STILLWATER, Okla. — Against a lot of odds, Woodward, Oklahoma, native Joey Miller made a name for herself in the world of wrestling.
On Oct. 6, Miller, a 2008 Woodward High School graduate, was inducted into the National Wrestling Hall of Fame’s Oklahoma Chapter, during a ceremony in Edmond at the Hilton Garden Inn.
Her college coach, Archie Randall, nominated Miller for the Outstanding American Award, which Miller said was based on her wrestling career and her professional career as a physical therapist.
Miller spent her high school years wrestling in Woodward. Then she went on to wrestle at Oklahoma City University.
“I started wrestling when I was 6 years old,” she said. “My brother bought me a pair of wrestling shoes as a Christmas gift. I considered myself a wrestler and not a ‘girl’ wrestler. I worked hard to get that reputation. I’ve always been accepted in Woodward as a female wrestler.”
Female wrestling has not always been readily recognized as it is today. In 2004, women’s wrestling was added as an Olympic sport – but not without a fight, according to the National Wrestling Coaches Association. In fact, wrestling as a sport has had to fight its own battles to maintain a spot in the Olympics over the past two decades.
Since 1994, the number of women who wrestle in high school has grown from 804 to more than 50,000, according to Optimal Performance Calculator weight assessment data from spring 2023.
In 2019, the Women’s Collegiate Wrestling Coalition announced the creation of the Cliff Keen National Collegiate Women’s Wrestling Championships for NCAA Teams. The event was hosted by Adrian College March 6-7, 2020.
Then in 2020 The National Junior College Athletic Association announced it would recognize women’s wrestling as an emerging sport. That same year, The National Wrestling Coaches Association Multi-Divisional National Duals hosted separate NAIA and NCAA Women’s Divisions for the first time.
In 2022 ,the National Association of Intercollegiate Athletes adopted women’s wrestling as the 28th championship sport.
When Miller arrived at OCU’s wrestling program around 2009, she quickly began excelling, despite the fact that it was still an emerging sport in many areas.
“I had a ‘redshirt year,’” she said.
A redshirt is when an athlete delays participation in a sport to extend eligibility. After that year, while also honing her skills, Miller began competing to reach her goals. In the all-women’s league, she won two national championships and was a four-time All-American.
Miller said it was an honor to be included in the Hall of Fame, and to have many special people in her life attend the ceremony.
“At the banquet, they honored five lifetime award winners, one Outstanding American winner, and one Braveheart award,” she said. “I picked my mom to give me my plaque, my dad to hand me my jacket, and Coach Randall was my escort. I also did a live interview during the induction ceremony.”
During the interview on stage, Miller told the audience to never give up on their dreams.
“Never quit, and never settle,”b she said. “There were many times I wanted to quit, but anytime you get second place, that’s never good enough.”
Miller, in all of her communications, shares her philosophies and the thoughts she entertains within her mind that allow her to continue pursuing her goals. Those who know her say it is through these disciplines that she’s been able to leave her mark on the sport of wrestling and inspired many competitors in Woodward and northwest Oklahoma with her storied career.
She explained what the sport has meant to her.
“It caught me by surprise to be honored,” she said. “I never expected to be honored nationally. Even though I’ve been retired for 13 years, I left a presence in the wrestling world.”