Northwest Notes March 14, 2025

Diane Wolf, long-time teacher, multi-sport coach, activities administrator and state administrator in Idaho for 33 years, and a major contributor nationally with high school spirit rules for 25 years, has been selected to the 2025 class of the NFHS National High School Hall of Fame. 

Diane is the first female from Idaho to earn this recognition, the first in the past 19 years and only the fifth recipient in the history of Idaho.

Wolf’s 45-year career began as a teacher, multi-sport coach and activities administrator in the Meridian School district from 1974 to 1998. She coached cheerleading (12 years), gymnastics (nine years), cross country/track and field (10 years) and tennis (five years).

She accepted the assistant executive director position with the Idaho High School Activities Association in 1998 as she administered cheerleading, dance, cross country, track and field, tennis, softball, speech, and various student and scholarship programs. She also was involved with two landmark programs — Schools of Excellence and Legends of the Game.

It was during the 1990s when her focus shifted to the development of cheerleading and dance programs nationally, beginning in 1994 and for the next 25 years, from developing spirit safety rules, to co-authoring NFHS education courses and mentoring  coaches and administrators across the country.

Wolf was named to the NFHS Spirit Rules Committee in 1994 and contributed to the development of national standards for spirit programs during her four-year term. She re-joined the committee in 2004 and served another four-year term as committee chair. In between those two terms, she served on the NFHS Spirit Advisory Board, concluding with a year as chair in 2003.

After she retired from the IHSAA in 2007, Wolf served another 12 years as the officials' liaison on the NFHS Spirit Rules Committee. 

The 11 total honorees will be inducted June 30 during the 42nd induction ceremony of the National High School Hall of Fame, which will be held at the 106th NFHS Summer Meeting in Chicago.

The National High School Hall of Fame was started in 1982 by the NFHS to honor high school athletes, coaches, contest officials, administrators, performing arts coaches/directors and others for their extraordinary achievements and accomplishments in high school sports and performing arts programs. This year’s class increases the number of individuals in the Hall of Fame to 540.