VALENTINE, Neb. - The newest inductees into the Nebraska Scholastic Wrestling Coaches Association Hall of Fame have been announced. Among the honorees is a Valentine coach who led his team to multiple state records.

Right now Shane Allison is showing though that even legends aren’t afraid to pin down new challenges. He's in his second year coaching Valentine Girl’s Junior High Wrestling.

“I’m learning the differences between girls and boys. Wresting is wrestling, but you use different techniques from time to time,” said Allison.

While coaching young girls may be new to Allison, he’s no stranger to the mat. The Valentine man wrestled not only in high school, but also college.

“I wrestled at UNO under Coach Mike Denney. He’s a legend,” said Allison.

After college, Allison started coaching himself. Over the past almost three decades, he’s worked with hundreds of student athletes, including 18 years as Valentine High School’s head coach.

“Our goal was to always win a state championship. That was our goal every year, to win it as a team and to win individual state championships, but our purpose was to turn boys into men and now young girls into ladies,” said Allison.

During Allison’s time coaching Valentine High School, he won five state championships and six runner-ups.

“From 2011 to 2020, that decade, we got 7th in 2011, and we never placed out of the top four after that,” said Allison.

Ready for a quick takedown of some of Allison’s other highlights? Valentine holds state records for highest points scored at the state tournament, the most champions in a single year,  and the most pins.

“I’ve coached 24 state champions here in Valentine, with 29 total, and I think 99 placers,” said Allison.

Some of those athletes, like Drake Janssen, now help others fall in love with the sport.

“It’s been a journey with him, and he’s a great, great person,” said Janssen.

While Allison is honored to join the Nebraska Hall of Fame, he says his biggest win has been working on the hearts and minds of young athletes.

“We want respectful, hard-working, good young men going out into society. That’s how you measure success. The championships are just a reflection of the type of people you’ve worked with,” said Allison.

Because the true legacy of a coach isn’t just built on the mat; it’s found in the lives shaped, one takedown at a time.

If you would like to see the complete list of Hall of Fame inductees, check out the NSWCA Facebook page.