Dennis Roby Diehl, Lehigh University Class of 1970 and EIWA Hall of Fame Class of 2024, passed away early on January 4, 2024.
Denny became a college wrestling fan while still in high school, as his older brother Gary (Lehigh '68) shared with him the exploits of the Terrific Trio (Mike Caruso, Joe Peritore, and Billy Stuart, all NCAA finalists in 1965) during one of the greatest eras of Lehigh Wrestling. One of the team's biggest fans, Denny became a major contributor to collegiate wrestling at all levels.
In 1975 Denny co-founded National Mat News, the first wrestling publication to release rankings in every issue. He later became a contributor to Amateur Wrestling News; authored Mat Power: Lehigh Wrestling Highlights, documenting the Lehigh program from 1910-1997 (never failing to give credit for statistical research assistance to fellow Lehigh grad Jay Hammond); helped design LehighWrestling.com, a top college wrestling club website offering current events and archived school history; and served as the Director of Media Relations for the NCAA Division I Wrestling Championships for several years, providing bout-by-bout commentary, statistics, and biographical information to the media.
When Greg Strobel took over as head coach of the Lehigh program in 1995 he asked Denny to help build fan interest, asking his assistance in "filling Grace Hall" like the old days. Alumni began receiving e-mails from Denny on a regular basis, promoting coming duals and reporting on all matters relating to collegiate wrestling; eventually this became the Lehigh University Wrestling News. Tame by today's standards perhaps, this began at a time before sports teams had websites and was the only electronic source of college wrestling news. Although Denny had planned to cease publication in the mid-2010s, he kept pushing that back. The final edition was released on 4/23/2023; publication officially ceased in June 2023 due to his illness. Denny had been planning on the 2023-24 season until then.
Denny left his mark on these and even more wrestling-related fronts (including numerous fundraising campaigns and serving on several Hall of Fame Committees), but he was also recognized for the excellence of the contributions that he made. In 1999, he received the highest honor there is for a wrestling writer: the Bob Dellinger Media Award, the only media award recognized by the National Wrestling Hall of Fame. He was one of the few to receive the Lehigh Alumni Lifetime Award.
Not exclusively a wrestling promoter, in his day job Denny served at different times as Associate Executive Director of the Lehigh University Alumni Association, Director of Alumni Relations for Drexel University, and Director of Wharton Alumni Affairs.
Denny is survived by his brother Gary and his family, son Geoff (Lehigh '92) and daughter-in-law KathyJo, and granddaughters Kaylee and Emily.
By John Aadland, former Sports Information Director for the EIWA and assistant editor of the Lehigh University Wrestling News