David Carr after winning the Walsh Ironman title (Photo/Sam Janicki)STILLWATER, Okla. -- The National Wrestling Hall of Fame on Tuesday announced that David Carr of Massillon, Ohio, is the 2018 national winner of the Dave Schultz High School Excellence Award (DSHSEA).
Carr will be presented with his award during the 42nd Annual Honors Weekend at the National Wrestling Hall of Fame & Museum on June 1-2 in Stillwater, Oklahoma.
"It's an extreme honor for me to receive this award," said Carr. "I'm truly blessed. Dave Schultz was a legendary wrestler and it is so great that there is an award in his memory. The people who have received this award have gone on to do big things and accomplish the things I want to accomplish."
He is the son of Linda and Nate Carr, a Distinguished Member inducted into the National Wrestling Hall of Fame in 2003, and the brother of Nate Carr, Jr., who was the DSHSEA winner for Georgia in 2006.
The DSHSEA recognizes and celebrates the nation's most outstanding high school senior male wrestlers for their excellence in wrestling, scholastic achievement, citizenship, and community service. The Hall of Fame also presents the Tricia Saunders High School Excellence Award, which recognizes and celebrates the nation's most outstanding high school senior female wrestlers.
Regional winners are selected from state winners, and the national winner is chosen from the regional winners.
The DSHSEA was established in 1996 to honor Olympic and World champion Dave Schultz, whose career was cut short when he was murdered in January 1996. He was inducted into the National Wrestling Hall of Fame as a Distinguished Member in 1997 and as a member of the United World Wrestling Hall of Fame in 2016.
"Every year our committee has a difficult task determining the national winner for our Dave Schultz High School Excellence Award because there are so many deserving candidates," said Executive Director Lee Roy Smith. "We are so fortunate to have so many young men who are not only tremendous wrestlers, but also excellent students and good citizens. We are pleased to name David Carr as our national winner and are confident that he will represent the sport in a positive manner as he continues his career."
Carr becomes the fifth national winner from Ohio, joining Logan Stieber (2010), David Taylor (2009), C.P. Schlatter (2003) and Jeff Knupp (1997). Ohio has had the most national winners, followed by Pennsylvania with three and California, Minnesota and Oklahoma with two winners each. Florida, Iowa, Kansas, Michigan, New Jersey, New York, South Carolina, Utah and Wisconsin have each had one winner.
Carr was a four-time Ohio High School state champion for Perry High School and he also won a Kentucky High School state title as an eighth grader. He was voted the Outstanding Wrestler at the state tournament as a junior and as a senior and finished with a career record of 188-6. Carr was a Junior Nationals champion and was named Outstanding Wrestler in 2017, and he won a bronze medal at the World Championships in 2016.
Carr volunteers at a homeless shelter in Dayton, Ohio, and helped produce an anti-bullying video in response to the number of suicides at his high school. He has a 3.2 GPA and has signed a letter of intent to wrestle for Iowa State University.
The state winners are evaluated and selected on the basis of three criteria: success and standout performances and sportsmanship in wrestling; review of GPA and class rank, academic honors and distinctions; and participation in activities that demonstrate commitment to character and community.
The Hall of Fame accepts nominations for its high school excellence awards from state chapters and coaches. The nominations are reviewed by a committee, which selects state and regional winners. The committee then determines the national winners from the regional winners.
National winners of the DSHSEA award have combined to win 18 NCAA Division I individual titles led by four-time champion Stieber (2010), three-time winner Zain Retherford (2013) and two-time winners Steven Mocco (2001), Taylor (2009) and Teyon Ware (2002). The 2016 winner of the DSHSEA Mark Hall won an NCAA title as a freshman in 2017 while 2015 winner Zahid Valencia defeated Hall in the finals to win an NCAA title in 2018.
All-Time National Winners of Dave Schultz High School Excellence Award
2018 - David Carr, Perry High School, Massillon, Ohio
2017 - Daton Fix, Charles Page High School, Sand Springs, Oklahoma (Junior World Champion)
2016 - Mark Hall II, Apple Valley High School, Apple Valley, Minnesota (NCAA Champion, 2X Junior World Champion)
2015 -Zahid Valencia, St. John Bosco High School, Bellflower, California (NCAA Champion, Junior World Silver Medalist)
2014 - Chance Marsteller, Kennard-Dale High School, Fawn Grove, Pennsylvania
2013 - Zain Retherford, Benton Area High School, Benton, Pennsylvania (3X NCAA Champion)
2012 - Taylor Massa, St. Johns High School, St. Johns, Michigan
2011 - Morgan McIntosh, Calvary Chapel High School, Santa Ana, California
2010 - Logan Stieber, Monroeville High School, Monroeville, Ohio (4X NCAA Champion)
2009 - David Taylor, Graham High School, St. Paris, Ohio (2X NCAA Champion)
2008 - Jason Chamberlain, Springville High School, Springville, Utah
2007 - Zachary Sanders, Wabasha-Kellogg High School, Wabasha, Minnesota
2006 - David Craig, Brandon High School, Brandon, Florida
2005 - Troy Nickerson, Chenango Forks High School, Chenango Forks, New York (NCAA Champion)
2004 - Coleman Scott, Waynesburg High School, Waynesburg, Pennsylvania (NCAA Champion and Olympic bronze medalist)
2003 - C.P. Schlatter, St. Paul Graham High School, Urbana, Ohio
2002 - Teyon Ware, Edmond North High School, Edmond, Oklahoma (2X NCAA Champion)
2001 - Steven Mocco, Blair Academy, Blairstown, New Jersey (2X NCAA Champion and Olympian)
2000 -Ben Connell, Lugoff-Elgin High School, Lugoff, South Carolina
1999 -Zach Roberson, Blue Valley North West High School, Overland Park, Kansas (NCAA Champion)
1998 - Garrett Lowney, Freedom High School, Appleton, Wisconsin (2X Olympian) and Justin Ruiz, Taylorsville High School, Salt Lake City, Utah (Olympian)
1997 - Jeff Knupp, Walsh Jesuit High School, Akron, Ohio
1996 - David Kjeldgaard, Lewis Central High School, Council Bluffs, Iowa
America's shrine to the sport of wrestling, the National Wrestling Hall of Fame & Museum was founded as a nonprofit organization in 1976 to honor the sport of wrestling, preserve its history, recognize extraordinary individual achievements, and inspire future generations. The National Wrestling Hall of Fame has museums in Stillwater, Oklahoma, and Waterloo, Iowa. The Stillwater, Oklahoma, location reopened in June 2016 following a $3.8 million renovation and now features interactive exhibits and electronic kiosks, as well as the opportunity to watch NCAA Championship matches from the 1930s to present day. It also has the John T. Vaughan Hall of Honors where the greatest names in wrestling are recognized, including iconic granite plaques presented to Distinguished Members since the Hall of Fame opened in 1976. The museum has the largest collection of wrestling artifacts and memorabilia in the world, including the most collegiate and Olympic wrestling uniforms. Wrestling truly is for everyone and the diversity and accessibility of the sport continues to be highlighted through exhibits featuring females, African Americans, Asian Americans, Native Americans, and Latino Americans. There is also a library featuring historical documents, including NCAA guides and results, as well as books on the sport.
For more information about the Hall of Fame, please visit www.NWHOF.org.
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