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[Sommers]

 

 

 

 

 

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OOLTEWAH HIGH SCHOOL ANNOUNCES SEVERAL NEW HEAD COACHES

By

 Rick Nyman

 -

July 20, 2018

    

Ooltewah Owls

 

(press release) Ooltewah High School has announced the lineup of new head coaches at the school for 2018-2019.  The new head coaches include girls basketball, cross country, wrestling, boys track, and softball.  “The coach appointments are a reflection of some of the positive changes taking place at Ooltewah High School for the coming school year,” said Bradley Jackson, assistant principal and athletic director at Ooltewah High. “We look forward to a great year for the Owls!”

 

James Manning, another graduate of Ooltewah, will take over as head coach of wrestling at the school.  Manning is a member of the Class of 2011 for the Owls.  He played football and wrestled at Ooltewah High.  He wrestled all four years of high school and was a two-time region champion, three-time state qualifier and placed third in the state.  Manning learned wrestling under Coach Wendell Weathers and J.D. Dunbar.  He played college football at Carson-Newman and graduated in 2015.  For the last two years, Manning has been an assistant football and wrestling coach.

coaches/https://wdef.com/2018/07/20/ooltewah-high-school-announces-several-new-head-coaches/

Edited July 21, 2018 by Sommers

[Sommers]

A first for Cleveland area wrestling...

 

A CLEVELAND HIGH SCHOOL standout Trae McDaniel, second from right, placed third and seventh at the USA Wrestling National Championships in Fargo, N.D. The world's largest wrestling tournament ran July 12-20.

CONTRIBUTED PHOTO

PreviousNext

Posted Thursday, July 26, 2018 11:07 am

By PATRICK MacCOON

Walk in to any wrestling center in Cleveland and you'll find history overflowing on the trophy shelves.

Around the mat there are 40 team state championships and nearly 150 individual state champions between three schools.

A trio of four-time champions hold a unique legacy in Bradley County, as do legendary coaches and a determined supporter.

The gold standard is understood by many, especially rising Cleveland High School sophomore Trae McDaniel.

With a 38-4 record for the Blue Raiders at 106 pounds last season, McDaniel let a loss in the Class AAA state finals motivate him to dominate this summer.

"Not winning gold at the state tournament really lit a fire under me, and motivated me more than anything has in my life," McDaniel said. "I got back and hit the training room as soon as I could. You have to battle all the way to the end and never settle."

Competing at the USA Wrestling Cadet/Junior National Championships in Fargo, North Dakota, recently, McDaniel was able to accomplish a rare first for his hometown.

The Blue Raider became the first local wrestler to earn double All-American status.

With confidence in his technique and stamina, a six-day battle in the 100-pound weight class displayed his unique talent.

 McDaniel went 6-1 in Greco Roman to finish in third place, while he also went 7-2 in Freestyle to place seventh.

For only the fifth time in state history, a wrestler achieved All-American status in two tournaments at the national championships.

"This is the biggest accomplishment a wrestler from our area has achieved in high school," Higher Calling Wrestling Club head coach Josh Bosken said. "With brackets holding as many as 150 kids, Fargo is the toughest tournament for a high school wrestler to compete in.

"To put Trae's achievement into perspective, some of the Cleveland/Bradley Central greats, such as 4-time state champions Chris DeBien and Matt Keller, only placed in one style. Trae's makeup is unbelievable, and he has the chance to be one of the best this area has ever seen."

Going blow-for-blow with some of the top talents in the nation, McDaniel kept his composure in a field of upcoming freshman and sophomores.

"The biggest challenge is to not get nervous, and wrestle like I normally would," McDaniel said. "I try to go out there and do the best I can. I want to place every year at Nationals, win state championships and get some good college [scholarship] offers."

McDaniel was one of the state's top newcomers last season for Cleveland, who swept both the duals and traditional tournaments in Murfreesboro this past February.

Rarely putting himself out of position or letting his opponent have an opportunity for a pin, his defense and technique have both been described as well above his age for a wrestler who has been getting after it since he was 4 years old.

By placing third in Greco Roman, McDaniel was selected to be a part of the USAW world team, along with being invited to train at the Olympic Training Center in Colorado Springs, Colorado.

He joins upcoming freshman Blue Raider Ashton Davis, who will compete for the USAW world team when he travels to Mexico City to compete in the Pan American Games in September.

The mecca of high school wrestling in the Volunteer State continues to add to a first-class tradition, as some of the nation's best are right in the Cleveland and Bradley County community.

__________________________________

GoFundMe established in memory of Keith Cupp, first national champ for Cumberland U.

Mark Palmer, InterMat Senior Writer

7/24/2018

mark@intermatwrestle.com, Twitter: @MatWriter

 

A GoFundMe page has been established in the memory of Keith Cupp, first national champ in any sport for Tennessee's Cumberland University, who passed away Sunday. He was 35. 

The online fundraising page, set up this week, has this simple message: "Help is needed for funeral expenses to honor Keith Madison Cupp. Any help is greatly appreciated."
 

Keith Cupp

Cupp won the 174-pound title at the 2005 NAIA (National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics) National Wrestling Championships. As Jarad Swint, head wrestling coach of the Cumberland Phoenix mat program at that time, pointed out on his Facebook page, "He was not only Cumberland University Tennessee's first national wrestling champion, he was the first individual national champion at the school in any sport, and my first as head coach." 

"Keith was the catalyst for the Cumberland University wrestling program getting on the wrestling map," Swint told InterMat Tuesday. "The year before I started as coach, Cumberland finished last in the NAIA tournament, so we started a 'worst to first' campaign. The second year of that campaign Keith brought the program its first first." 

"When I was coach at Cumberland when Keith won his national championship, we had no wrestling room. We had to wait for other programs to finish practice before we could practice. After his championship, we acquired a donor that enabled us to build a wrestling room."

In April 2007 -- just two years after Cupp's history-making NAIA individual championship -- Cumberland University completed a $154,000, 4,800-square foot wrestling building. 

"When Keith won his NAIA national title, he gave me a lot of credit for getting him on track mentally. Credit I did not deserve," Swint told InterMat. "It was all him. That was the kind of teammate he was to guys -- he was loyal and gave credit back."

"I was blessed to have him on our team." 

Fred Feeney, long-time wrestling official based in Columbus, Ohio, shared his memories of Keith Cupp.

"First time I met him was when he was in middle school," Feeney told InterMat. "I thought he was a great kid from the start, with a ready smile."

"He wrestled at three schools in four years while in high school," Feeney continued. "He ended up at Columbus Hamilton Township High."

Keith Cupp won back-to-back 152-pound Division II titles for Hamilton Township at the 2000 and 2001 Ohio High School State Wrestling Championships.

His wrestling coach at Hamilton Township, Scott Williams, posted this message on Facebook: "I am thankful I could be a part of his life and he part of mine. Thank you, Keith Cupp, for the opportunity of a lifetime to wrestle and coach a state champion on a daily basis and coach in your corner as you became Hamilton Township's first-ever state champion..."

___________________________________

FYI...

 

Edited July 27, 2018 by Sommers

[Sommers]

Jones Foundation Donates To Bradley Youth Wrestling Club

http://www.chattanoogan.com/2018/7/26/373494/Jones-Foundation-Donates-To-Bradley.aspx

Thursday, July 26, 2018

Bradley Pride Youth Wrestling Club Director Ben Smith (center) accepts a check from the Allan Jones Foundation. Pictured with Smith are Jones Management Services Vice President J. Bailey Jones (left) and Toby Pendergrass (right), Director of the Foundation.

The Bradley Pride Youth Wrestling Club received a major boost of support this week from the Allan Jones Foundation.

Ben Smith, Director of Bradley Pride and head coach of the Bradley Bears wrestling team, announced that the youth club received a substantial check from the Jones Foundation.

The donation was a match to funds the club had raised earlier in the year.

 “This week’s incredible matching donation demonstrates the commitment of the Allan Jones Foundation to helping our club grow so that Bradley and Cleveland will always have the top two wrestling programs in Tennessee,” said Smith. “Thanks to the Foundation, I’m proud to say that Bradley and Cleveland now have the best-funded kids wrestling clubs in the United States.”

Bradley Pride is a wrestling program that gives young wrestlers of all skill levels, grades K through 8, a chance to learn the essentials of practice and competition. The goal of the program is to train and maintain the highest-quality athletes to help continue the finest wrestling program in Tennessee.

Typical practices will consist of 2-3 times a week for 1-hour sessions and 5 to 6 tournament opportunities. The Bradley Kid's Club experience provides an excellent youth level competitions while providing basic wrestling skills that enable them to become successful at the middle and high school level.

The Foundation requires the club’s members to earn money themselves, which is later matched dollar-for-dollar.

 

J. Bailey Jones, Vice President at Jones Management Services and a representative of the Foundation, was a 2010 160 lb. Division 1 State Champion for Cleveland. He set the all-time record with 125 takedowns in the Greater Chattanooga Area that stood until 2012 when another Cleveland wrestler, 4-time state champion Chris DeBien, broke it with 134 takedowns. 

 “Our goal through the donation to Bradley Pride, along with the club’s own fundraising efforts, is to make it one of the highest funded kids club in the country,” said Jones. “We give the club the challenge to raise money on their own and we are always ready to double what they raise.”

Jones said winning is a three-pronged approach.

“It includes the high school head coach, the middle school head coach, and the kids club coach,” said Jones. “The kids club coach is the most important, because the coach is the one who gets the kids interested and teaches them about the joy of winning.”

Coach Smith offered a special thanks to the Foundation and to the Jones companies like Check Into Cash that have supported the club through the years. 

 “Allan Jones has said many times that youth wrestling clubs are important because the wrestlers develop a love for the sport and build a strong work ethic that will carry them through life,” Smith said. “He also appreciates that we strive to teach young athletes moral character and good sportsmanship. Winning starts at this level.”

Toby Pendergrass, Director of the Jones Foundation, agreed with Smith.

“If there is a state championship won in wrestling, the Allan Jones Foundation wants it to be one of our three schools – and it all starts with the Kids Club,” said Pendergrass

[Sommers]

•  

TOP MOMENTS: Fields claimed long-sought state title for THS wrestling

• Nate Hubbard | Bristol Herald Courier
•  
  • 4 hrs ago

 

Buy Now

THS's Dominic Fields wrestles against SHHS's Dorian Butler during a 2017 match. Fields won the match on points.

DAVID CRIGGER

 

 

Relive the top athletic moments of the 2017-18 school year this summer as sports editor and Northeast Tennessee beat writer Nate Hubbard looks back at indelible highlights for Sullivan Central, Sullivan East, Tennessee High and King University.

It happened in a flash after years of anticipation.

And that split-second has already proven to have an impact much beyond an instant.

 

Drama at the Williamson County Expo Center on Feb. 17, 2018.

For the first time in history, a Tennessee High wrestler donning the title of state champion.

Dominic Fields, triumphant.

Without a doubt, Tennessee High’s top athletic moment of the 2017-18 school year.

“I can still remember super minor details no one else can remember,” Fields said in looking back on his victory during a phone interview this week. “How much I can picture it in my head and still remember everything I saw, it’s crazy. … Pretty much every day I’ll see someone I wrestle with or wrestled against and it always pops up again.”

The moment was nothing short of silver screen-worthy magic.

Under the guidance of coach Tim Marshall, who took over the Tennessee High wrestling program in 2014 after two years as a THS assistant and nearly a decade of building up the area’s youth ranks through the Viking Wrestling Club, the maroon-clad mat crew had made significant strides to become a regional force and a new presence on the state scene.

When it came to state finals, however, the Vikings had been forced to deal with more silver than a flatware factory.

Heading into the 2018 postseason, seven THS state finalists – five in the boys bracket and two in the girls – had fallen one win shy of the ultimate triumph in the past three years alone.

Fields had claimed a regional title as a freshman in 2016 and did so again to earn his 2018 state berth in style, but had never made much noise in the state tournament and was far from an overwhelming favorite to finally bring gold back to Bristol.

“Dom was kind of the darkhorse under the radar no one was talking about,” Marshall said. “No one expected it to be him.”

Not even Fields.

“I was [only] confident I was going to place,” Fields said. “I saw my bracket and I was like, ‘The quarterfinal match is going to determine if I win or lose.’ ”

From there, the drama began in earnest among the contenders for the TSSAA Class AAA 145-pound state crown.

In the quarterfinal showdown with top-seeded Cody Mathews of Cleveland – a guy who’d already beaten Fields twice earlier in the season – the Tennessee High junior pulled out a 5-4 victory in an ultimate tiebreaker.

“The only time I had nerves was right before my quarterfinal,” Fields said. “After that, semifinals and finals, I felt fantastic.”

Still, it was no easy journey for Fields.

Fields eked out another 5-4 win in the semis to set up a clash with none other than Arthur James of local archrival Science Hill in the final.

With the tension ramped up even more, Fields and James battled through a tight bout into a sudden-victory extra session where Fields scored to take a 6-4 decision and his place in THS athletic history.

“When somebody brings it up, it give me chills each time to think about it,” Marshall said.

Among the vivid memories for Fields are seeing his dad and grandfather tearing up in the stands after his win, and his mom letting loose her own waterworks standing alongside his brother and numerous other well-wishers the next day in the THS school parking lot when Fields made his return to Bristol.

“It makes it all worth it, all those hard days in practice,” Fields said.

Wrestling may not always get the attention of sports like football and basketball, but Fields’ win has gone far from unnoticed.

Fields has already been formally recognized by the School Board and is set to receive the same honor from the City Council on Tuesday.

“They’ve uplifted this moment so much,” he said.

Even more telling have been the countless people Fields said have come up to him during day-to-day life – from his old kindergarten teacher to complete strangers – to congratulate him on the state title.

“I didn’t have a clue how many people have seen that match or the word spread to,” he said.

Marshall said Fields’ title was deeply meaningful to a slew of folks behind the scenes that have helped build up THS wrestling over the years, adding that he expects the state gold to pay dividends for years to come as well.

“It seems like something about Dom winning a state championship has come up about every week since then,” he said.

“The motivation that’s come up, not just with Dom but with other people on the team, other kids that are in our youth program – it just seems like there’s a big shot of energy that has gone through wrestling in Bristol.”

[Sommers]

 

Four former Vols inducted into Greater Knoxville Sports HoF

ByWES RUCKER Aug 1, 1:45 PM

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Next week’s 37th Annual Greater Knoxville Sports Hall of Fame Dinner & Induction Ceremony will, as usual, honor several former University of Tennessee stars. Several former Vols — football player Joey Clinkscales, baseball player Bubba Trammell, runner Tony Parillaand wrestler Chris Vandergriff — will be honored at the annual event that will be held at the Knoxville Convention Center on Tuesday, Aug. 7Another former Tennessee star — baseball pitcher and former Cy Young Award winner R.A. Dickey — will be the event’s featured speaker.Here’s a full preview of the event, courtesy of the Tennessee sports information department.SEVERAL VOLS TO BE HONORED BY KNOXVILLE SPORTS HALL OF FAMEThe 37th Annual Greater Knoxville Sports Hall of Fame Dinner & Induction Ceremony will feature a heavy helping of Big Orange flavor, as several Tennessee greats will be featured throughout the evening.   TheThe event takes place Tuesday, Aug. 7, at the Knoxville Convention Center. UT Director of Athletic Broadcasting Bob Kesling will serve as Master of Ceremonies, Tennessee baseball VFL and Cy Young Award winner R.A. Dickeywill be the featured speaker, and VFLs Joey Clinkscales (football), Tony Parrilla(track & field), Bubba Trammell(baseball) and Chris Vandergriff(wrestling) will be inducted as part of the Class of 2018.   Tennessee's 1998 football team, which captured the BCS National Championship with a Fiesta Bowl victory over Florida State and was coached by current UT Director of Athletics Phillip Fulmer, will be honored as well.

[Sommers]

Keep Father Ryan's rush family in prayers...

https://www.tennessean.com/story/news/2018/08/05/father-ryan-student-wrestler-drowns-saturday/910076002/

[Sommers]

ND Fixture takes the helm...

Notre Dame Names Voiles Head Wrestling Coach

Thursday, August 9, 2018

Notre Dame High School in Chattanooga has named Tim Voiles as the new head wrestling  coach. 
Voiles will take over the head coaching role for the Irish wrestling program and has been a mainstay at Notre Dame. 

As an assistant coach (2002-17), Voiles would help lead the Fighting Irish to three consecutive TSSAA Dual State Championships (2005, 2006, 2007) and a State Duals Runner Up in 2008.

The former high school All American, wrestled at Lookout Valley where he would become a two time state champion and posted a 216-18 record.  Voiles would then wrestle at Carson Newman where he was a four year starter and posted over 100 collegiate wins while qualifying for the national tournament twice.  

Voiles will have a wealth of knowledge and experience as he has named Rabbit Turner as an assistant coach for the Fighting Irish.  The former Red Bank and Soddy Daisy standout was a TSSAA State Finalist in 1997 for the Trojans and has worked extensively with several club teams in the Chattanooga area.  

“I am excited for the opportunity to serve as the head coach for the Irish wrestling program” said Voiles.  “I have always looked at Notre Dame as family and these past seventeen years have been a wonderful experience. It’s going to be a privilege to continue working with John Mullin, Melissa Wolff, and now Coach Turner as we are looking to build on the tradition of Notre Dame Wrestling”._

_________________________

From gomocs.com

Ruschell Named Head Coach of Mocs Wrestling

 

Aug. 10, 2018 Wrestling

University of Tennessee at Chattanooga Vice Chancellor and Director of Athletics Mark Wharton announced that Kyle Ruschell has been offered and accepted the position of Head Wrestling Coach for the Mocs.  Ruschell replaces Heath Eslinger, who stepped down to pursue other interests on July 19. 

"We had an outstanding pool of candidates for this position, which is a testament to the type of program Heath built over the last nine years," stated Wharton.  "This was a very difficult decision, but in the end, Kyle became the clear choice to lead our program.

"I talked to a lot of individuals throughout the wrestling community, both locally and nationally, and it was clear that Kyle is ready for the challenge to lead our program.  His credentials as a coach and athlete are outstanding, and he has a clear vision that fits within our athletics department."

Ruschell joined the Mocs staff in June as assistant coach.  He was elevated to Interim Head Coach on July 19, following Eslinger's resignation.  He spent the previous eight seasons as an assistant coach at Wisconsin.  A former member of the U.S. National Team (2014-15), he was a two-time All-American for the Badgers (2007-10).

"I am extremely honored to be named the next head coach of UTC wrestling," stated Ruschell. "The support for this program is amazing, and I am excited for the future.

"I want to thank Mark Wharton for believing in my leadership and vision for this program, and Heath Eslinger for showing me what the Mocs are all about. Chattanooga is a special place and I cannot wait to get to work.  Go Mocs!"

As a member of the Wisconsin coaching staff, Ruschell helped five Badgers earn seven All-American honors.  Four times in his tenure, Wisconsin finished in the top 20 at the NCAA Tournament, including a 13^th-place showing in 2013. 

Ruschell helped Isaac Jordan win his first Big Ten championship in 2015 and earn four All-American honors. Jordan was the program's first Big Ten champion since Trevor Brandvold in 2011.

Ruschell also coached Evan Wick to a third-place finish at NCAAs in 2018, along with Ryan Taylor and Connor Medbery to 2015 All-American honors.  In 2017, the Badgers sent nine wrestlers to the NCAA Championships, marking the program's highest number of qualifiers since 2007.

Ruschell has twice competed in the World Team trials in Fargo, N.D., most recently in 2018.  He made the U.S. National Team in 2014. He placed third in the U.S. Open and third in Phase II of the World Team Trials after beating two-time national champion Kellen Russell from Michigan and national team member Frank Mollinaro, who was a national champion for Penn State.

In the fight to "Save Olympic Wrestling", Ruschell was asked to be a representative for the sport at the Kentucky state capital as they passed a state bylaw to keep wrestling in the Olympics.

The Crittenden, Ky. native was a four-time NCAA championship qualifier for the Badgers, earning All-America honors twice at 149 lbs. The four-year letter winner served as team captain his junior and senior seasons.

Ruschell is the only two-time All-American from Kentucky and the state's highest placer in the NCAA Division I championships. At Ryle High School, Ruschell was a two-time state and four-time conference champion.  He and his wife, the former Allie Johnson, were married in June of 2017. 

Edited August 11, 2018 by Sommers

[Sommers]

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WJHL News Channel 11Nexstar BroadcastingFREE - In Google Play

Two with Science Hill roots to be inducted into National Wrestling Hall of Fame

By:

• Kenny Hawkins

Science Hill High School will add two more members to the National Wrestling Hall of Fame this weekend as Science Hill girls wrestling coach Jon Renner and Science Hill alumni Captain Frederick “Erick” Waage will have their names enshrined at the museum in Stillwater, Oklahoma. 

Renner is being inducted into the National Wrestling Hall of Fame for Lifetime Service. This category recognizes individuals for post competitive contribution. Waage – the 2002 TSSAA state champion at 171 pounds - is being awarded the Outstanding American Award, which recognizes individuals succeeding outside of wrestling due in part to something gained while wrestling.

“These are two great representatives of Science Hill High School and wrestling in the state,” said Science Hill’s Jeff Price, who was inducted into the National Wrestling Hall of Fame in 2010. “Jon has done a lot of thankless jobs...Erick is the exact type of kid that anyone wants.”

Renner has been giving back to the sport for over 25 years, first as a referee and then as an assistant for Jefferson County, Carson Newman College and currently Science Hill High School. Renner has been involved from all sides of the sport - the yelling and being yelled at - except that he is one of the quiet guys doing it all out of the spotlight.

“Girl’s wrestling would not even exist in Tennessee if it wasn’t for Jon,” Price said. “He’s been the glue that has held that together.” 

Renner was a bit more quiet about the impact he’s had on the sport and harped more on the impact the sport’s had on him.

“I’d rather the girls get the glory,” said Renner, who led the Lady Hilltoppers to the first sanctioned state championship in 2015. “I’m just steering the ship. But it is nice to be well-thought of and it’s really just overwhelming.”

Renner said that wrestling helped mold him into the person he is now, from a 110-pound freshman at Greeneville High School, to an influential instructional-assistant at Science Hill’s Topper Academy.

“I knew early on about the intrinsic satisfaction of helping someone achieve a certain goal,” Renner said. “As I got into wrestling, I wanted to be like my wrestling coach (David Hollowell), because I saw what wrestling did for my life and I wanted to be like my coach.

“I view it more as a calling, not a job. I think that if you go into it as a job, they’re probably 100 other things that you could go do that are less stressful, but not a tenth as rewarding.” 

Waage also used the lessons from the mat – and his former high school wrestling coach Jeff Price – to mold a him into a military man that has successfully returned from five deployments in Afghanistan and earned a bronze star.

He attributes the hard practices, sacrifice and “team above self-concepts” to help him endure the physical and mental rigors at the US Army Academy at West Point. Waage advanced through and graduated from US Army Airborne and US Army Ranger Schools. Captain Waage also holds certificates from MIT, University of Pennsylvania Wharton School as well as a Masters from Columbia University.

“My parents prepared me intellectually and they instilled values in me, but then they gave me to Jeff Price who molded me into a good wrestler and provided that mentorship,” Waage said. “And it was that foundation and that grit that have helped me find success in life.

“The discussions that I had with Coach Price on the back of the bus were some very influential discussions on how I view the world.”

Price was the man who pinned wings on Waage after he graduated from US Army Airborne training and the two still stay in constant contact today.

“He is the exact type of kid that anyone wants,” Price said. “He’s a great example of what kind of kid we are trying to make (through wrestling). He’s taken these lessons and he became a great military officer, he’s a great husband and a great father.” 

The ceremony by the National Wrestling Hall of Fame, Tennessee Chapter, will be on Saturday, August 18 in Knoxville. The inductees will permanently be enshrined at the National Wrestling Hall of Fame in Stillwater, Oklahoma.

[Sommers]

BTW... Scott Seaman is now a HC and algebra teacher at Hopkinsville High School. Already out in the Halls recruiting.

[THEANIMAL]

BOYD BUCHANAN HIRES SUTHERLAND AND SUTHERLAND, THE ANIMAL

http://www.chattanoogan.com/2018/8/21/374778/Boyd-Buchanan-Hires-Two-New-Wrestling.aspx?utm_source=dlvr.it&utm_medium=facebook

[RMC]

Some of you may remember Coach Ramos from the past Collins Hill teams.  He is currently facing a tough wrestling match with pancreatic cancer.   

We used to have some great matches with Bradley County, Baylor, Father Ryan, Soddy Daisy, Christian Brothers, and MBA. 

I know some of the Baylor alumni will never forget the dedication of their wrestling center.  I'll never forget one parent asking if Collins Hill were the lambs brought in for the slaughter and the look on Joe Waddel's face when he heard it!

Collins Hill to host Wednesday celebration unveiling Cliff Ramos Wrestling Facility

• From Staff Reports

  sports@gwinnettdailypost.com

•  

  

• Legendary wrestling coach Cliff Ramos, who guided Collins Hill to nine state titles, hugs three-time state champion Bazell Partridge in 2010. Ramos is being inducted into the Gwinnett Sports Hall of Fame tonight. (File Photo)

  Collins Hill will host a community event Wednesday to honor longtime wrestling coach Cliff Ramos.

  The celebration is to unveil the Cliff Ramos Wrestling Facility, a naming that was requested by the Eagles community and approved recently by the Gwinnett County Public Schools Board. The public is welcome to the event, which begins at 5:30 p.m. in the wrestling facility inside the Collins Hill fieldhouse.

  Ramos, who was a driving force behind starting the Eagles wrestling program and making the program a state powerhouse, had a dual meet record of 626-80 and guided Collins Hill to nine state team titles as well as coaching 34 individual state champions during his time at the school.

  In addition to state championships, his Collins Hill wrestling team was ranked in the top 25 nationally five times in a six-year span.

  “Coach Ramos has left a legacy in our community that goes way beyond building a championship wrestling program,” Collins Hill athletic and activities director Scarlett Straughan said. “He has served as a mentor to countless young men — both athletes and coaches — over the years and continues to stay involved in their lives. When (Collins Hill principal) Mrs. (Kerensa) Wing hired me to be AD here at Collins Hill, Coach Ramos was one of the first to call and congratulate me. His support of me and our school, even from retirement, has meant so much. When I started my search for a person to take over our historic program, Coach Ramos was the first person I called.

  “His input was instrumental in bringing current coach Nate Ethridge here from Michigan. We are so honored to be able to do this for coach. Hopefully it will in some small way show him just what he means to Collins Hill and our community. We also want him to know that we are rallying behind him in this current wrestling match with cancer.”

  Ramos expects to be in attendance despite his current fight with pancreatic cancer. He returns to M.D. Anderson Cancer Center in Houston for surgery.

  • 
     

[RMC]

Collins Hill wrestling facility dedicated to legendary coach Cliff Ramos, who built program from scratch

• By Christine Troyke

  christine.troyke@gwinnettdailypost.com

 

Sep 5, 2018 Updated 8 hrs ago

 

Cliff Ramos’ name is emblazoned on the outside of the Collins Hill wrestling facility, but it’s what was built inside — represented as much by a wall full of state banners as the standing-room only crowd — that really shows what the longtime coach has meant to the high school.

Collins Hill officially dedicated the facility to Ramos, the man who started the program and led it to mountainous heights, on Wednesday.

Under his direction, the Eagles had a dual meet record of 626-80, won nine state team titles and had 34 individual state champions during his time at the school. In addition, his Collins Hill wrestling team was ranked in the top 25 nationally five times in a six-year span.

“He tried to bring out the best in every wrestler,” his longtime assistant Jim Tiller said. “There were many years we had state champion wrestlers whose toughest match was in the wrestle-offs here.

“When I came to Collins Hill in 1995, I knew we would have success winning, but I also wanted my own sons to wrestle for Cliff. It was a real challenge to start a new program, but Cliff had a plan and stuck to that plan.”

There was a period where the program was so popular that Ramos had to set up mats in the cafeteria so more than 100 kids could practice.

“We wanted to do this for Coach Ramos because he’s touched so many different lives in so many different ways,” athletic director Scarlett Straughan said. “One of my favorite quotes by Teddy Roosevelt is, ‘No one cares how much you know until they know how much you care.’ I think that’s the epitome of Coach Ramos. Thank you for how much you’ve cared for our community.”

A who’s who of Gwinnett County wrestling filled the room as well as many of Ramos’ family and friends.

“Everyone who knows him knows he wouldn’t want his name on a building,” said Jim Gassman, who wrestled for Ramos at Collins Hill before coaching with him there and later at Mountain View. “While he is super competitive in all he does, whether it’s wrestling or ping-pong or college pick ‘em, he doesn’t want to be in the limelight.

“You won’t find (him wearing) any of the nine state championship rings. Even recently, he’s been inducted into certain Halls of Fame and you won’t find that memorabilia around his house. While he’s proud of the moments that led to the rings and medals, he’s more proud of what the wrestlers, his family and friends were able to achieve.”

Ramos thanked everyone — even the referees in attendance. Much of it earned laughs from the crowd. Some of it drew tears.

“It’s a great honor,” Ramos said. “Any success I had is shared by many groups of people, especially the coaches.”

He asked those who coached with him to stand or raise a hand. Many went up.

“I want to thank all of you for the job you did,” Ramos said. “Part of this honor is yours.”

In turn, he offered similar words to his family, his friends, his co-workers, those from his church and parents of athletes. Many of those circles overlapped.

A knowing laugh echoed in the room when Ramos asked anyone who refereed his matches to stand.

“No, really,” Ramos said as the crowd clapped. “Thank you for putting up with me. Thank you for making me a better person. Part of this honor is yours.”

When he got to his former wrestlers, a room full of hands went up.

“Now remain standing or keep your hand up if I ever called you an idiot,” Ramos said.

Every hand remained up.

“There are two reasons I called you an idiot,” Ramos said. “One, you’re idiots. Two, it was kind of a term of endearment. I didn’t say it if you didn’t mean something to me. And you did mean something to me. You meant more than you know.

“I took you home with me, every single one of you, whether you were first string or fifth string. I thought about how I could help you. I told you in practice I loved you and I meant it. I still do. Part of this honor is yours.”

Ramos’ voice broke over the last sentence.

“Now as I’m in a battle with the same cancer that took our dear Coach (Richard) Schumacher’s life, all of you are helping me,” he said. “I read the messages and I feel the prayers. There are two groups who are helping me the most, my wonderful family and the other is all you wrestlers.

“I remember all the times I told you to battle, told you to fight, told you to have courage and never give up. I remember those times and now that’s what I’m trying to do.”

Ramos is undergoing treatment for pancreatic cancer and after the ceremony was set to return to M.D. Anderson Cancer Center in Houston for surgery.