Southern Oregon University alums Doug Samarron, John Speasl and Cleve Thompson will be among the 2018 class of inductees into the National Wrestling Hall of Fame by the Oregon chapter on May 5.
 
The 2018 lifetime service induction will be held at the Tigard Embassy Suites Hotel, and tickets are available online at TicketLeap. The class also includes Bob Bishop (Willamina), Miles Hancock (Pendleton and Coos Bay), Darrel Kauffman (Lebanon and Corvallis) and Milo Meskel (Portland).
 
Samarron, an Ashland native, was a three-time regional wrestling champion and two-time All-American for the Raiders. He placed third nationally at 126 pounds in 1983 – helping SOU win its second national title – and second in '84. After spending six years as an assistant at Oregon City High and six more as an assistant at West Linn, he became West Linn's head coach in 2001 and led the Lions to seven consecutive district champions. In 2004, he was named the Oregon Coach of the Year.
 
In 2007, Samarron was inducted into the SOU Sports Hall of Fame with the Raiders' 1982-83 team.
 
Speasl – a 2014 SOU Sports Hall of Fame inductee – wrestled two seasons for the Raiders after winning a state Greco-Roman championship at Lebanon High and placing twice in the junior-college ranks at Clark College (Wash.). He earned SOU's Most Inspirational Wrestler Award both seasons and in 1971 placed third at 142 pounds in NAIA District 3, boosting the Raiders to their first of 48 consecutive winning seasons – a streak that is still active today.
 
While attaining his master's degree at SOU, Speasl served as a graduate assistant under legendary head coach Bob Riehm from 1971-73. He helped recruit and develop seven eventual All-Americans during that time, then went on to become one of the most respected figures in the Oregon sports community with his career at Southwestern Oregon Community College. During his 38 years at SWOCC, where he started as a health and physical education instructor, Speasl was the head wrestling coach for 15 years, the head volleyball coach for 32 years and the director of athletics for 25 years.
 
Thompson never wrestled for the Raiders: He was an all-conference football player at SOU in 1969, but has been a wrestling coach for the last 46 years. At Glide High, where he coached for 13 years, his teams won eight district championships and he was a five-time Sky-Em Coach of the Year. Since moving to the Portland area, he has served as a coach for the Peninsula Wrestling Club since 1990. He has also been the head coach for 18 years of the Oregon Cadet National team and two years as coach of the Oregon Junior National team.
 
Joining the former Raiders in the 2018 lifetime service induction will be Milo Meskel, a Portland referee; Miles Hancock, a La Grande coach; and Bob Bishop, Willamina coach. Dr. Darrel Kauffman will be recognized posthumously.