Shelly Thiel, who spent more than three decades on the Enumclaw athletic scene, will be inducted this spring into the WIAA Hall of Fame.
The Washington Interscholastic Activities Association recently announced its inductees for both the Class of 2021 and 2022. The two groups, consisting of 11 new Hall members, will be honored during a May 3 luncheon in Renton.
For the highly-decorated Thiel, being a Hall of Famer is nothing new. Among the many honors he has already received are induction into the Enumclaw High Athletic Hall of Fame (2003), the Washington State Secondary Athletic Administrators Association Hall of Fame (2001), the Washington State Wrestling Coaches Hall of Fame (1998) the National Wrestling Hall of Fame (2007).
A Renton native, Thiel dedicated his entire education career to the Enumclaw School District. He spent four years as a teacher and coach at what was then known as Enumclaw Junior High before moving to the high school in the fall of 1969. With the jump to EHS, he took over as head wrestling coach, a position he held until 1986. He became the school’s activities director in 1982 and assumed the role of activities/athletic director in 1987. He retired from the district with the close of the
Thiel was a force in state wrestling circles, building a record of 211-64-2 at Enumclaw High and guiding his teams to Top 10 state tournament placings on five occasions. Along the way, he earned league and regional Coach of the Year honors and, in 1986, was named the state’s 2A Coach of the Year. He was instrumental in establishing Mat Classic, the statewide wrestling championships held annually in Tacoma, and was one of the Classic’s longtime tournament managers.
But that wasn’t the end of his involvement in high school athletics. Upon retirement, he immediately took on the role of executive secretary/treasurer for the WIAA’s West Central District. He held that post until 2016.
UPCOMING HALL OF FAME CEREMONIES
Both Plateau high schools have upcoming Hall of Fame induction ceremonies.
At Enumclaw High, longtime coach Alda McNeeley, the 2008 girls’ golf team and the 2012 gymnastics team will join the list.
The EHS ceremony is Thursday, Feb. 9, during halftime of a girls’ basketball game between Enumclaw and White River. Tipoff time is 7 p.m. in Chuck Smith Gymnasium.
White River’s 2023 induction ceremony is slated for the evening of Saturday, March 11. There will be a 6 p.m. reception in the school commons, with an unveiling of the wall dedicated to Hall inductees.
At 7 p.m., everything shifts to the school theater for the formal ceremony.
Being inducted this year are Ben Addink, Marcus Dickson, Paul Strand and Bob McKean.
