Part 1: HOF banquet spotlights long line of love for wrestling

Editor’s Note: This is the first of a two-part series recapping the second annual Nodaway Valley Wrestling Hall of Fame Banquet that was held at 16 Oaks last Saturday.

As a sort of love letter to the Greenfield and Nodaway Valley wrestling programs, the second annual Nodaway Valley Wrestling Hall of Fame banquet was held Saturday night. The evening included many highlights such as the induction of four new members to the Nodaway Valley Wrestling Hall of Fame.

By many accounts, the Hall of Fame board members outdid themselves, raising the bar for what an honors banquet is. Current Hall of Fame board members include Tim Baier, Mike Beaman, Steve McClelland, Logan Queck and Brad Honnold.

Last year’s class was the first of Hall of Fame inductees. They were the Swoyer Family, Darry Chiles and Rex Hight, Coach Lonnie Timmerman as well as the 1964 undefeated team. This year saw four more inductees join the inaugural class: Jon Lambi, Coach Larry Riley, the Benton family and the 1971 Greenfield Tiger team.

Some of the greats of Tiger/Wolverine wrestling history shared memories in front of a packed house at Sixteen Oaks in Fontanelle.

Jon Lambi

Lambi, arguably one of the most decorated athletes to come through Nodaway Valley, passed away in 2022, and his award was accepted by his son Dan Lambi. Steve McClelland told a story of Lambi that there was a parody song of Jimmy Dean’s “Big John” that former teammate Tom Swoyer would sing. The song was played and memories flooded the banquet hall for many.

Ron Hager gave an introduction. Hager graduated from Greenfield in 1963, was a friend and teammate of Lambi’s and qualified to go to state with him. He wrestled and played football at Northwest Missouri State University and later coached wrestling at Wayne High School. Hager said Lambi was his best friend from junior high through high school.

Lambi’s son Dan said his dad was the most incredible man he has ever known in his life.

“I was only 7 when I was in Iowa last. He (dad) was a stoic man, but once you started talking about wrestling his ears would perk up,” Dan said. ”I was always proud of my dad. I was always proud to say ‘my dad is bigger than your dad.’

“He had a big heart and warmed up every room he entered,” Dan added. ”If he loved you, you knew it. If he was invested in you, you felt it. To have this moment to honor him means so much,” Lambi said.

Jon Lambi is the only person in school history to play two sports at the NCAA Division 1 level, wrestling and playing football at Iowa State. At 6-4, 265 pounds in the 1960s, Jon was a large man who was both feared by his opponents but also known as a gentle giant off the mat.

Jon was a four-year starter (1960-1963) at heavyweight for the Greenfield wrestling team. His accomplishments included being the first state finalist in program history (he lost 1-0 in the finals on a last second escape) and receiving the 1963 MVP trophy from legendary Coach Timmerman. He lost only one regular season match his last two seasons and pinned almost all of his opponents. Additionally, he was a two-time Corning tournament champion and pinned his way through the tournament.

Jon was just as dominant as a lineman on the Greenfield football field. He was all-conference, was recognized by the Omaha World Herald and recruited by Iowa State.

Off the mat, Jon was president of his high school senior class, served his country in Vietnam, receiving the Purple Heart Award, had a successful agricultural business career, had a team as president of the Arkansas Agricultural Council and volunteered for numerous organizations including the Bill Clinton Presidential Library and the Little Rock Rangers Soccer Club. In addition, he was the proud father of his three children: Madelyn, Catherine and Daniel.

Benton Family

The Benton family has had an impact across many teams and many generations of Tigers and Wolverines. Beaman and Baier presented the family that has meant a lot to the hometown wrestling community, officially inducting them

Beaman said that the Benton kids weren’t always in team pictures as they helped the family farm and when their dad needed them, they worked at the farm and sometimes missed practices, and thus, being in team photos. So, according to Beaman, great lengths were taken to secure photos of all of the Benton family wrestlers for the banquet. Beaman continued, talking about the members of the family, sharing stories that made everyone smile.

Rory Benton talked for the Benton family when accepting the award. He shared highlights from his time in the program as both a participant and a coach, reflecting on how special it was and how thankful he was to be a part of it.

The Bentons are the first family to have three direct generations wrestle for the program. Five Bentons (Marion, Roger, Rory, Aaron and Adam) all wrestled varsity with successful careers and earned a combined four state medals (1st, 2nd, 2nd, 5th). In addition, Marion’s wife Ardith (wrestling cheerleader chaperone), daughter Rita (mat maid), and granddaughters Amanda (wrestling manager) and Demi (wrestling cheerleader) also supported the program.

Marion was a four-year starter and three-time letter winner from 1954-1957, helping solidify the early years of the program. He was a tough, no-nonsense man, characteristics that he instilled in his sons and grandsons.

Marion’s sons Roger (1974-1976) and Rory (1974-1977) both wrestled varsity with successful careers, including Rory finishing 2nd at state his junior season and 5th at state his senior season while wrestling with a severe shoulder injury.

Marion’s grandsons Aaron (1994-1997) and Adam (1999-2002) both wrestled varsity with successful careers, including Adam finishing second at state his junior season and capping off his senior year (and the Benton legacy) with a state championship his senior season. He furthered his career at Ellsworth Community College where he was a NJCAA All-American as a freshman, finishing third.

Rory was also an assistant coach (1996) and a head coach (1997-2002). He coached 14 state qualifiers and eight state medalists, including one state champion. He coached the only two teams in program history to finish top-8 at the state duals tournament. He was the head coach of two of the program’s most accomplished wrestlers: Adam Benton (1st and 2nd finishes) and Mario Galanakis, the program’s only four-time state medalist (5th, 3rd, 3rd, 3rd).