National Wrestling Hall of Fame: Stillwater, Oklahoma

Lifetime Service to Wrestling: Honoree, John V. Lowe

In recognition for his years of dedications to the development of leadership and citizenship in young people through the sport of wrestling;

• 226 – 98 overall record
• 3X Maryland State 2A-1A Champions (Winters Mill HS)
• 4X Consecutive Carroll County Champions
• 28 State Place Winners, 23 Carroll Co. Champions
• 4X Centennial Conference Champions (McDaniel)
• 6 All-Americans, 29 Centennial Conf. Individual Champions
• 5X Maryland National Team Coach (Freestyle & Greco)
• 19 USAW All-Americans, 3 National Champions
• 1993 AAU National Greco-Roman Champion 163 lbs

John Lowe began his wrestling career in the 9^th grade at St. Michaels High School, one of the smallest public schools in Maryland. There he was a team captain and 1983 state qualifier for NWHOF coach King Hill. From there he moved on to compete and become a 3 – year starter for NWHOF (Virginia Chapter) coach Gary Franke. It was during college that John began to work at the U.S. Naval Academy Summer Camps with the legendary Hall of Famers Ed Peery and Lloyd Keaser, and would continue as a counselor and coach there for 20 straight summers. Lowe would find Greco-Roman to be his favorite style, winning five state Open Division titles and an AAU National gold medal at 163 lbs. in 1993.

Lowe’s coaching career began at his alma mater, where he would restart the program at St. Michaels from 1988 – 90. He took over as coach for Salisbury State University in their final year of competition in 1991 – 92 while earning a Master’s in English. Then, after a year assisting at Oakland Mills High in Columbia in 1993 – 94, Lowe took over the reins at then Western Maryland College (which changed its name to McDaniel in 2002). The Western Maryland roster had only 6 athletes by the end of the 1994 – 95 season, but four years later they would win their first of four Centennial Conference titles. Lowe would win Centennial Conference Coach of the year three times in 1998, 2000, and 2002, finishing as a runner-up for National Coach of the year in 2000. McDaniel College would have five Top 25 finishes at the NCAAs, finishing as high as 11^th in the dual meet rankings, and Lowe would bring the Green Terror their first ever wrestling All-Americans, six in all in his nine years there.