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After nearly three and a half decades of officiating at the high school and collegiate levels, Hopewell High School graduate Jeff Cook will be officially inducted into the Pennsylvania chapter of the National Wrestling Hall of Fame in April as an official.
“When you go into officiating, being inducted into the PA Chapter of the National Wrestling Hall of Fame is not something you set out to achieve,” Cook said. “You want to do a good job, be truthful and have the opportunity to do bigger matches. I didn’t officiate for the accolades, I like to go off in the sunset and help where I can but this is an honor.”
Cook was a wrestler and baseball player who was also a three-year letter winner at Hopewell for his athletic achievements.
When it was time to go to college, Cook followed his father who took a job in the Philadelphia area and attended West Chester University and played two years of collegiate baseball helping the team win a PSAC title in 1983.
After those two years, got an opportunity that would change his life.
“A teacher that taught at the school my dad worked at told him that I could make some good beer money by doing junior high matches and that’s how I got my start in officiating wrestling.”
Required Reading: Midland's Chris Shovlin inducted into PA Association of Broadcasters HaIl of Fame
As Cook began to get his foot in the door into wrestling officiating, his career got off to a rocky start after not studying for the wrestling officials exam and failing the test the first time.
But failing the exam was a blessing in disguise for the longtime official as it would help him later in his career.
“I was a good student at Hopewell and since I also wrestled in high school, I thought that I had a grasp on things before I took the test,” Cook said. “The first time, I failed it but I think that it helped me get my nose into the rulebook because everyone came to me for questions when I was the rules interpreter for District I for 16 years.”
With Cook navigating through his first years of high school wrestling, he was taken under the wing of fellow official Ken Dawes who was inducted into the PA National Wrestling Hall of Fame chapter in 2021.
Dawes helped Cook work up the ranks in the high school level and get his opportunity to work postseason wrestling tournaments at the section, district and state.
“He [Dawes] took a liking to me and helped me grow as an official but he can only do so much because you still have to perform and make the calls. He was an advocate for me at the high school level and three years into officiating, I got my first section tournament followed by the districts, then regionals three times before I did the state tournament.”
After getting acclimated to officiating high school postseason wrestling, Dawes helped out Cook once again, getting him into officiating at the collegiate ranks starting at Division III.
The Hopewell native spent 3-4 years working his way up the collegiate ranks before getting his first Division I assignment.
“It was tough in the beginning because the rules are different, but I dug my head into a rule book again and learned the differences. Ken Dawes brought me along to those matches and got me opportunities. Then it progressed to the Division I level when I did the Penn wrestle-offs in their wrestling room. Their coach recommended me to their conference the EIWA to officiate their qualifiers for nationals before doing the Big Ten tournament.”
During his tenure as a Division I official, Cook officiated nine NCAA Division I championships from 2008-16 including five NCAA Division I finals bouts, 15 EIWA championships, five Big Ten championships and five PAC 12 championships.
Officiating championship bouts can be special however, the most rewarding assignment that he got at the highest level of collegiate wrestling was the Grapple on the Gridiron dual between Oklahoma State and Iowa at Kinnick Stadium in Iowa City.
“That is the biggest attended of a college wrestling match in the United States with 42,287 fans,” Cook said. “At the time you don’t think of the significance but in hindsight, it was a big event for the sport of wrestling so it was great to be a part of.”
Cook went on to retire from officiating in 2018 but recently worked as the NCAA Division I Championship Video Review Official in 2021 and at the Division II level in 2023. He also has served as a liaison for Tim Shiels, the NCAA coordinator of officials, as a video review educator and recommended officials for NCAA postseason tournaments.
His assignments might be done on the mat, but Cook still mentors young officials helping guide them through their careers.
“For me, there was more reward in mentoring the younger officials than all the accolades I received as an official,” Cook said. “Helping the younger officials, being able to give them wisdom, guidance and see things from a different perspective, that is what means the most to me.”
Cook will be inducted on April 27, 2025, at the 31st annual induction ceremony at the Hershey Lodge in Hershey, Pa.
This article originally appeared on Beaver County Times: Jeff Cook to be inducted to PA chapter of National Wrestling Hall of Fame
Continue reading...
“When you go into officiating, being inducted into the PA Chapter of the National Wrestling Hall of Fame is not something you set out to achieve,” Cook said. “You want to do a good job, be truthful and have the opportunity to do bigger matches. I didn’t officiate for the accolades, I like to go off in the sunset and help where I can but this is an honor.”
Cook was a wrestler and baseball player who was also a three-year letter winner at Hopewell for his athletic achievements.
When it was time to go to college, Cook followed his father who took a job in the Philadelphia area and attended West Chester University and played two years of collegiate baseball helping the team win a PSAC title in 1983.
After those two years, got an opportunity that would change his life.
“A teacher that taught at the school my dad worked at told him that I could make some good beer money by doing junior high matches and that’s how I got my start in officiating wrestling.”
Required Reading: Midland's Chris Shovlin inducted into PA Association of Broadcasters HaIl of Fame
As Cook began to get his foot in the door into wrestling officiating, his career got off to a rocky start after not studying for the wrestling officials exam and failing the test the first time.
But failing the exam was a blessing in disguise for the longtime official as it would help him later in his career.
“I was a good student at Hopewell and since I also wrestled in high school, I thought that I had a grasp on things before I took the test,” Cook said. “The first time, I failed it but I think that it helped me get my nose into the rulebook because everyone came to me for questions when I was the rules interpreter for District I for 16 years.”
With Cook navigating through his first years of high school wrestling, he was taken under the wing of fellow official Ken Dawes who was inducted into the PA National Wrestling Hall of Fame chapter in 2021.
Dawes helped Cook work up the ranks in the high school level and get his opportunity to work postseason wrestling tournaments at the section, district and state.
“He [Dawes] took a liking to me and helped me grow as an official but he can only do so much because you still have to perform and make the calls. He was an advocate for me at the high school level and three years into officiating, I got my first section tournament followed by the districts, then regionals three times before I did the state tournament.”
After getting acclimated to officiating high school postseason wrestling, Dawes helped out Cook once again, getting him into officiating at the collegiate ranks starting at Division III.
The Hopewell native spent 3-4 years working his way up the collegiate ranks before getting his first Division I assignment.
“It was tough in the beginning because the rules are different, but I dug my head into a rule book again and learned the differences. Ken Dawes brought me along to those matches and got me opportunities. Then it progressed to the Division I level when I did the Penn wrestle-offs in their wrestling room. Their coach recommended me to their conference the EIWA to officiate their qualifiers for nationals before doing the Big Ten tournament.”
During his tenure as a Division I official, Cook officiated nine NCAA Division I championships from 2008-16 including five NCAA Division I finals bouts, 15 EIWA championships, five Big Ten championships and five PAC 12 championships.
Officiating championship bouts can be special however, the most rewarding assignment that he got at the highest level of collegiate wrestling was the Grapple on the Gridiron dual between Oklahoma State and Iowa at Kinnick Stadium in Iowa City.
“That is the biggest attended of a college wrestling match in the United States with 42,287 fans,” Cook said. “At the time you don’t think of the significance but in hindsight, it was a big event for the sport of wrestling so it was great to be a part of.”
Cook went on to retire from officiating in 2018 but recently worked as the NCAA Division I Championship Video Review Official in 2021 and at the Division II level in 2023. He also has served as a liaison for Tim Shiels, the NCAA coordinator of officials, as a video review educator and recommended officials for NCAA postseason tournaments.
His assignments might be done on the mat, but Cook still mentors young officials helping guide them through their careers.
“For me, there was more reward in mentoring the younger officials than all the accolades I received as an official,” Cook said. “Helping the younger officials, being able to give them wisdom, guidance and see things from a different perspective, that is what means the most to me.”
Cook will be inducted on April 27, 2025, at the 31st annual induction ceremony at the Hershey Lodge in Hershey, Pa.
This article originally appeared on Beaver County Times: Jeff Cook to be inducted to PA chapter of National Wrestling Hall of Fame
Continue reading...
