Ron Finley (December 10, 1940 – July 5. 2016) put his stamp on wrestling in Oregon as a state champion at Newberg, national finalist at Oregon State, Olympian, and then coach at the University of Oregon.
Finley grew up in Newberg and won state titles in 1957 and ‘58, before moving to Oregon State to train under legendary coach Dale Thomas.
At OSU, Finley reached just one NCAA final, placing second in the 1961 NCAA tournament at 137 pounds. But Finley performed at his best in open tournaments and claimed a spot on the U.S. National team in 1962. He placed fourth at the world championships at featherweight in the freestyle bracket. He was fourth at the 1963 world championships in the same event.
He qualified for the 1964 Olympic Summer Games and placed 4th in the Greco-Roman division at 138.75 pounds. He placed 6th in the world championships at the same weight in 1966.
Finley took over the wrestling team at Oregon in 1970 and led the program through 1998. He is the Duck's all-time coaching leader with 311 dual meet wins. He was twice named Pac-10 coach of the year. Fins was also head coach of the U.S. Greco-Roman team at the 1984 Los Angeles Olympic Games. The team featured four medalists, including gold medalists Jeff Blatnick and Steve Fraser.
The National Wrestling Hall of Fame honored Ron Finley with a lifetime award for his service to the sport. He is also a member of the University of Oregon and Oregon State Athletics halls of fame.