at Meadowdale from 1966-68, Edmonds from 1968-90 and Edmonds-Woodway from 1990 until his death. Hess’ teams won numerous district and regional championships as well as an academic state championship. He was named Washington coach of the year in 1988.

A former president of the WSWCA, Hess later served as the organization’s cultural exchange director. He was responsible for bringing the first Russian high school team to Washington state.

In addition to his teaching and coaching career, Hess served as a referee for national and international competitions and was a former national official of the year.

He was also director of competition for wrestling at the 1990 Goodwill Games in Seattle and the staging director for freestyle wrestling at the Atlanta Olympic Games in 1996.

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