In wrestling, the details matter. Head position and hand fighting. Quick and active hips.
For the generations of volunteers who make the Bill Dies Memorial Wrestling Tournament an annual success, the details are different, but no less important.
From Ken Dies, who has volunteered with the tournament at Firestone Community Learning Center since 1972, to Ashley Dies, who has posted updated brackets since before she could reach high enough on the wall to hang them.
“It was so much fun because we always ran around the school playing a bunch of games, waiting for papers to post there,” said Ashley Dies, a 2024 graduate of Firestone CLC.
“Now I’m playing games with the other little children.”
The ecosystem of high school wrestling is held up by a network of volunteers, often former wrestlers themselves. At the Dies tournament, more than 60 people volunteer annually in some capacity. Akron Public Schools pulls its weight by providing busing, security and most of the other non-wrestling aspects of the event.
It’s no wonder Ashley Dies said the annual tournament feels like a family reunion.
Their combined efforts help the two-day tournament carry the legacy of the late Bill Dies, a mountainous figure who founded the Ohio Youth Wrestling Association, which has grown to more than 150 teams and 3,000 young wrestlers.
“So, wrestling now, it’s all about family for me,” said Paul Dies, a grandson of Bill Dies.
This year, the Dies hosted 30 public school programs, a rarity for a tournament of this size and acclaim — private schools often dominate this sport. Buckeye High School ran away with the team title, while Barberton, Revere, Green and Manchester were among the area programs with strong showings. High schools as far away as Columbus participated.
Winning the Dies, especially as an Akron high school wrestler, is a mark of honor. It’s an accomplishment that stays with athletes long after they ascend the podium.
Volunteering during the event carries fewer accolades but is no less rewarding. Ask anybody who knew Bill Dies.
Eldest son of the late Bill Dies keeps his father’s legacy alive
Ken Dies, the eldest of Bill’s 10 children, has volunteered at the Dies since it was known as the Summit County Tournament. After his father died, the tournament was dedicated in 1987 as the Bill Dies Memorial Wrestling Tournament.
“And here we are, 37 years later.” Ken Dies said.
On a recent wintery Saturday, he manned a spreadsheet system he developed that tracked “to-the-minute” results of every match across six mats over two days of competition.
“I’m sure if you wrestled in Akron, you’ve heard of the Dieses,” Ken Dies said. “They renamed the wrestling room here the Dies Family Wrestling Room, and they inducted our family into the Akron Public Schools [Athletic] Hall of Fame. So we’re kind of proud of that.”
All match results are tracked digitally, but Ken Dies still maintains his computer spreadsheet, which he displays on a projector in a side room.
The octagenarian who is now retired said he’d like to keep the Dies as a wrestling tournament for public schools in Akron and beyond.
He plans to continue volunteering at his namesake tournament.
“If I didn’t have all the help,” Ken Dies said, “I wouldn’t be here.”
Former tournament champion goes above and beyond
In 2007, Will Sheppard stood atop the podium at the Bill Dies Memorial Wrestling Tournament, one of the highlights of his athletic career at Kenmore High School.
Fast forward to hours before the 2025 Dies tournament. Sheppard, now the custodial supervisor at Firestone CLC, realized wrestling mats at the school were not ready for the first day of matches. So he and his staff rolled them out.
“A lot of my custodians don’t know the history like I know the history of the Dies family wrestling tournament,” Sheppard explained.
Sheppard said being at the Dies tournament still gives him the itch to scrap. He’s not alone.
“It’s one of the biggest tournaments in Akron,” Sheppard said. “You always want to put your all into it, like I put my all into it when I was on the other side of wrestling.”
While he didn’t have to make weight or don a singlet for the 2025 edition, he still holds his victory at the Bill Dies Memorial Wrestling Tournament close to his heart.
“[To see] all the champions, past champions, and see my name on that board, it’s amazing, man,” he said. “Amazing feeling.”
Firestone grad, third generation Dies sings national anthem
With Ashley Dies’ volunteerism expanded to include the singing of the national anthem ahead of Saturday’s podium matches, she’s training her boyfriend to do her old job of posting updated brackets.
“Believe it or not,” she said, “I’ve sang it for the past couple years, and every year I get nervous.”
High school wrestling made him the man he is
Wrestling is in Bob Conley’s blood, and it shows in his dedication to the Dies tournament.
He started volunteering with wrestling at Firestone High School in 1978. Not long after, he started volunteering with the Dies tournament.
For a long time, Conley and Ken Dies ran the show. Now, with younger generations starting to take over, he’s able to take a more relaxed approach.
“I’ve never missed one, not even a half of one,” Conley said. “I’ve always been, usually the first person there and one of the last two or three people to leave.”
Conley, who said he probably has one or two takedowns left in him, said he gives back because wrestling made him the man he is. It created his life. He wouldn’t have graduated from Manchester High School without the sport.
After wrestling, he believed nothing was impossible.
“So I ended up with two master’s degrees,” he said, “and I’m a curriculum consultant for Akron Public Schools, even after 35 years of teaching.”
He continues to volunteer because of his love for wrestling and firsthand knowledge of how the sport builds character in young students.
“Everybody else is talking about how young people aren’t doing anything,” Conley said. “And when you come here and you see all these kids from all different backgrounds, from all different races, all different everything, and all they want to do is compete.
“And if you can compete in life, you’re going to win.”
One of Bill Dies’ sons keeps watchful eye over tournament
Steve Dies, another son of the late Bill Dies, is one of the leading organizers of the tournament. He started volunteering with wrestling in 1979 after his wrestling career at Ashland College. He started working with the tournament in 1987.
On Saturday, Steve Dies was everywhere at once. One moment, he was in the backroom, checking in with Ken Dies and his spreadsheets. The next, he was matside, taking photos of champions.
“If you knew anything about my dad, it’s always a way of giving back to the sport,” Steve Dies said. “And that’s what we all believed in, and that’s what we do today. That’s why you see so many family members out here.”
Volunteers often work about 20 hours over the two-day competition. Their reward? This year, it included “sloppy does,” a play on the popular sloppy Joe sandwich — made with deer venison provided by volunteers who hunt during the winter.
“We don’t even have to call people, and they come back and help us, just to help this tournament. That’s what it meant to them,” Steve Dies said. “Lots of them wrestled in it, and now they’re giving back to the sport. That’s what we need more of today, is people giving back rather than taking.”
For Steve Dies, giving back to wrestling is a way to make sure student athletes have an opportunity to learn the lessons he believes are vital for life success. His message echoes Conley’s — it’s about character building more so than winning.
“If you ever want to prepare yourself as a businessman to hire someone, you’re going to hire a wrestler,” he said. “That’s a kid that puts in the time, puts in the effort, and no one’s watching, and that’s just what you want in an employee.”
