Greensburg — The lifelong efforts of promoting high school wrestling earned Orlando Fontanez Hall of Fame recognition.

Fontanez was inducted into the Indiana High School Wrestling Coaches Association Hall of Fame Feb. 21 for his dedication to wrestling. The Greensburg resident was inducted as a contributor to Indiana high school wrestling for serving as a licensed IHSAA official for 38 years, since 1972.

Several within Fontanez’s wide wrestling circles, such as Ed Fox, an IHSWCA officer who inducted Fontanez, coaches and Fontanez’s officiating peers, highly respect and admire him as a professional and one of the all around good guys of the sport.

Fontanez taught Spanish at Greensburg for 23 years, then became an administrator at Batesville Middle School from 1983 to 2008. He spent his first 15 years as a Greensburg assistant coach under the late George Rupp.

Fontanez said what validated his passion for wrestling was working with Greensburg’s only two state champions - Stan Goodman (112-pound weight class) in 1973 and Mike Wenning (98 pounds) in 1975.

“I was fortunate to be able to help coach two state champions,” he said.

According to Fontanez, he has been involved in wrestling since the fifth grade.

His journey actually gained momentum near the Atlantic coast, hundreds of miles east. He wrestled in the 138-pound weight class at Howell High School in Freehold, N.J.

“I come from a family of wrestlers,” he said, pointing out that he has two older brothers who wrestled on the same high school team he did. “At one time, all three of us were wrestling. That was a pretty good experience.”

Fontanez moved to Indiana in 1966 to attend Indiana State University. He competed in the 152-pound class for the Sycamores.

He recalled ISU facing “the king of wrestling in the NCAA finals,” Iowa.

He was faced with the task of battling two-time national champion Chuck Jean.

“Obviously, I didn’t win,” said Fontanez with a laugh. “It didn’t take long for him to pin me, but I was able to wrestle him, though. That was quite an experience.”

Fontanez graduated from ISU in 1970 with a teaching degree and later earned his Masters degree in educational administration.

His sense of humor reflects his positive attitude and good sportsmanship he has toward wrestling. He noted the respect and awe his teammates had for Iowa senior and world-renowned wrestler Dan Gable, who is best known for having only one loss in his career.

“Dan Gable is a legend when it comes to wrestling,” said Fontanez.

The former teacher, coach and school administrator began officiating full-time in the early 1980’s. He became actively involved in the IHSAA tournament series when he retired from coaching in 1987.

He said he also was one of the first officials to work a state tournament in Indiana. In fact, his high school postseason officiating resume spans more than three decades, including 13 different state tournament series and 28 semi-states.

He worked three team state tournaments overall.

Fontanez explained the process that allows officials to work at the state tournament level.

He said an official’s job is based on ratings.

“You have to be rated among the top 10 officials to do the state finals,” he explained. Officials who are eligible to work tournament series are then placed in a rotation.

An official is required to work two sectionals before working at a regional, must officiate two regionals to work a semi-state, and work four semi-state series before officiating a state final.

Officials must take a year off if they work two straight state tournaments, before they can officiate at the state level again.

“Even though you might be one of the top-rated officials, you can only work two years in a row, and then you have to lay off two,” he explained.

He officiated the final individual tournament conducted at Market Square Arena in 1999, as well as the first individual tournament that Conseco Fieldhouse hosted.

Most of the individual state tournaments he worked at MSA were in the mid-1990’s.

Two state series he most fondly recalled were the final state series that took place at MSA, and the first year of the state tournament conducted at Conseco Fieldhouse.

“That was kind of interesting,” he said of officiating a last and a first tournament at two different venues.

He ranks third on the active officiating list of state tournaments behind only Jim Russell and Jim Troyer (16 each), and tied for sixth on the all-time list with Larry Metzler; he trails Jim Beeson (15), and Andy Mihail and Lou Hurrle (14 each).

“I was fortunate enough to do a lot of state tournament series,” said Fontanez.

After officiating an team state series in 2005 at Center Grove, and two individual state series in 2007 and 2008 at Conseco, he decided to scale back. He said travel demands and volatile weather conditions helped him decide not to officiate postseason tournaments, but he still officiates high school and junior high matches.

“I stay close, and officiate between a 35 and 45-mile radius, and that’s it,” he added. “I still enjoy it. I still like the kids, and I still like the officiating. I like the camaraderie with the coaches, but when it comes down to January, I don’t like the traveling.”

One duty the native of Puerto Rico said he is proud of is serving as a translator for the Cuban Pan American Wrestling Team in the 1980’s, in Indianapolis.

He and his wife, Sheryle, have a son who lives in the Chicago area, and two daughters - one who lives in Greensburg and one in South Carolina. He and his wife have seven grandchildren.