Thomas Hazell, EC’s body conditioning and physical fitness instructor, was inducted into the National Wrestling Hall of Fame Western Chapter on May 20 for his accomplishments in competing and coaching, Craig Mizufuka, former EC student said.
A former competitor of Hazell’s from high school and now a referee for professional wrestling matches, Mizufuka, for had a say in who should be chosen for this reward.
“He’s been successful in the junior high, high school, junior college, and state college levels, and also as a referee,” Mizufuka said.
Hazell’s love for wrestling started when he took a wrestling unit in his P.E. class in middle school. After filling out an interest card for high school acknowledging his interest in pursuing wrestling, he never looked back.
“I found success pretty quickly on the wrestling team. I was a big kid, heavy weight and ended up on the varsity wrestling team,” Hazell said.
His success continued at EC where he won the state championship, and was a two-time All American when he played as a student at Oklahoma State, Mizufuka said.
Before EC, he’d trained with Dan Gable, ametuer wreslter and motivational speaker famous for his 1972 Olympic gold medal, according to ESPN Classic.
But when the opportunity to coach at EC presented himself, he took it and led the team to many successes from 1979-1991, until the program was canceled, Mizufuka said.
When receiving his recognition for all his accomplishments at the Hall of Fame ceremony, he said it felt nice to be recognized for his 40 years of hard work and dedication to the sport, even though he knows people who have accomplished more than him.
His advice to others is to stay passionate and hardworking, no matter what.
“If people have passion for what they do, no matter what happens there will ultimately become a time when you will get recognized for achieving something,” Hazell said.
