Rodney Wentling
Rodney "Rod" Wentling is the 2005 Mercer County Hall of Fame posthumous inductee.
One of the most outstanding wrestlers in the long history of Greenville High, he lost his first dual match as a freshman and never lost another dual meet. He once moved up two weight classes to take on Ohio state champion Bobby Douglas in a Christmas tournament and won, 7-6. Douglas went on to win two NCAA championships and an Olympic medal.
Rod won four District 10 championships, one regional title and one state championship.
He was offered a scholarship at Pitt, but chose to wrestle at California State University and Waynesburg College, both of Pennsylvania.
Rod joined the St. Cloud, Fla., police department in 1965, but after three months there, he returned home to join the Greenville Police Department on Jan. 1, 1966 as a patrolman.
On the night of March 21, 1966, while on routine patrol, he came upon three juveniles from West Mifflin, Pa. who had robbed a home of several guns and stolen a car. They were found sleeping in a car lot on South Mercer St., Greenville.
Upon investigating the car and occupants, Rod was shot and killed by one of the juveniles.
In 1967, the Greenville Police Department established the Rodney K. Wentling Memorial Scholarship Award that each year is given to a senior wrestler who exemplifies wrestling ability, leadership and high moral standards. To date, the fund has provided more than $45,000 in scholarship awards.
Rod has been enshrined in the National Police Officers Hall of Fame in Washington, D.C.