Jaggers, Martter to be inducted into Ohio State Athletics Hall of Fame

Former Ohio State wrestlers J Jaggers and Perry Martter are among the 14 new members who will be enshrined in the Ohio State Athletics Hall of Fame. The class will be inducted on Sept. 18 at a dinner and introduced to the public at halftime of the Ohio State home football game against Northern Illinois on Sept. 19.

The hall of fame was established in 1977 and has inducted 285 men and 111 women through 2014.

Jaggers and Martter are the 15th and 16th Ohio State wrestlers enshrined.

J Jaggers (2006-09)

J Jaggers led the Ohio State wrestling team to new heights on his way to winning back to back NCAA titles in 2008 and 2009. A three-time All-American and four-time NCAA qualifier, Jaggers was one of the key members of the 2008 and 2009 Buckeye squads that finished second at the NCAA championships. One of just four Ohio State wrestlers in school history to win multiple national titles, Jaggers collected 107 wins over his career and was the 2009 Ohio State Male Athlete of the Year. After winning his first title in 2008, he was honored as the Greater Cleveland Sports Commission Collegiate Athlete of the Year.

J Jaggers (Photo/Tech-Fall.com)

Entering the 2008 NCAA Tournament as the No. 6 seed at 141 pounds, Jaggers upset the No. 3, No. 2 and No. 1 seeds on his way to winning the title. His title match was a 5-2 victory over top-seeded and previously undefeated Chad Mendes of Cal Poly. The following year, he cruised past the No. 1 seed in the finals (10-4) and was 28-7 overall on the year.

A three-time team captain, Jaggers, from Northfield, Ohio, currently ranks in the Top 20 in career wins (17th, 107), single season points (16th, 132.5, 2008), career points (16th, 281.0) and fastest fall (10th, 25 seconds).

In the classroom, Jaggers was a NWCA All-Academic honoree and three-time Academic All-Big Ten selection. He was a volunteer assistant coach for the Buckeyes in 2009-2010 and then was promoted to a full-time assistant prior to the 2010-11 season. With his guidance, Logan Stieber became the sport's fourth four-time NCAA champion and the team won its first national title in 2015.

Perry Martter (1921-22)

Perry Martter was one of the pioneers of the sport of wrestling at Ohio State, staring on the first varsity team in 1921 and winning conference championships in both 1921 and 1922. As a sophomore in 1921, he won the Big Ten title at 158 pounds and then repeated in 1922, winning the 145-pound weight class. Before an injury derailed the end of his senior season, Martter led the Buckeyes to an undefeated record and conference championship in 1923, just the team's third season in existence. He was also named the Big Ten Wrestler of the Year (the first of five Buckeyes over 94 years to win the award) and finished his career with a 19-1 record (.950), the highest winning percentage until Logan Stieber broke the mark in 2015.

Following his graduation in 1923 with a degree in engineering, Martter made the Olympic team and competed in the 1924 Olympic Games in Paris. At those games, he was joined on the Olympic team by fellow Buckeye and Athletics Hall of Fame member Harry Steele. An excellent student, Martter was admitted to the Bucket and Dipper and Sphinx honor societies.

An engineering graduate, Martter was born in Coshocton, Ohio, and graduated from Grandview High School. He passed away June 13, 1954.

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