The Akron Board of Education on Monday voted to name the new wrestling room at Firestone Community Learning Center to honor Bill Dies and his family.
The Dies Wrestling Room recognizes the efforts of the Dies family for their involvement in establishing several wrestling events that culminated in the annual Summit County Tournament hosted by Akron Public Schools at Firestone High School. The annual competition was renamed The Bill Dies Memorial Wrestling Tournament in 1987, after the death of Bill Dies.
Dies established the Firestone High School Takedown Club in the 1970s as a way to encourage participation in the school’s wrestling program. He and his wife, Netta, supported the program in the early years by running the concession stands at sectional and district tournaments hosted at Firestone High.
Dies, an electrical contractor, also co-founded the Ohio Youth Wrestling Association.
The 30th annual Bill Dies Memorial Wrestling Tournament is scheduled for January 2017 in the Firestone gymnasium, with the continued support of the Dies family. The tournament is one of Ohio’s premier wrestling competitions, which includes 48 teams from across the state.
Colette Jenkins can be reached at 330-996-3731 or cjenkins@thebeaconjournal.com. She can be followed at www.twitter.com/ColetteMJenkins.