Hall of Fame
Considered to be the father of high school wrestling in the state of Washington, Bill “Clutch” Tomaras left an indelible mark at Washington State College during his 10 years as a Cougar. Beginning with his first team in 1948, which went unbeaten in dual meets, Tomaras compiled a 48-8 dual meet record, including 23-straight victories from 1952-54. His teams captured five Pacific Coast Intercollegiate titles during his tenure and had 21 PCI champions. Tomaras also initiated the Washington State High School Wrestling Tournament in 1953, featuring eight teams and 60 wrestlers. At the 50th State Mat Classic, with more than 900 prep wrestlers from over 200 schools participating, Tomaras was saluted for his efforts on behalf of state wrestling. Tomaras was inducted into the Helms Foundation Wrestling Hall of Fame in 1973, the Washington State Wrestling Coaches Hall of Fame in 1984 and the National Wrestling Hall of Fame in 2003. Following his Cougar career, Tomaras completed a doctorate in education at the University of Oregon. He then coached at UC Berkeley for four years before returning to Western Washington University in 1961, where he coached and later served as its athletic director.
