Former Ankeny Centennial coach Jay Groth was inducted into the National Wrestling Hall of Fame on Saturday in Des Moines.
Groth was officially enshrined during the annual meeting of the Iowa Wrestling Coaches and Officials Association at the Airport Holiday Inn.
“It’s very humbling,” said Groth, who retired at the end of last season after 34 years as a head coach.
Groth was informed of his Hall of Fame induction back in late August by former Ankeny coach Dave Ewing, who is also a member of the Hall of Fame.
“Dave is on the committee, and for him to be the one to call me was really neat,” Groth said. “He was the coach when I got started as a student teacher in Ankeny.”
Groth spent two years at Des Moines Hoover and 19 more at Des Moines Roosevelt before starting the Jaguars’ program when Centennial opened its doors in the fall of 2013. He finished his career with 467 victories.
Groth enjoyed his best season at Centennial in 2019, when the Jaguars went 21-1 and placed third in the Class 3A state duals tournament while also placing fourth in the traditional tournament, a program best that was later matched in 2024. He was named the Class 3A Coach of the Year.
Groth coached his wrestlers to a total of 10 individual state titles, led by four-time champion John Meeks at Roosevelt. John Nicholson won two crowns with the Roughriders, while James Nicholson and Montell Marion each captured one.
Groth guided Centennial’s Max Dhabolt to a pair of titles in 2025-26. Dhabolt could become a three-time champion next year under new head coach Tyler Willers.
Willers spent seven years as an assistant for the Jaguars before being hired to replace Groth, who credited much of his success to a long list of coaches that have helped him.
“I think I’ve had 37 assistant coaches over the years,” he said. “I couldn’t have done it without them, and a fair number of them are head coaches now or were head coaches.”