Ray Mariucci - Class of 2005

(Iron Mountain)

A pioneer in the development of high school wrestling in the Upper Peninsula, Ray Mariucci was also instrumental in starting the wrestling program at Northern Michigan University in the late 1960's.  A boxer and wrestler at Michigan State University, the native of Italy coached East Lansing High School to a Class B state wrestling title in 1951 and started the wrestling program at Kingsford High School and helped initiate the Iron Mountain High School program and organized the first U.P.  Tournament in 1965 and also coached Golden Gloves boxing in the 1950's.  He became the first U.P resident inducted into the Michigan Wrestling Association Hall of Fame in 1991 and wrote a booklet "Upper Peninsula Wrestling Championship - The First Twenty Years" and provided an update in 1998.  The Ray Mariucci Award goes annually to the No.1 ranked Upper Peninsula wrestling team.  The Kingsford Invitational, the peninsula's oldest wrestling tournament, is called the Mariucci Invitational.  He started to promote bocce ball in 1992, and the Dickinson Area Bocce Association is regarded one of the best in the nation.