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When I was a freshman at Washington College, a friend came to me with a dilemma.

He was on the college wrestling team. Unfortunately the team had lost almost one-half of its wrestlers to injuries and academic ineligibility.  With five matches left in the season, they were looking for warm bodies to fill slots.

The friend’s name was Ken Kiler and he coaxed me onto the team even though I had never wrestled competitively before.

He gave me a two-week crash course and sent me to the mats against Swarthmore with the goal of lasting through three periods.  After that match, my goal quickly became lasting just through the first period.  Sadly, I never reached that goal.

I may have been one of Kiler’s first students – it’s a wonder he didn’t quit after me.  Instead, he forged on and there have been hundreds of successful wrestlers who have developed their skills under his tutelage.

As a wrestling guru, Kiler has mentored many students on and off the mats who have achieved exceptional success in sports and in life.  Some have gone on to become scholastic state champions as well as accomplishing record-setting careers at the Division I college level.  They all give kudos to Kiler and their experiences in learning the fundamentals in the Manchester recreational wrestling program.

For his years of dedication and hard work, Kiler will be honored on November 15 with the “Lifetime Service to Wrestling Award” and inducted into the National Wrestling Hall of Fame.

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Located in Stillwater, Oklahoma, the National Wrestling Hall of Fame and Museum is the premier national organization for American wrestlers and coaches.  It recognizes coaches across the nation for their commitment to wrestling and for serving as positive role models to student athletes.  Former North Carroll High School wrestling coach Richard Bauerlein is the only other coach associated with Carroll County high schools to be recognized with this honor.

Kiler wrestled at North Carroll High School and Washington College.  Shortly after graduating from college in 1972, he organized the Manchester wrestling program and was the program administrator for many years.  This program is now affiliated with the North Carroll Recreation Council.

Kiler’s volunteer positions have required many hours away from home but it was a labor of love according to his wife, Rhonda Kiler.  “His love for the sport of wrestling and his dedication to his students is unbelievable,” Rhonda said.  She added, “coaching and watching our sons, Andy and Tommy, was especially rewarding and the highlight of his volunteer career.”

As former students have returned to the program with children of their own, a new generation has taken over the leadership of the North Carroll wrestling program’s expanding teams.  Dan Thomas, Doug Dell and Tom Dell are a few of the former wrestlers who now coach in the recreation program.

“He made wrestling fun and yet we were learning the whole time,” says Tom Dell who grew up wrestling with the Manchester program.  Dell describes Kiler’s leadership as “a great teacher, a great organizer and as knowledgeable about wrestling and anyone can be.”  Dell, Jeremy Myers and Kiler’s son, Tommy, were state wrestling champions for North Carroll High School in the mid-1990s.

Noting that both Kiler and Bauerlein have received national hall of fame inductions, Dell added, “My generation of local wrestlers was so fortunate to have two of the best coaches in the nation for our rec league and high school careers.”

Kiler has taken on new challenges with state-wide responsibilities when he was elected president of the Maryland Junior Wrestling League last year.  Foremost among his goals for this organization is the coordination of an accredited state tournament for the junior wrestling associations in Maryland.

“Kenny is very deserving and he has been tremendous for the kids,” said Bauerlein who coached wrestling at Westminster High School for eight years before a 20-year stint as North Carroll’s coach.  “Wrestlers that came from Kiler’s program had great experience and provided a strong foundation for our successful high school teams.”

“North Carroll has been very blessed to have a guy like Kenny Kiler mentoring these young wrestlers for such a long time,” Bauerlein concluded.

The Maryland Chapter of the National Wrestling Hall of Fame will hold the 2009 induction ceremonies on Sunday, November 15 at the Lowe’s Hotel in Annapolis.  For additional information, go to the website: https://mdwrestlinghof.ticketleap.com.

Joe Getty is was a former Delegate representing Carroll County in the Maryland House of  Delegates and is currently a practicing Attorney in Manchester. Joe's columns appear in the Northern News and are reprinted here in the Carroll Standard. Email: This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it

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