Contributed by Pitt-Johnstown Sports Information
 
JOHNSTOWN, Pa. – The University of Pittsburgh at Johnstown will induct six new members as part of the 14^th Athletics Hall of Fame class on Saturday, including Craig Thurber, the Rod E. Wilt '86 Head Coach for Thiel Wrestling.
 
Thurber left his mark on Pitt-Johnstown wrestling by winning three NCAA Regional titles and earning three NCAA Division II All-American honors, including finishing as the 1995 National Runner-up at 177 pounds.
 
"This means a lot to me," Thurber said. "There have been a tremendous amount of people that were part of this journey and I thank each and every one of them, especially, my parents and grandparents for all the phone calls, rides, and travel across the country to watch us compete. It's quite humbling to be named with all of the other great student-athletes before me. I am very appreciative of this honor."
 
A former Pennsylvania State Champion and runner-up from Greenville High School, Thurber joined head coach Pat Pecora's starting lineup as a true freshman in the 1991-92 season and was a mainstay at 177 pounds for the remainder of his career.
 
As a sophomore in 1992-93, Thurber posted a 30-4 record and secured his first NCAA All-America honor with a fifth-place finish, before placing sixth in 1994 with a 31-3 overall record.
 
A member of four straight Mountain Cat NCAA Regional Tournament Championship teams, Thurber took the next step in his outstanding wrestling career as a senior in 1995 when he reached the NCAA National Finals at 177 and finished as the national runner-up. His three pins in 10:51 at the NCAA Championships earned him the 1995 Gorriaran Award for most falls in the least amount of time and helped Pitt-Johnstown to a fourth-place finish, the program's highest ever to that point.
 
Thurber's name is still etched in Mountain Cats history. His 120 career victories are tied for sixth on the Pitt-Johnstown all-time wins list with fellow hall of famer Rob Yahner, and his .857 career winning percentage (120-20) is eighth all-time in Mountain Cat history. In addition, his 38 wins during the 1994-95 season remains a record in the weight class.
 
In 1996, Thurber earned his bachelor's degree in sociology at Pitt-Johnstown, then received a bachelor's degree in health and physical education from Slippery Rock University, where he served as a volunteer wrestling coach from 1997-99.
 
Thurber then spent three years as a health and physical education teacher at Keystone Charter School and a volunteer wrestling coach at his alma mater, Greenville High School.
 
Thurber was named the head wrestling coach at Thiel College in 2003. He has coached multiple All-Americans and NCAA Scholar-Athletes and has been named the Presidents' Athletic Conference (PAC) Coach of the Year nine times. His teams have won 11 PAC titles and finished in the Top-25 in overall GPA seven times.
 
Thurber and his wife, Kristin, have three children – Keetin, Karis and Cael.