Doug Axman, a national Wrestling Hall of Famer and Locust Valley High School varsity wrestling coach, died Sept. 14. He was 73.
Axman was part of the Locust Valley High School’s wrestling program for over 30 years and was inducted into the Locust Valley Athletic Hall of Fame in 201
A native Long Islander, Axman began coaching as an assistant at Plainview in 1973 and joined the Locust Valley faculty in 1974. After his retirement, he joined Oyster Bay’s wrestling program, according to the National Wrestling Hall of Fame.
When he received his Lifetime Service Award from the Locust Valley, Axman said “Wrestling has been my life, so to be rewarded for that means so much,” according to the district’s Facebook page.
Axman began wrestling at Walt Whitman High School in Huntington and continued to wrestle at the State University at Farmingdale.
Axman was a part of Locust Valley’s wrestling program from 1974-2006. As head coach, Axman coached four all-state wrestlers, 17 individual county champions and 30 all-county wrestlers.
“The impact that Coach Axman leaves on not only our wrestling program, but on the sport across Nassau County, New York State and the country is immeasurable,” said Athletic Director Danielle Turner Cosci in a release.
Axman acted as head coach for 19 years and assistant coach for 14. As an assistant coach, Axman worked alongside fellow hall-of-famer Matt Sanzone.
Axman was named the Nassau County Wrestling Coaches Association’s Conference Coach of the Year in 1994, 1995, and 1997. He was also named conference assistant coach of the year in 2010 and 2012.
The National Wrestling Hall of Fame presented Axman with the Life Time Service Award to Wrestling in 2017.
In addition to coaching, Axman was a teacher and administrator. While at Locust Valley, Axman founded Nassau County’s first-ever Students Against Destructive Decisions in 1974.
“The sport has lost a giant, and his presence will forever be felt in our wrestling room. We are so fortunate to be able to say he was one of our and he is a forever Falcon,” Cosci said.
