William (Bill) Farrell, chief administrator for the ASICS wrestling division, will retire effective immediately after an illustrious career with the brand spanning 50 full years. Farrell joined ASICS in 1958 as an importer and distributor of the first “Tiger” wrestling shoes in the United States.
In 1959, with Onitsuka Tiger and RESILITE, Farrell started his first company, Olympic RESILITE, which continued to distribute ASICS products as well as a variety of wrestling products. Almost 30 years later, 1988, he created TW Promotions, Inc. which is currently the wrestling arm of the ASICS America Corporation. Born in 1929 in Long Island, N.Y., Farrell has become a legend within the wrestling community as well as the ASICS family.
He spent his earlier years playing football, and at the ripe age of 26 he picked up the sport of wrestling. He went on to become an “All American” and win numerous local, regional and national titles. In addition to competing, Farrell took on the responsibility of coaching the New York Athletic Club wrestling team who he led to 11 National Amateur Athletic Union (AAU) titles and garnered several USA Wrestling National team titles. He then coached the U.S.A. Freestyle Wrestling team, and led the U.S. Olympic team to six medals at the Munich, Germany games in 1972.
Throughout his illustrious career, Farrell has been recognized as a leader in the wrestling world. He was inducted into the Wrestling Hall of Fame in Stillwater, Oklahoma in 1985 as a “Distinguished Member” for his outstanding contributions and achievements in the sport. Then in 2007, the U.S. Olympic Committee and U.S.A. Wrestling presented Farrell with the prestigious “Lifetime Achievement Award,” in which they stated that no other person has had a more positive effect on the Olympic sport of wrestling. ASICS honored Farrell in early December during their annual sales meeting in Irvine, Calif. “Bill is an icon in the wrestling community who was a loyal partner with ASICS for half a century,” says Gary Slayton, VP of Marketing, ASICS America Corporation. “The ASICS family will miss him and wishes him all the best in his much-deserved retirement.”
