Gene Cerino’s impact on the local scene is no secret.

Having started the Auburn High School wrestling program in 1959, he coached the team for 20 years.

Cerino made his presence felt away from the gym, too, serving as a city councilman for 12 years and teaching at Auburn High School.

On May 9 the Washington State Interscholastic Activities Association plans to honor Cerino as one of eight inductees of the 2012 Hall of Fame class, not only for the lives he’s touched and continues to touch in Auburn but for the contributions he made to the sport of wrestling at the state, national and international levels.

“Of course I’m honored,” Cerino said. “It’s not a small honor to be inducted into the WIAA Hall of Fame. I appreciate the fact that I was nominated and they recognized the things I did as being worthy of being inducted.”

Cerino embarked on his career in 1955, starting the wrestling program at Castle Rock High School. After three years in southwestern Washington, Cerino moved to Auburn High School, where in 1959 he launched the Trojan wrestling program. During his coaching career Cerino helped lead his teams to five league championships, four regional titles and five top-four finishes. He coached 17 state individual place-winners and five state champions.

But Cerino always had more on his mind than just seeing his own wrestling program succeed – he wanted to help the sport as a whole.

In 1967, Cerino spoke before a national gathering of individual state athletic associations, urging the gathered administrators to think about developing a rule book specific to high school wrestling.  At that time, an amended version of the collegiate rule book governed high school wrestling.

“I gave a half-hour speech to delegates on why high school needed its own book,” Cerino said.

After his speech, Cerino learned that he had been selected to help write the new high school wrestling rule book.

“I was honored to be one of the eight wrestling coaches in the United States to write the first rules book for high school wrestling,” he said.

In 1970 Cerino went international.

Alongside University of Washington wrestling coach Jim Smith, Cerino fought to allow Washington prep athletes to compete out of state.

“I had to attend the WIAA meetings eight times and challenge the board to loosen the rules up,” Cerino said. “Prior to ’70, there was a rule that no one from Washington State –  even bands – could compete out of state. Oregon, California and Utah were already doing it, and we were trying to catch up.”

Eventually Cerino’s persistence paid off, and the WIAA voted to allow cultural exchanges. In 1970 the Auburn wrestling program hosted a group of Japanese wrestlers for a tournament at the high school. Later that year he took a group of U.S. wrestlers on a tour of Japan.

“There isn’t enough space to say all of the good things about Gene,” said Auburn High School Athletic Director Bob Jones, who, along with Auburn School District Superintendent Kip Herren, nominated Cerino for the hall. “He is a legend in the state of Washington.

“My son (Auburn Riverside wrestler Eric Jones) was a two-time state champion, and both medals were presented by Gene. He has presented medals to all the Auburn state champions for years. It’s awesome that he is in their podium pictures.”

Although he hasn’t coached for years, Cerino continues to influence students a few days a month as a substitute teacher for the Auburn School District.

“I’ll do it as long as I feel good,” Cerino said. “I have no immediate plans to not do it.”