State College, Pa., April, 23, 2004 - The Pennsylvania Chapter of the National Wrestling Hall of Fame and Museum will induct five Penn Staters in the Class of 2004.

Former Nittany Lion wrestlers David Adams, Ron Kanaskie, Ron Pifer and Neil Turner and fellow Penn State graduate Doug McDonald will be honored at the Eleventh Annual "Hall of Fame Day" banquet Saturday, April 24 at the Nittany Lion Inn in State College.

The banquet, which begins at 5:00 p.m. with a social hour and memorabilia display, will honor and recognize the five men for their commitment as positive role models to student athletes. They will be permanently recognized at the National Wreslting Hall of Fame and Museum in Stillwater, Okla.

Adams, a PIAA champion, was a three-year letterman and All-American for Penn State from 1955-57. He reached the 1956 NCAA final at 147 pounds, finishing second, and was a captain of the 1957 team under head coach Charlie Speidel and earned an Eastern title that year. Adams was part of Nittany Lion teams that posted a 18-5-1 dual record over three seasons and posted three top five NCAA Tournament finishes, including a second place finish in 1955.

Adams went on to a distinguished collegiate coaching career, including a 12-year stint as the head coach at the University of Pittsburgh from 1967-79.

Kanaskie was on Penn State teams of the late 1960's and early 1970's under head coach Bill Koll. A 1970 graduate of Penn State, he went on to a distinguished career as the head coach at Danville High School where he guided future Nittany Lion great Jim Martin. He currently still leads the Danville program and is the president of the Pennsylvania Wrestling Association.

Pifer is one of just 14 Nittany Lions to earn All-America honors three times on their career. He lettered for Penn State from 1960-62 and placed in the NCAA Tournament each season. Pifer finished fourth at 157 pounds in 1960, was runner-up at 147 in 1961 and took third in at 157 1962. He was a captain on the 1962 team under Speidel and was part of teams that posted a 21-7-1 dual record over three seasons and had two top 10 NCAA finishes.

A two-time PIAA champion during his prep career, Pifer went on to a distinguished collegiate and high school coaching career, including heading the Army program and a pair of stints as head coach at State College Area High School.

Turner lettered three seasons for the Nittany Lions from 1959-61 and was part of teams that posted 20-7-1 dual meet record and two top 10 NCAA finishes under Speidel. He also went on to a distinguished coaching career serving as head coach at Lock Haven University and Messiah University and at Clearfield High School.

McDonald, a 1958 graduate of Penn State, went on to a distinguished career as the Centre Daily Times sports editor. He was two-times honored as the National Wrestling Writer of the Year.