Dolloff inducted to Maine Amateur Wrestling Alliance Hall of Fame
BY LOU MARIN Gary Dolloff joined the Maine Amateur Wrestling Alliance Hall of Fame in a ceremony at Mast Landing Brewing Company in Freeport on Saturday, August 19. He was inducted by the legendary Rumford Panthers coach, mentor, and teacher Jerry Perkins, now of Orrington, Maine. According to Perkins, Dolloff’s passion for coaching the Mountain Valley High School wrestling team has not gone unnoticed, in his hometown and throughout the state.
Dolloff, who wrestled for Rumford High School in his scholastic career, has been the head wrestling coach at Mountain Valley for over 20 years. His first stint as head coach ran from 2001 to 2011, but a vacancy and his love for the sport led to him returning in 2013 and he still heads the program today. Mr. Dolloff feels it is the highest honor to join the wrestlers and coaches who have contributed to the sport in Maine.
Among his many accomplishments, during his tenure as a Mountain Valley Falcon, Dolloff has a career dual meet record of 324-47 and has won three Class B State Team Championships. He has also won 10 regional team titles and nine Mid-State team championships. He has coached 32 individual state champions and 72 regional champs. He was also named the Maine Wrestling Coach of the Year twice, in 2006 and 2011.
Along with his varsity coaching career, Dolloff was the Mountain Valley Middle School coach from 1987 to 2002. He won seven Pine Tree League crowns during his run at the middle school level. Dolloff coached the Falcons wrestling team from 2001 to 2011 and then stepped away from the sport and returned to coaching wrestling in 2013, and he has been at the helm ever since. “We won a state championship in 2011,” he said. “I was retiring but I knew that I was going to come back at some point. But I took a little break and needed to recharge and come back a couple of years later.”
Under his leadership, the Falcons brought home three Class B State Championships; in 2005, 2006 and 2011 and compiled a career dual meet record of 324-47. Over the past 20 years, he mentored 32 individual state and 72 regional champs. Along the way, Gary won Maine Wrestling Coach of the Year in 2006 and 2011. He also collected 10 regional team crowns and nine Mid-State Conference team championships.
Dolloff also coached the Mountain Valley Middle School wrestling team from 1987 to 2002, his team’s winning seven Pine Tree League titles during that stretch.
Also here in Rumford, Dolloff has been the Greater Rumford Community Center Director for 27 years, and in 2018 he was named the Rumford Citizen of the Year, and was recognized by the American Legion Department of Maine as Humanitarian of the Year for 2022, which was presented to him by Senator Lisa Keim at the Annual State Legion Convention in Brewer.
Dolloff said. “I am totally at a loss of words. When they gave me the call, I broke down in tears. I am so proud. I am proud that I have a family of wrestlers. I have had brothers who coached in wrestling around the state. There were probably 11 or 12 of us that wrestled. When you came to Rumford, there was a pretty good chance you were going to wrestle one of the Dolloffs. I want my family’s name to be there. Having this honor is going to put my family where I think it belongs. I just want to thank my grandparents (Chester and Mariette Dolloff). They both passed away, but they took us in when my mom passed away and raised us. I know they are proud of me.”
Gary Dolloff has a keen understanding that being a role model and having a strong sense of community comes with the job of coaching high school sports. He says. “Kids need to know that someone cares about them, someone loves them, and that someone is going to go to bat for them. Coaching has become a learning tool for life.”
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