Darryl Burley '83 Elected To National Wrestling Hall of Fame
10/31/2024 4:04:00 PM | Men's Wrestling
STILLWATER, Okla. - Former Lehigh wrestling standout and Roger S. Penske/Lehigh Athletics Hall of Fame member Darryl Burley '83 has been elected to the National Wrestling Hall of Fame as a Distinguished Member, it was announced Thursday.
One of the most accomplished wrestlers to wear the Brown and White, Burley is a two-time NCAA Champion, a four-time finalist and one of just two four-time All-Americans for the Lehigh wrestling program. Burley amassed a 94-5-1 record for Lehigh from 1978 through 1983 and is one of five wrestlers to win four or more individual EIWA Championships for the Brown and White.
Burley will be formally inducted as part of the Class of 2025 at the 48th Honors Weekend, June 6-7, 2025 in Stillwater, Okla.
The sixth Distinguished Member from Lehigh University, Burley won a national championship as a true first-year in 1979 at 134, with a 23-2 season. He was the national runner-up in 1980 and 1981 at 134 and moved up to 142 for his senior season in 1983, going 26-0 to capture his second NCAA title.
In addition to his success at the EIWA and NCAA levels, Burley was a two-time champion and six-time finalist the prestigious Midlands Championships. In freestyle, Burley finished second at the 1983 World Team Trials and third at the 1984 Olympic Trials, with a bronze medal at the prestigious Tblisi Tournament in 1985 to his credit. He was a U.S. Open champion in 1985 after earning a runner-up finish the year prior.
A native of Pemberton, N.J., where he was Outstanding Wrestler at the state wrestling tournament in 1979, Burley graduated from Lehigh in 1983 with a bachelor's degree in history and added a master's in history in 1985. He graduated with his juris doctorate from the Hofstra University School of Law in 1988.
Burley has coached at wrestling clubs in Pennsylvania and New Jersey while also being a clinician at wrestling camps at all levels. He currently works as an assistant wrestling coach, alongside head
coach and former Lehigh wrestler Solomon Fleckman, at the Cannon School in Concord, N.C.
A 1995 inductee into the Roger S. Penske/Lehigh Athletics Hall of Fame, Burley is also a member of the South Jersey Wrestling Hall of Fame.
Also elected to the National Wrestling Hall of Fame as Distinguished Members are Olympic and world medalist in Greco-Roman Matt Lindland, U.S. women's national head coach Terry Steiner and Toledo NCAA Champion and three-time finalist Greg Wojciechowski.
Distinguished Members can be a wrestler who has achieved extraordinary success in national and/or international competition; a coach who has demonstrated great leadership in the profession and who has compiled an outstanding record; or a contributor whose long-term activities have substantially enhanced the development and advancement of the sport.
Others elected as part of the class of 2025 include Meritorious Official honoree Ken Mara, Order of Merit Recipient Van Stokes, Medal of Courage recipient Mark Coleman and Outstanding American honoree Terry Davis.
The 2024-25 Lehigh wrestling season is presented by the Historic Hotel Bethlehem.
Like Lehigh Wrestling on Facebook and follow on X/Twitter and Instagram for exclusive updates throughout the season.
One of the most accomplished wrestlers to wear the Brown and White, Burley is a two-time NCAA Champion, a four-time finalist and one of just two four-time All-Americans for the Lehigh wrestling program. Burley amassed a 94-5-1 record for Lehigh from 1978 through 1983 and is one of five wrestlers to win four or more individual EIWA Championships for the Brown and White.
Burley will be formally inducted as part of the Class of 2025 at the 48th Honors Weekend, June 6-7, 2025 in Stillwater, Okla.
The sixth Distinguished Member from Lehigh University, Burley won a national championship as a true first-year in 1979 at 134, with a 23-2 season. He was the national runner-up in 1980 and 1981 at 134 and moved up to 142 for his senior season in 1983, going 26-0 to capture his second NCAA title.
In addition to his success at the EIWA and NCAA levels, Burley was a two-time champion and six-time finalist the prestigious Midlands Championships. In freestyle, Burley finished second at the 1983 World Team Trials and third at the 1984 Olympic Trials, with a bronze medal at the prestigious Tblisi Tournament in 1985 to his credit. He was a U.S. Open champion in 1985 after earning a runner-up finish the year prior.
A native of Pemberton, N.J., where he was Outstanding Wrestler at the state wrestling tournament in 1979, Burley graduated from Lehigh in 1983 with a bachelor's degree in history and added a master's in history in 1985. He graduated with his juris doctorate from the Hofstra University School of Law in 1988.
Burley has coached at wrestling clubs in Pennsylvania and New Jersey while also being a clinician at wrestling camps at all levels. He currently works as an assistant wrestling coach, alongside head
coach and former Lehigh wrestler Solomon Fleckman, at the Cannon School in Concord, N.C.
A 1995 inductee into the Roger S. Penske/Lehigh Athletics Hall of Fame, Burley is also a member of the South Jersey Wrestling Hall of Fame.
Also elected to the National Wrestling Hall of Fame as Distinguished Members are Olympic and world medalist in Greco-Roman Matt Lindland, U.S. women's national head coach Terry Steiner and Toledo NCAA Champion and three-time finalist Greg Wojciechowski.
Distinguished Members can be a wrestler who has achieved extraordinary success in national and/or international competition; a coach who has demonstrated great leadership in the profession and who has compiled an outstanding record; or a contributor whose long-term activities have substantially enhanced the development and advancement of the sport.
Others elected as part of the class of 2025 include Meritorious Official honoree Ken Mara, Order of Merit Recipient Van Stokes, Medal of Courage recipient Mark Coleman and Outstanding American honoree Terry Davis.
The 2024-25 Lehigh wrestling season is presented by the Historic Hotel Bethlehem.
Like Lehigh Wrestling on Facebook and follow on X/Twitter and Instagram for exclusive updates throughout the season.
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