Dr. Terry Giardini

Caledonia

Official

Dr. Terry Giardini is best known in the Illinois wrestling community for being a certified IHSA and NCAA

official for 50 years who has worked many of the top competitions at both the collegiate and high school levels.

He officiated at Northwestern University’s Midlands Championships for 26 years, in the Big Ten Conference for

12 years and in the Mid-American Conference for eight years. He worked at four NCAA Nationals in both

Divisions 2 and 3 and at four NCAA National Duals as well at several NCAA national qualifiers at all three levels

from 1997-2019. He also serves as an Official’s Evaluator for the Big Ten Conference.

A 1975 graduate of Rockford East, he posted a 92-27-2 record from 1971-1972 to 1974-1975 and won

conference and regional titles and was an all-conference and all-area selection while competing being coached

by his older brother, Gary Giardini.

Terry was also a member of Rockford East’s 1974 football team that won the Class 4A championship over Normal

Community and was inducted into the Rockford Public Schools District 205 Hall of Fame for being a member of

the school’s first football team to win a title. He and his brothers, Gary, Perry, and Barry, have been recognized

by the E-Rabs program and coach Gene Lee with the school’s annual tournament being named in the brothers’

honor.

He attended Northern Illinois University and his wrestling career was brief as he dislocated his elbow in his first

match competing for the Huskies. He graduated from NIU in 1980 with a B.S. in Special Education and a minor

in Psychology. He added a Master’s in Education at Louis University and Doctorate in Psychology at California

Southern University.

Terry has been employed as a Special Education Teacher, a Co-Responder for local law enforcement agencies,

a fitness instructor and an Adjunct Professor at Upper Iowa University.

He’s an inductee in another hall of fame, the Rockford Area Music Industry Hall of Fame, for the Best Classic

Rock Band in which he’s enjoyed a 27-year career as a guitar player. He also received the Joanne K. McCabe

Leadership Award for Excellence in community involvement.