Having wrestled against John Hurrle's wrestlers in high school, and then having officiated his teams for years, I am sure John would be very pleased by the selection of Tom Clark to win an award named after John (well maybe, as anyone that knew John would know that it was never about him). John was a straight shooter and demanded a great deal from his wrestlers and of himself. John Hurrle didn't just produce very good, talented wrestlers, he produced very good young men. He taught them that you just do the right thing. In the days of old, many of us saw John Hurrle take a wrestler who was acting inappropriately up against the wall at the end of the gym and made certain that that wrestler knew he was going to be held accountable for his actions and how those actions reflected on Tech High School and its wrestling team.
I go through all of this to say that Tom Clark has been a tremendous giver to the sport of wrestling, just like John Hurrle. In addition, Tom has been an excellent ambassador for the sport, in Ohio, Indiana and internationally. Tom is always willing to "take up the cause" whether it is officiating a junior high meet, counseling a coach on the rules or the finer points of mentoring kids, etc. Tom has contributed in so many ways for so many years. Congratulations Tom Clark, well deserved !!