Ray Marling was presented with the prestigious Mr. Mat Award during Saturday’s 72nd annual OVAC Ron Mauck Wrestling Championship inside WesBanco Arena. Pictured from left, are his stepson Jack Becker, former Mr. Mat Bill Welker, Marling, his wife Jackie, and Dan Doyle, OVAC Wrestling Director. (Photo Courtesy of Briggs Photography)

WHEELING — Ray Marling has dedicated most of his life to the sport he loved — wrestling.

As a result of his loyalty and years of service, he was presented with the prestigious Mr. Mat Award prior to Saturday’s 72nd annual OVAC Ron Mauck Wrestling Championships inside WesBanco Arena.

A 1972 graduate of John Marshall High School, Marling wrestled for legendary coaches Bill Hinegardner and Ed Dugas. Throughout the years, he has credited these two gentlemen for nurturing his love for wrestling. Furthermore, he is also very proud of his son, Jason – a former wrestler, who is now the principal at John Marshall High School.

After graduating high school, Marling coached youth wrestling in Marshall County for years and helped at local junior high tournaments.

He started officiating in 1985 as a member of the Ohio Valley Wrestling Officials Association. He then took on a leadership role of the association in 1988 as the local board’s secretary, a position he held for 14 years. That can be quite a job, listening to complaints regarding various officiating matters. Marling was also the President and Rules Interpreter of the Association.

Throughout those years, Marling served on the Ohio High School Eastern District Association Appeals and Review Board, as well as being the Assignor for Ohio’s Sectional and District Tournaments for 12 years. He now serves as vice president, a position he has held for five years. During this time, Marling and his fellow officers initiated a golf scramble to create an annual scholarship for a deserving OVAC wrestler.

As an arbiter of the mats for more than 30 years, Marling worked 28 West Virginia State Tournaments, 30 OVAC Tournaments, 14 West Virginia Class AAA Regional Tournaments, 15 West Virginia A/AA Regional Tournaments, 19 Ohio Division II and III District Tournaments, and 15 Ohio Division II and III Sectional Tournaments.

Marling has also conducted West Virginia Secondary School Activities Commission Wrestling Rules Clinics throughout the state, and was actually the rules interpreter at the West Virginia state tournament in 2010.

Over the years, he has received numerous accolades for his mat officiating mechanics. In 1994, he was selected as the West Virginia Wrestling Official of the Year. Ray Marling was also named the 1998 Ohio Wrestling Official of the Year.

But most rewarding to Ray Marling is being selected three times by the OVAC wrestling coaches as the “Larry Deaton Official of the Year” (1996, 1998 and 2005). In fact, he was the first recipient of the award.

After retiring from refereeing in March of 2017, Marling was far from done contributing to OVAC wrestling. He immediately began working as a scorekeeper at the OVAC Ron Mauck Wrestling Championships — and he has done many other duties behind the scenes — at the tournament, as well.

Most recently, he has accepted the position of “evaluating the officials” during the OVAC Ron Mauck Wrestling Tournament for the last few years.

In 2018, Ray Marling was inducted into the National Wrestling Hall of Fame — West Virginia Chapter — for his “Lifetime Service to Wrestling.”

A retired underground coal miner, he and his wife, Jackie, reside in Bridgeport. They have four children — Jack, Jason, Heather and Rob – and are now enjoying their five grandchildren: Drew, Derion, Zane, Maddie and Tori.