Richard Perry at the U.S. Open (Photo/Tony Rotundo, WrestlersAreWarriors.com)BLOOMSBURG, Pa. -- Former Bloomsburg University wrestling standouts Chad Bailey and Richard Perry (Meriden, CT/Middletown) will be honored with induction into the Eastern Wrestling League (EWL) Hall of Fame on Saturday, March 9, during the 2019 EWL Championships at George Mason University in Fairfax, Virginia.
The duo will join former Bloomsburg wrestling greats Mark Banks, Ricky Bonomo, Rocky Bonomo, Tony Caravella, George Carter, Dom DiGioacchino, Ed Hockenberry, Matt Moley, Dave Morgan, Carl Poff, Don Reese, Pete Rinella, Brad Rozanski, Mike Sees, and Mike Spaid, along with coaches Tom Martucci and Roger Sanders, as Huskies' members of the EWL Hall of Fame.
Bailey, a native of Levittown, Pennsylvania, wrestled for two seasons at Bloomsburg and compiled an overall record of 61-17 with the Huskies. In 1993, Bailey was named the EWL and the Pennsylvania State Athletic Conference (PSAC) Freshman of the Year and went on to win the EWL championship at 150 pounds which earned him a spot in the national tournament. Earlier in the year, he won the championship at the Lehigh/Billy Sheridan Invitational which helped Bloomsburg to win the tournament by one point over second-place Wisconsin. Bailey also captured third-place honors at the PSAC Championships as he finished his rookie season with a 26-10 overall record with a ranking of as high as 12th in the country. Then, in 1994, Bailey went 35-7 on the year and, for the second straight year, won the EWL title at 150 pounds. He qualified for the NCAA tournament for the second consecutive season and earned a seventh-place finish to garner All-American accolades.
Perry, who hails from Meriden, Connecticut, was a four-year standout for the Huskies from 2010-14 and is tied for tenth all-time in program history with 110 career victories. He was a three-time NCAA Division I qualifier, accomplishing the feat in his sophomore, junior, and senior campaigns. He won two PSAC Championships and captured the EWL title at 197 pounds in his final season - Bloomsburg's last individual EWL champion. He led the Huskies with a 33-12 record as a sophomore and finished the year ranked 25th in the country according to the final NCAA Division I RPI rankings. Perry went 30-6 as a junior and finished the season ranked 13th in the country after going 2-2 at the NCAA Championships. As a senior, Perry set the school record with 31 consecutive victories and finished 33-3 overall with two of his three losses coming at the NCAA Championships. He entered the tournament seeded sixth at 197 pounds.
The 2019 EWL Championships will take place on Saturday, March 9, at the EagleBank Arena in Fairfax, Virginia. George Mason University will serve as this year's hosts. The NCAA Division I Championships will be held in Pittsburgh this year from Thursday, March 21, through Saturday, March 23.
