Former Southington Teacher Elected To National Wrestling Hall Of Fame

SOUTHINGTON, CT — A longtime wrestling official who taught school in Southington and Meriden is one of nine outstanding individuals who have been selected for induction into the Connecticut Chapter of the National Wrestling Hall of Fame.

The late Ray Southland, who will be honored posthumously, was a wrestling official for 33 seasons, joining the Connecticut Interscholastic Wrestling Officials Association (CIWOA) in 1984. He was selected to officiate at numerous CIAC divisional tournaments (Class LL, L, M, S), the State Open and New England championships (10 times). Beginning in 1989, he officiated at the State Open each year through his retirement as an official following the 2017 season.

After retiring, Southland served as the head official at the State Open, assigning officials to matches, meeting with coaches and tournament directors and serving as a mentor to the officials. He was a member of the CIWOA’s Executive Board for more than 25 years, serving terms as president, secretary and treasurer.

Southland taught at Southington and Platt high schools, and was the athletic director at Maloney High School from 2003-05). He was an assistant principal at Cromwell High School for two years before coming back to Meriden, where he was an assistant principal at Washington Middle School before becoming principal in 2012. He passed away in 2019 at the age of 58.

The other new electees are:

• Shirzad Ahmadi, longtime high school and collegiate coach and wrestler
• Drew Black, head coach at Wesleyan University
• Fritz Blasius, benefactor to many local charities and organizations
• Gerry deSimas Jr., longtime sportswriter, founder of Connecticut Wrestling Online
• Dave D’Alessio, former coach and teacher in Madison
• David Green, head coach at Nonnewaug High School in Woodbury
• Ted Oczkowski, coach, official and administrator
• Chris Piel, head coach at New Milford High School

D'Alessio will also be inducted posthumously.

An induction dinner is scheduled for April 26, 2025 at Mohegan Sun to honor these men for their contributions to the sport of wrestling and their communities.

All nine will receive a Lifetime Service award for coaches, officials, or contributors with at least 20 years of service.

They will be permanently recognized in the National Wrestling Hall of Fame in Stillwater, Oklahoma with an embossed name plaque, and each receives a plaque and jacket to commemorate this special occasion. They will join 51 other inductees in the Connecticut Chapter of the National Wrestling Hall of Fame.

Anyone interested in obtaining tickets is asked to email ctwrestling7@yahoo.com with your email address for a message when they go on sale.

Learn more about the Connecticut Chapter of the National Wrestling Hall of Fame by going to the chapter’s own website or the chapter website at the National Wrestling Hall of Fame.