Moses Lake trio honored at National Wrestling Hall of Fame

Moses Lake has seen a lot of good wrestling over the past 50 years.

That's one reason three Moses Lake residents will be inducted into the National Wrestling Hall of Fame Washington Chapter. Mel Olson, Dick Deane and Jon Lane will be inducted on Saturday, May 8 at the Maribeau Park Inn in Spokane, Wash.

All three have become legends in their own right across the state.

Olson started coaching the sport of wrestling in 1955 as the head coach of the Chief Moses Junior High School program.

"I started with Eric Beardsley and he got us all involved in it," Olson said.

Olson was teaching physical education at the time he took on the position at the junior high and learned wrestling moves from Beardsley, first head coach for Moses Lake's wrestling team, on a daily basis.

But, the teacher/coach soon found his niche and love in life.

In 1962, Olson started broadcasting football and wrestling and became the "Voice of the Chiefs" on the radio. His pioneer voyage into broadcasting wrestling became a new experience in the state of wrestling.

His love for the microphone soon brought to an end his coaching and officiating careers.

"One thing had to give and I liked broadcasting," Olson said. "I started broadcasting during Dick Deane's first year coaching."

Moses Lake wrestling fans have heard the words of Olson spew from the speakers for 41 years and began in the era of Deane as head coach.

"Dick Deane made the radio broadcasting go a little bit," Olson added. "He felt broadcasting made people come into the gym to see the matches."

Deane was the third coach in the Moses Lake wrestling program, taking over for Gary Frey. Deane coached Moses Lake greats like Lane and Ron Seibel.

"My senior year was Deane's first year as head coach and I broke him in," Lane said. "It wasn't easy on both sides, but we helped each other grow along the way."

Deane called his life a struggle, earning everything that came his way. As a head coach, he compiled a 322-50-3 record and four consecutive state titles from 1965 to 1968.

Deane coached 16 wrestlers to individual state titles and 49 total state placers while at Moses Lake.

"When I was a little kid, I would sit at home and listen to the ball game because I couldn't afford to go and I always wanted to be apart of athletics," Deane said. "I wanted to be a change maker and I feel I have done that in the lives of my family."

He helped change national rules, was the first cultural exchange wrestling coach in the state of Washington and redefined the existence of a "wrestling family".

Deane was named Washington State Wrestling Coach of the Year in 1974, and Outstanding Contribution Award for Officiating in 1989. Deane has also been named to the Washington State Wrestling Coaches Hall of Fame, the Moses Lake High School Hall of Fame and Central Washington High School Hall of Fame.

"Have I reached my epitome, it is just another building block for the things that I get to do for my community, society and my family," Deane added.

Deane said Lane was "a Moses Lake trademark name," for the accomplishments Lane has had on the wrestling mat and in the community.

Lane was a standout wrestler for Moses Lake, winning two state titles and compiling a 44-3 record. He won the National Junior College wrestling championship at 152 pounds in 1967, but became a legend in a different way.

In 1996, Lane was put to the test.

"There is no doubt in that situation, of course, I was scared, but I knew I had to do the best job I could," Lane said.

On September 2, 1996, Barry Loukaitas walked into the Frontier Middle School and changed the lives of families, Moses Lake and the nation.

Lane helped bring the terror Loukaitas brought into the school to an end. A task he felt he had to do, but also prepared to do with his wrestling background.

"I was a teacher, a coach and a responsible person who had to take care of those kids," Lane added.

Lane was named Moses Lake Citizen of the Year, received the Carnegie Hero Award, Robert Connelly Heroism Award and the Presidents Award from the Washington State Retired Teachers Association.

Lane's willingness to serve his community continued past 1996 with service on the Moses Lake City Council and the Mat Muscle program for young kids.

"I hope I have given back to the sport something, because it has given me an awful lot," Lane said. "It shaped my values of who I am and what I have been able to do with my life."

Deane called the wrestling family intertwined and the 2004 National Wrestling Hall of Fame echoes that sentiment.

Deane coached against Olson at Frontier Middle School while Olson was with Chief Moses and both coaches helped Lane through middle school and high school.

"Family has always been important to me," Deane said. "The wrestling family has always been important to me."