Columbus, Ohio- The Ohio Chapter of the National Wrestling Hall of Fame has announced the induction of current Findlay head coach Shawn Nelson. Nelson earned the 'Lifetime Service to Wrestling' honor which is given in recognition of 20 years or more of dedication to the development of leadership and citizenship in the youth through the sport of wresting.

Nelson earns the honor after spending 27 seasons at the helm of the Findlay Oilers. Since 1997, he has built his program to be known as a tournament ready team. His teams have never shied away from wrestling dual meets with nationally ranked and NCAA Division I opponents and his squads have produced a 180-217 record in duals during his tenure with the program.

With Nelson as the head coach, the Roughnecks have had nine NCAA Division II national champions and three national champs at the NAIA level.  James Wimer (2021), Ben Sergent (2014), Michael Lybarger (2011), Antonio Guerra (2006, 2007), Andy Uhl (2005) and Waylon Lowe (2002, 2003, 2004) all won NCAA Division II titles under Nelson's leadership while Jimmie Sanfilippo (1999) and Quantres Bates (1998, 1999) won titles in the NAIA.

Nelson has also coached the Roughnecks to a total of 50 NCAA Division II all-American honors and has consistently had the Roughnecks ranked in the national poll. He has also seen 21 individuals earn first team all-conference accolades during his time as the head coach. He has also been named the GLIAC Coach of the Year twice (2012, 2016) and was tabbed the NCAA Division II National Coach of the Year and Midwest Region Coach of the Year in 2012. In 2023, the Roughnecks won their first ever Great Midwest Wrestling Championship in program history. Nelson was later named the Super Region III Coach of the Year by the NWCA. 

Nelson graduated from Penn State in 1994 and is a former NCAA Division I all-American in wrestling. At Penn State, Nelson earned his degree with a Bachelor's of Science in Administration of Justice. Among his many accomplishments on the mat, Nelson won a championship at the 1993 Michigan Open, finished second at the 1993 Midlands, and placed third at the 1990 Sunkist International Tournament. Other notable accomplishments include finishing fourth in the 126 pound weight class at the NCAA Championships and third at the annual Big Ten Meet. He also ranks among the top all-time at Penn State in career pins and is a former three-time Ohio High School champion for North Royalton High.

He served as a volunteer assistant at Michigan State University during the 1994-95 season, a year that saw the Spartans finish third at the NCAA Division I Nationals. Nelson also travels frequently throughout the Midwest in the off-season to speak at various wrestling camps and clinics.

Nelson is a 2019 inductee into the Jim Koch NCAA Division II Wrestling Hall of Fame and in 2020 was awarded the Bob Bubb Coaching Excellence Award by the National Wrestling Coaches Association (NWCA).

The 'Hall of Fame Day' will take place on Sunday, October 13, 2024 at the Villa Milano Banquet and Conference Center.