This is the 10th in a series of articles profiling the 2020 Butler County Sports Hall of Fame inductees.

SLIPPERY ROCK — The biggest rise Fred Powell ever got out of his high school wrestling coach occurred far away from the mat.

“We were moving a railroad tie and I accidentally dropped it on his foot,” Powell recalled. “The thing probably weighed 15 pounds. He had good reason to yell at me.”

That coach, Billy Martin Sr., was Powell's physical education teacher at Granby High School in Virginia. He introduced Powell to wrestling, coached him to a state championship and laid the groundwork for a lengthy career as a wrestler and coach.

That career is still going. And Powell, now in his 70s, is receiving the Butler County Sports Hall of Fame's Lifetime Achievement Award at the organization's annual banquet at 6 p.m. Aug. 8 at the Butler Days Inn.

The fete was originally scheduled for April 25, but was postponed.

Powell has been an assistant for Butler High School coach Scott Stoner — who wrestled for him at Slippery Rock University — for 10 years. He compiled a 215-105-54 record as SRU mat coach from 1967-71.

He began the wrestling program at Slippery Rock High School in 1998 and coached there until 2006.

“My youngest son was able to wrestle there and my whole family was part of that program,” Powell said of Slippery Rock High School wrestling. “My wife did the computer work for our statistics and led the parents club, organized the banquet.

“I'm very grateful for those times.”

He is also grateful for his soft-spoken high school coach who got his own successful wrestling career started.

“Coach (Martin) never spoke in a demanding tone. My mother was a soft-spoken person, too,” Powell said. “My coaching demeanor is that way and it primarily came from them.”

Granby won 21 state wrestling titles in 22 years under Martin's guidance. Powell — by his own admittance the smallest kid in his school — was 85 pounds in eighth grade and reached the Virginia state finals as a freshman, losing the match in overtime.

He placed at the state tournament as a sophomore and junior before winning a state title at 120 pounds his senior year.

“I lost three matches in high school, all of them at states,” Powell recalled. “We didn't have the heavy amount of dual matches and tournaments they have today. I won maybe 60 matches or so.”

High school teammate Gray Simons was two years older than Powell. He went on to win three national tites at Lock Haven University and wrestled for the United States in the 1960 and 1964 Olympics.

He was also Powell's “student coach” in high school.

“What a mentor he was,” Powell said. “I followed him to Lock Haven. I followed in his footsteps in a lot of ways.”

Powell won an NAIA wrestling national championship and NCAA national crown at Lock Haven. He went on to compete at the international level and placed fifth in the 1966 FILA World Freestyle Championships for the United States.

Shortly thereafter, his coaching tenure began at SRU.

Powell coached 11 NCAA Division I All-Americans and 12 All-Americans in the Collegiate Division. One of his SRU wrestlers, Stan Dziedzic, went on to win a bronze medal at the 1976 Oympics and became an assistant coach for the U.S. Olympic wrestling team.

“I've learned so much about wrestling technique through the years, from experiences in high school, college, team camps, international, freestyle ... I'm still learning new techniques today and coaching them.

“My wrestlers' goal was to beat me, That's how I wanted them to think.”

Powell estimates that 30 to 40 wrestlers he coached went on to coach the sport in high school or college. That list includes all-time WPIAL coaching wins leader Chuck Tursky (Kiski Area), Tom McGarrity (Pine-Richland), Jack Spates (all-time wins leader at University of Oklahoma) and Don Henry (Gannon).

He referred to SRU's decision to drop wrestling in 2006 as “one of the most disappointing events in my life. That program produced a lot of oustanding individuals in academics and the business world.”

Powell expressed pride in entering the county Hall of Fame.

“There are so many great wrestlers and coaches who are overlooked,” he said. “Butler (County) is a huge community with a lot of outstanding sports people.

“I'm honored and grateful to be joining them.”

Tickets for the Hall of Fame banquet are $30 in advance, $35 at the door. Tables of eight are $200. Tickets are available at Parker's Appliance in Chicora, Moses Jewelers at the Clearview Mall, The Butler Radio Network in Butler and Saxonburg Drug.