Join Sun Devil Wrestling this weekend say thank-you to Art Martori, an accomplished alumnus of Arizona State University and icon in the wrestling community, during the team's regular season finale against Nebraska (Feb. 25/1 p.m. AZT)
Martori has decided to retire as the owner of the legendary Sunkist Kids Wrestling Club, and the team is set to pay their respects for his advancements and developments of the sport across the globe. Over 20 Olympic medalists, all of which came up through Sunkist, are set to be in attendance as the Sun Devils wrestle Nebraska at Mullett Arena.
Fans are encouraged to be in their seats prior to the start of the match, as Martori will be honored with a tribute video.
Sun Devil Wrestling Head Coach Zeke Jones and Sun Devil Athletics Chief Business Officer Graham Rossini spoke on the impact Martori has had on the sport at the university level and on a global stage.
The No. 1 wrestling club in the world, Sunkist Kids was founded in 1976 as a tool to help the nation's best wrestlers in their quest to win world and Olympic gold medals.
Graduating in 1965 as a Western Athletic Conference champion for ASU wrestling, Martori eventually took over the family citrus operation and became Arizona's largest land owner at one point. He was called back to wrestling by his former coach at the Phoenix Wristlock Club, Tom Dubin, and created the vision for Sunkist Kids Wrestling Club.
Art Martori was honored on field tonight for receiving the Alumni Service Award #SunDevil4Life #ElevateAll pic.twitter.com/miqTVywptm
— Sun Devil Wrestling (@ASUWrestling) October 23, 2016
After turning Sunkist into a world-class wrestling club, Martori would serve as President of USA Wrestling (1992-94), a time when the team won its first World team title in freestyle wrestling. He also served on USA Wrestling's Board of Directors for many years, was Chairman of the USA Wrestling's Coach Selection Committee, and a member of numerous other committees. For his contributions to international wrestling, Martori was awarded the Gold Star by FILA, the international governing body of wrestling. In 2016, Martori received the Alumni Service Award for his support of ASU's wrestling program.
As founder and Executive Director of the Sunkist Kids, Art Martori has been a profound contributor to the sport of wrestling in every facet. #LegendsLiveOn
— NWHOF (@NWHOF) May 19, 2020
READ more about Art, a Distinguished Member of the @NWHOF -> https://t.co/Z6xmyGCRg1@ASUWrestling @SunkistRTCatASU pic.twitter.com/FwAUKfMalZ
The graphics below show the distribution of Olympic and world medals earned from 1896-2020, with Sunkist Kids Wrestling Club ranking No. 11 all time in Olympics, and No. 17 all time combined. With the 2024 Olympic games on the horizon, Sunkist looks towards fellow ASU alumnus Zahid Valencia as he returns from Belgrade, Serbia, where he earned a bronze medal in the 2023 World Championships.