Boys Wrestling

Meet the 2001 Grand Marshals

Two Grand Marshals will lead the annual Parade of Champions Saturday night (March 10) before the championship bouts of the 22nd annual Illinois Elementary School Association (IESA) State Final Wrestling Meet.

Named Grand Marshals for 2001 are:

**Dan Farinosi
**Jim Moxley

The IESA started having a Grand Marshal(s) in 1996. The Grand Marshal(s) are honored for their contributions to wrestling at the junior high school level and the young men who participate in the sport. They are nominated by the IESA Wrestling Advisory Committee and approved by the IESA Board of Directors. The marshals will play an integral role of the Parade of Champions as they will lead the 36 individual finalists and their coaches into the gymnasium, amidst music, applause and cheers from teammates, parents, family, and fans.

Here is a closer look at the 2001 Grand Marshals:

Dan Farinosi has been involved with wrestling in the state of Illinois for nearly 30 years. A 1963 graduate of Palatine High School, Dan earned his Bachelors degree from Southern Illinois University in 1968 and his M.S. degree from Northern Illinois University in 1972. He will retire in January, 2002 after 32 years in education, the last 11 serving as principal at Frost Junior High School in Schaumburg. Dan has served as an IHSA Licensed official for 27 years. During that time, he has been assigned as an official at the IESA finals the last four years, 25 IHSA regionals, 17 sectionals, seven IHSA state finals, and six dual team finals. From 1995-1998, Dan served on the IESA/IHSA Sportsmanship and Ethics Committee and helped to implement the sportsmanship summits that are still held today. He has served as a wrestling rules interpreter for the IHSA since 1998. In 1995 he was selected by the Illinois Wrestling Coaches and Officials Association (IWCOA) as the Official of the Year and in 2000 was inducted into the IWCOA Hall of Fame. Dan and his wife Nancy have two sons, Brad and Jeff.

As the former coach of the Mahomet-Seymour wrestling team, Jim Moxley, will always be remembered as one of the best IESA wrestling coaches. His nine years at Mahomet-Seymour produced 102 state qualifiers, 45 place winners, 15 individual champions, a dual meet record of 117-4, one 4th place team finish, three times the runner-up, and four times the team champion. Jim was a four-year varsity letter winner and captain at Eureka High School and in 1982 he earned All-State honors when he placed 4th at the 132 lb. weight class in the IHSA finals. Jim earned his B.S. degree from Eureka College and his M.S. degree in school administration from the University of Illinois. He has served on the IESA Wrestling Advisory Committee, is currently serving on the Executive Board of the IWCOA, and is involved with the Fellowship of Christian Athletes. Jim and his wife, Bonnie, are the parents of three children, sons Matthew and Tyler, and daughter Blayne. Currently the principal at Fisher Grade School, Jim's greatest sense of accomplishment has been instilling his student athletes with a good work ethic, moral values, and sportsmanship.