Page 23 - 2020-21 Wrestling State Finals Program

Outstanding Official Award

Roger Griffith Honored as Top Wrestling Official
Roger Griffith of is the recipient of the 2020-21 Roger is a member of 7 officiating associations
Interscholastic Athletic Official Award for excellence in Indiana. He serves as Vice President of the
in the sport of wrestling. Calumet Officials Association, Wrestling Chairman
Each year, the Indiana High for the Northern Officials Association, Football
School Athletic Association, in and Softball Chairman for the Tri-State Officials
Association, and a board member for the St. Joe
cooperation with the National Valley Officials Association. Roger has also served
Federation of Interscholas- as a IHSAA Certification Clinician for Softball since
tic Officials Association, 2009.
recognizes and honors an Roger is a professional official in Wrestling,
outstanding official in each Football, and Softball. He’s been a licensed
sport during the school year. Wrestling official for 21 years and has worked in 19
Officials selected for this sectionals, 13 semi-states, and 5 state finals. He
distinction have gone above currently resides in Goshen with his wife Anne.
and beyond to serve their Roger was selected for this honor by a com-
association, community, and mittee representing the officials associations. In
the IHSAA. Each have shown exceptional qualities of Indiana there are 24 associations made up of men
leadership, dedication, and loyalty to their sport, our and women who assist in providing wholesome,
worthwhile, and healthy activities for the student
student-athletes, and their fellow officials. athletes in our state. Statewide, there are more
than 8,000 officials licensed by the IHSAA in 11
sports.
Tournament History

Many changes have been made to the Indiana state Due to the sport’s rapid growth, the IHSAA took
wrestling tournament since its inception, and to this day over sponsorship of the tournament from 1933 to
it remains one of the most exciting and best-attended 1943, though the state finals were still held at Indiana
state finals events on the IHSAA calendar. University. However, as the Great Depression gripped
While not officially sponsored by the IHSAA, but the country and the United States entered World War
held with special permission, the first state high school II, there was a gradual decline in the number of schools
wrestling tournament took place in 1922 at Indiana participating. That forced the IHSAA to drop wrestling
University.A total of 19 wrestlers from seven schools from its sponsorship from 1944 to 1949. During this
participated in the first tournament. From 1922 to 1935, period, various participating schools kept the tourna-
a regulation high school wrestling match called for one ment going by holding an annual invitational state
eight-minute period with both wrestlers starting in the tournament.
neutral position on their feet. No point system was in The IHSAA resumed sponsorship of the tourna-
place, and the winner was determined solely on rid- ment in 1950 and continues to do so today. From
ing time or by a fall. For the 1935-36 season, a point 1950 to 1959, Bloomington and Lafayette Jefferson
system was installed and periods were added to make high schools alternated as the host school before the
the matches more interesting for fans. finals were moved in 1960 to Southport High School’s
From 1922 to 1951, the only IHSAA rules for 7,200-seat fieldhouse.
wrestling were the same ones that applied to all sports The finals eventually required even more seating
in the state, mainly eligibility and age requirements. and from 1981 to 1999 were held at Market Square
During this time, so-called gentlemens’ agreements Arena in Indianapolis before moving to what is now
were decided upon before meets by the coaches and Bankers Life Fieldhouse in 2000.
these rules were enforced by the officials. From 1996 to 2012, a separate team tournament
A new set of rules, written by coaches Chauncey was conducted in dual format to determine an overall
McDaniel of Southport High School and Clifford Myers team state champion. The state finals were conducted
of Bloomington High School, were adopted by the IH- at Southport High School in 1996 and then culminated
SAA beginning with the 1951-52 season. Modifications at Center Grove High School for the next 16 years.
in the standing rules, most notably those that helped Beginning in 2013, the state championship team
to prevent excessive weight loss, were made in time was again determined by points accumulated by
for the 1957-58 wrestling season. Finally in 1973, us- individual wrestlers as it had been from 1936 to 1995.
ing Indiana’s rules as a measuring stick, the National
Wrestling Federation Rules were written and adopted.
IHSAA - Pure Spirit. Pure Sport! 23