BERLIN- Decatur varsity wrestling coach Todd Martinek next month with be inducted into the National Wrestling Hall of Fame-Maryland Chapter for his lifetime of service to the sport.
Martinek shares a distinction with two other Marylanders in the National Hall of Fame who each wrestled, coached and refereed in the Maryland State Finals. He won the state championship at Bel Air in 1989 wrestling at 108 pounds. Martinek then moved on to Salisbury State University where he captained the school’s last team in 1992 before SU dropped its Division III program.
After graduating from Salisbury, Martinek started an eight-year run at head coach at Bennett High School and compiled a 73-38 record. He then moved on to become an assistant at Decatur, compiling an 80-4 record. Martinek then became a wrestling official for the next three years and refereed at the state dual meet and individual state tournament in 2009 and 2010.
Martinek returned to Decatur as head coach in 2012. Entering the 2021-2022 season, he has coached five state champions and 46 state place-winners. He has been named Bayside Coach of the Year at both Bennett and Decatur.
In addition to his accolades as a competitor, referee and coach, Martinek and former Decatur Coach Kevin Gilligan conceived of the highly-competitive War on the Shore tournament starting in 2002. In 2015, Martinek began hosting the All-American Summer Wrestling Camp featuring coaches from Princeton University.
The National Wrestling Hall of Fame Awards and Induction Ceremony will be held in Annapolis on Sunday, November 14.
