11/10/26 – Jim Matney to Receive Lifetime Service To Wrestling Award from National Wrestling Hall of Fame

November 10, 2026 2026-2027 News Releases

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE – Nov. 10, 2026

Jim Matney, one of Eastern Kentucky’s most accomplished and passionate champions of high school athletics, will receive one of wrestling’s highest honors with his recognition at the National Wrestling Hall of Fame.

Five years after Matney’s passing, his family has been notified that he will posthumously receive the prestigious Lifetime Service to Wrestling Award, recognizing his lasting contributions to the sport and the athletes he mentored throughout his coaching career.

A 1977 graduate of Belfry High School, Matney was a standout three-sport athlete in football, wrestling and baseball. He continued his wrestling career at Liberty University, where he excelled on the mat and eventually earned a spot as an alternate on the 1984 U.S. Olympic wrestling team.

Matney began building his coaching legacy at Sheldon Clark High School in 1983, where he coached both football and wrestling. His wrestling program captured back-to-back Kentucky state team championships in 1994 and 1995, while 17 individual wrestlers earned state championships under his guidance.

In 2004, Matney took over the Johnson Central High School football program and helped establish the Golden Eagles as one of Kentucky’s premier programs. Under his leadership, Johnson Central made five consecutive appearances in the state championship game, capturing state titles in 2016 and 2019.

His success on the football field was matched by his continued accomplishments in wrestling. Matney captained Johnson Central to state wrestling dual-meet championships in 2019 and 2021 and coached ten individual state champions.

Throughout his career, Matney was a champion for the mountains of Eastern Kentucky and his influence was evident in the titles he won and the myriad of lives he helped develop. His commitment to challenging young people, building successful programs and promoting the sport of wrestling left a lasting impact on countless athletes, families and communities across Eastern Kentucky.

His selection for the National Wrestling Hall of Fame’s Lifetime Service to Wrestling Award is a fitting recognition of a coaching career defined by dedication, leadership and an unwavering commitment to the athletes he served.

The National Wrestling Hall of Fame induction ceremonies will take place June 4-5, 2027, at the National Wrestling Hall of Fame and Museum in Stillwater, Oklahoma.

– KHSAA –

About the Kentucky High School Athletic Association

The Kentucky High School Athletic Association was organized in 1917 and is the agency designated by the Kentucky Department of Education to manage high school athletics in the Commonwealth. The Association is a voluntary nonprofit 501(c) (3) organization composed of 290 member schools, both public and non-public. The KHSAA crowns 74 team and 275 individual champions at 48 state championship events; funds catastrophic insurance coverage for its nearly 120,000 rostered member school student-athletes, provides coaching education and sports safety programs for more than 12,000 coaches, and licenses and facilitates the distribution of training material for over 4,000 contest officials.