Tom Lenox spoke with Erie media three weeks after he learned about next month’s Erie Sports Hall of Fame enshrinement.

That time span, though, hadn’t lessened the news’ emotional impact within the former McDowell and Gannon University wrestling coach.

“I’m still overwhelmed and extremely humbled,” Lenox said. “It goes beyond coaching and athletics to see a lot of those (wrestlers) become men. Yeah, it’s nice to have an all-state guy on a team or to be competitive, but the world measures you by what you do after that.

“Again, this is an honor.”

Lenox, a veteran Erie Bureau of Police officer, spoke at the Zem Zem Shrine Club, 2525 W. 38th St. That’s also where the hall’s 2026 class will be formally inducted on June 24.

‘Pay it forward’

Lenox wrestled for Gannon during the mid-1990s. The Johnstown native’s 78 victories as a Golden Knight ranked fifth at the time of his 1997 graduation.

Lenox was an assistant to Gannon coach Don Henry from 1997-2002 and was later hired as head coach for McDowell High School’s wrestling program. His tenure in charge of the Trojans included working with his son.

Charlie Lenox went 140-33 over his career at McDowell and Fort LeBoeuf. His arm was raised in triumph after his last varsity match as the PIAA’s Class 2A 120-pound gold medalist for its 2016 tournament.

“As a father, it was honor of a lifetime,” Tom Lenox said. “You can’t put a price tag on that bond.

“Charlie had his own motivations (to win), but he always understood that nothing is given to you.”

Tom Lenox’s enshrinement, though, has much to do with his regular job. The former Erie County juvenile probation officer, who joined the Erie police department in 2005, initiated the revival of the Erie Police Athletic League after a four-decade hiatus.

What began with Pfeiffer-Burleigh Elementary School students in 2016 has grown to more than 1,700 at 27 schools or community centers, according to palerie.org.

Lenox’s background, which included being the first in his family to graduate from high school, was ample motivation to help guide Erie youths away from similar fates.

“There’s a lot of people who didn’t know my humble beginnings when I moved to the area,” he said. “Being given up for adoption and going through the foster care system. Being what I’ve been through, I made a commitment to myself and God that no matter what I chose to do I owed it to myself and the community that I would always give hope to an athlete or a child.

“No matter what your circumstances are, you can rise above any atrocity in your life. Not only to become who you want to be but to pay it forward.”

Henry’s help

Don Henry is the man who paid it forward for Lenox. The Harborcreek Township native not only recruited Lenox to wrestle at Gannon but kept him involved in the program as an assistant coach from 1997-2002.

Henry retired in 2023 after 39 years, 233 dual victories, 47 All-Americans and one NCAA Division II national champion (Doug Joseph in 2001). He joined the school’s athletic hall of fame in 2025.

Those career statistics, though, weren’t why Lenox remains grateful for Henry’s lifetime impact.

“I met the right coach (after) the atrocities I went through,” Lenox said. “It was coach Henry who believed in me and was a father to me. He took a vested interest in me and knew my story, which was, “Your victory is going to be what you do when you’re done (wrestling).’

“If it wasn’t for Don and the Erie community believing in me, I wouldn’t be here.”

Contact Mike Copper at mcopper@timesnews.com. Follow him on X @ETNcopper.