Stan Zeamer to receive Order of Merit from National Wrestling Hall of Fame
1/11/2005
Gary Abbott/USA Wrestling
Stan Zeamer of Manheim, Pa. has been selected to receive the Order of Merit from the National Wrestling Hall of Fame and Museum.
The Order of Merit is presented to an individual who has made a significant contribution to the advancement of wrestling, other than success as an athlete or coach. The winner is selected by a vote of the Distinguished Members of the National Wrestling Hall of Fame.
He will receive this prestigious honor, along with other national award winners, at the Honors Weekend at the National Wrestling Hall of Fame and Museum in Stillwater, Okla., June 3-4.
Zeamer has been involved in wrestling for many years, including serving as a leader at the highest levels, as well as having success as an athlete and coach.
He currently serves on the Board of Governors for the National Wrestling Hall of Fame, and served as its chairman for a number of years. His leadership has helped the Hall of Fame grow and expand its activities for the sport.
Zeamer also served as the president of the Pennsylvania chapter of the National Wrestling Hall of Fame from 1993-2003. In that capacity, Zeamer helped organize highly successful banquets for the honored inductees, setting a standard for how state chapters of the Hall of Fame should operate.
He generously leases office space from his business headquarters to two important wrestling organizations, the National Wrestling Coaches Association (NWCA) and the Wrestling Hall of Fame state chapters program. He has been a longtime supporter and leader within the NWCA.
Zeamer graduated from Manheim Central High School in Pennsylvania, where he was a two-time district champion, two-time regional champion and the Most Valuable Wrestler at the high school.
As an undergraduate, he attended Northwest Missouri State University, where he was a 1970 NCAA College Division national champion and a two-time All-American. He was the Outstanding Wrestler at Northwest Missouri State in 1969, set a number of school wrestling records and completed his career never having been pinned.
He served in a number of coaching positions on the junior high, high school and college levels, starting with his first assignment in 1970 as the head coach at Manheim Central High School, his alma mater. His coaching career has gone full circle, as he is presently the head coach at Manheim Central Middle School.
Among his college coaching positions has been as head coach and assistant coach at Franklin and Marshall College, as an assistant coach at Clarion University and as an assistant coach at Elizabethtown College. He also was an assistant coach at Wheatland Middle School.
He has received numerous awards and honors for his wrestling activities. Among the Halls of Fame that he has been inducted into are the Pennsylvania Sports Hall of Fame (2003), Northwest Missouri State Univ. M Club Hall of Fame (1998), District III Wrestling Hall of Fame (1982), Manheim Central High School Hall of Fame (2005) and the Sports Hall of Fame of Columbia, Pa. (1975).
Zeamer received the Meritorious Service Award from the National Wrestling Coaches Association in 2003. He was also named Lancaster/Lebanon Middle School Coach of the Year in 2004. He has also founded “Building Leaders in Life,” a respected leadership development program.
After receiving his Master’s degree from Slippery Rock Univ., Zeamer went on to become a successful businessman. Since 1978, he has been the Owner/President of Utility/Keystone Trailer Sales, Inc. of Manheim, Pa. Since 2002, he has been Owner/President of Transport Auctions, LLC of Manheim, Pa. He was named National Trailer Dealer of the Year in 2000.
Because of his tremendous success in business, as well as a life-long commitment to wrestling, Zeamer has made a significant contributions to wrestling in many ways. The Distinguished Members of the National Wrestling Hall of Fame have selected Zeamer to receive its Order of Merit award in 2005 for his impact on the sport.
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