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Mike "The Dog" Matlock Memorial Friday

By Admin, 09/16/20, 10:30PM EDT

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Legendary Coach, Official, and Mentor Leaves Behind Legacy of Excellence

Mike "Mad Dog" Matlock

NCUSA is deeply saddened to announce the passing of one of the finest competitor, coach, official, mentor and friends our great sport of wrestling could possibly personify.  Mike Matlock, endearingly known throughout the wrestling world as "Coach Dog" passed away on September 1, 2020 at his home in New Bern, NC. 

ARRANGEMENTS: A memorial service will be held Friday, September 18 2020 at 11:00am at New Bern Church of Christ (1340 S Glenburnie Rd, New Bern, NC 28562). Services will be administered by Steven Hurst, Minister.

Following the Memorial Service, a private graveside veteran's ceremony will be held at 2pm at Coastal Carolina State Veterans Cemetery (110 Montford Landing Rd. Jacksonville, NC 28540)

Due to COVID crowd restrictions, attendance for the gravesite service is limited by Armed Forces mandate.  Anyone interested in attending the graveside service, please contact Scott Honecker (413-304-0220).

In Lieu of flowers, donations to the Mike Matlock Young Officials Scholarship Fund may be made by clicking here.

Coach Dog touched countless lives through his coaching, officiating and mentoring.  From Olympic and World Champions, to world-renowned officials and USA Wrestling Executive Leadership, to local youth wrestlers and officials across the USA, Coach Dog was one who made a lasting impression on all he influenced.

Matlock served out his last years in North Carolina, training young wrestlers and officials with the same level of passion and expectation for excellence as he did on the world stage.  He was named as "Official Emeritus" for North Carolina and served as an honorary member of the Team NC, Inc. Board of Directors. To the end, Coach Dog loved wrestling and lived daily to pass on his profound love and knowledge to all who were blessed enough to receive.

NC USA Wrestling  loved Coach Dog dearly, and will be forever grateful for his commitment, dedication and passion to making our state association and members eternally better for knowing him. To honor Mike and show appreciation for his years of service, NC USA Wrestling’s  incredibly talented family of officials and Board of Directors recently named the North Carolina annual Official of the Year Award in his honor.  The Mike "Mad Dog" Matlock Award will carry his legacy forward for many years to come.

Mike's formal accomplishments spanned decades are are too numerous to list here. Among those he was most proud of were his contributions as an official in 23 World Championships and two Olympic Games (1996 in Atlanta and 2004 in Athens, Greece).

Coach Dog, we love you and are forever grateful for your love and service.  Arrangements for Mike's farewell are incomplete at this time. We will update this information when it becomes available.

WOOF!