Wrestling Legend Jim Glasser Retires at Lovett

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At 17, Jim Glasser won the first of his two national wrestling championships, received a box of Hershey Milk Chocolate Bars for his accomplishment and then was carried around the gym in a triumphant manner.

 

At age 62, he was honored as the nation’s fourth winningest prep wrestling coach in history (751 wins) and given a much-deserved standing ovation by 9,000 plus fans at last month’s Georgia state traditional tournament – his last as head coach at Lovett School – at Gwinnett County Arena.

 

In between, he has had a hall of fame career as wrestler and coach and now he has stepped aside.

 

The former McCallie School and UTC wrestling great and long time Lovett School head coach stepped down last month after 36 years on the mat at the Atlanta Prep School.

 

His successor is former Iowa State All-American Billy Maldonado who was an assistant coach at Central Gwinnett this past season and is a former assistant coach at West Point.

 

The Glasser numbers are impressive. Actually, staggering.

 

751-48-2 (93.99%) … dual meet coaching record

 

93.99% … highest dual meet win percentage in high school wrestling in the nation

 

11 State traditional championships

2 State Duals championships

 

56 Individual State Champions

 

2 All-Americans; Andrew Aiken (’93) and Daniel Domanico (’09)

 

16 Undefeated Seasons, including 8 in a row; 1977-85 (91 straight wins)

 

Fittingly, in his last two times sitting mat side at the state traditional in February, Glasser had wrestlers walk of the mat as state champs – Patrick Emerson at 189 and Hunter Rich at 285.

 

“Jim is an iconic figure and has meant so much to Lovett,†said The Lovett School athletics director Steve Franks. “His impact on our school over the years is so visible as he has impacted thousands of lives.â€

 

A versatile coach, Glasser also led Lovett to state titles in boys’ tennis and girls’ track.

 

Glasser’s wrestling career began in the Chattanooga Gra-Y League and continued at McCallie, Oklahoma State and Tennessee at Chattanooga.

 

Known for his athletic talents – eight varsity letters in football, wrestling and baseball – he also had earned the respect of students and faculty beyond athletics, receiving McCallie’s second highest award, the Campbell Award, as a senior.

 

Opponents were made aware of his speed and quickness in baseball when, on occasion, from his catching position, he would out run the opposing batter to first base to back up the play.

 

“Jim was the ideal wrestler to coach,†said former UTC and Baylor School coach Jim Morgan.

 

“He was very athletic, easy to coach and was a leader in everything he did. Simply, he is one of the best.â€

 

Transferring to UTC from Oklahoma State midway through his sophomore year, the Okies loss was the Mocs and coach Morgan’s gain as Glasser and two-time Red Bank state champ Randy Faires decided to return home and made an immediate impact on the local program as the duo won three straight Southern individual titles each.

 

Faires recalls the 1970 Southern finals as the official stopped the match in the third period with Glasser suffering from a cut over his left eye.

 

“Jim was wrestling this stud from LSU (Larry Taylor) and while he was laying on the mat getting bandaged up, Taylor was over there doing push ups and ready to keep going,†Faires stated.

 

“I knew Jim was all but spent, I didn’t want him to see Taylor and convinced him that Taylor was tired and Jim could take him.â€

 

Evidently, Faires’ words of wisdom worked as Glasser, bad eye and all, quickly scored a takedown and near fall to win 11-4 for his second Southern title.

 

“So I lied, “said Faires with a laugh. “I had to help my teammate and friend win the match.â€

 

With all his individual accolades, Glasser was the consummate team player.

 

“It was great to win two national titles, but we (McCallie) didn’t win the team title and that was the most important goal,†said Glasser who is a member of Greater Chattanooga, UTC and the Georgia Chapter of the National Wrestling Halls of Fame.

 

Thus, his most important prep win came in the 183-pound Mid-South Conference finals his senior year against Baylor’s Paul Boehm, the 1966 Mid South winner at heavyweight, who had beaten Glasser earlier in the season.

 

The McCallie senior – spotting Boehm 20-plus pounds and would win the nationals at 157 pounds two weeks later – posted a 4-1 triumph to clinch the second of three straight tournament team titles.

 

Possibly lost in all the title runs was the fact that Glasser wrestled wherever the team and head coach Col. Dave Spencer needed him.

 

In the 1966 nationals he wrestled at 148, moved up three weight classes for the 1967 season and then was at his normal weight at 157 to claim the second national title that same season.

 

At the 1966 national tourney, he scored a pin against Baylor defending national champ Lane Headrick – who had beaten Glasser earlier in the season – as the victory was a double-edged sword.

 

In a four-team race for the championship, Glasser’s win gave Milton Hershey (Pa.) – that’s where the Hershey Bars gift and victory ride came into play – the team title (49 points) and kept Baylor (48 points) from victory and gave McCallie fourth place with 47 points.

 

Glasser nearly kept the triumphant Pennsylvania school from the title as he defeated M-H’s Bill Kohl, 9-8, in the semis.

 

From the Gra-Y league to the national wrestling hall of fame, Glasser had left his mark at all levels.

 

More importantly, his influence and effect on hundreds of lives will be remembered for years to come.

 

Credits: Lovett sports information director Perry McIntyre and Darryl S. Ellrott, editor of "The New Southern Grappler" for statistical information on Jim Glasser's coaching career at Lovett.

Edited March 24, 2011 by bbb

[clintabbott]

Congratulations to Jim Glasser-always a class act.

Edited March 24, 2011 by clintabbott

[takedown3]

Took a TN wrestler to introduce real wrestling to the Peach State.