Bill McGrain is a veteran of Greater Cleveland area wrestling, a member of the National Wrestling Hall of Fame, and a key member of the Baldwin Wallace University wrestling coaching staff. He enters his 44th season as a wrestling coach and 13th season at BW in 2024-25.

The 2019 National Wrestling Hall of Fame inductee had a 350-58-3 career record as a head coach. At BW, he is a key member of a coaching staff that has helped the Yellow Jackets win two straight Ohio Athletic Conference team titles and earn consecutive second place finishes at the NCAA Division III Mideast Regional Tournament.

McGrain is an English and social studies teacher at Olmsted Falls High School and served as its head wrestling coach for 27 years (1985-2012).  Prior to his time at OFHS, he has served as the head wrestling coach at Waynedale High School from 1983-1985, an assistant coach at Buckeye High School in Medina in 1981-1982 and as a collegiate assistant coach at Miami of Ohio University in 1980-1981.

In addition to his 350 career wins, McGrain has coached eight individual state champions and is one of three coaches in Ohio wrestling history to coach a state champion in all three divisions. McGrain coached 15 state finalists, 49 state place winners, 80 individual state qualifiers, twelve Top-10 team state finishes and 73 Southwestern Conference (SWC) champions. 

McGrain was elected to the Ohio Wrestling Hall of Fame in 2006, the Waynedale High School Hall of Fame in 2014 and was named the Ohio Division II Coach of the Year in 1997.  He has also been selected as the Cleveland Plain Dealer Coach-of-the- Year in 1999, the Greater Cleveland Coach-of-the-Year on three occasions and the SWC Coach-of-the-Year, 13 times.

As a wrestler himself, McGrain was an NCAA qualifier at Ashland University and a member of the Junior National team.  He was awarded the Ashland Iron Man Award on two occasions.  McGrain also served as team captain for two seasons at Southwestern Michigan Community College and one season at Ashland.

He has earned a master of arts from Miami University of Ohio, a bachelor of science from Ashland and an associate degree from Southwestern Michigan College.

McGrain is a member of the Ohio Wrestling Coaches Association (OHSWCA) NEO District, Greater Cleveland Wrestling Coaches and Officials Association (GCWCOA), National Wrestling Coaches Association (NWCA), National High School Wrestling Coaches Association (NHSWCA) and the Greater Cleveland Officials Association (GCOA).  He is an Ohio State certified wrestling official.

McGrain and his wife, Tracey, reside in Valley City and the couple have two children, Zach and Chaz.  Zach served as a graduate assistant baseball coach at BW from 2011-2012 and Chaz is a 2014 graduate of the University and was a catcher on the Yellow Jacket baseball team (the 2014 BW baseball team advanced to the NCAA Division III College Baseball World Series).

 This page was last updated on April 2, 2024