SCMAT Exclusive Wrestling Article 11-20-07
The Top 250 ... and counting!
1989 Team State Champion Coach Jim Barnes of Rock Hill receives the
championship trophy from 1988 Olympic Freestyle Bronze Medalist Nate Carr.
Coach Barnes would complete his SC coaching career with 85 individual
SC State Champions and 17 SC team titles. Coach Barnes was inducted
into the National Wrestling Hall of Fame at the South Carolina Chapter
banquet this past year.
Last week we looked at many "home-grown" SC wrestling coaches in our SCMAT exclusive article -
"Do you need to be a State Champ to achieve coaching success?" These coaches wrestled in SC,
placed in the SC state tournament and coached at least one SC state placer.
We looked at the research and there have been 1,207 SC wrestlers that have achieved State Champion status.
And, I have 1,189 Coaches names associated with those champs, leaving us 18 coaches short of knowing
every coach that has coached a state chmapion. 18 names I'll track down before the history book gets
published, and possibly some I'll find after this article, though most of the coaches names that are
missing are from the 70's and 80's.
There is a chance someone will let me know about a difference they think exists in my numbers on the
list below. I think the list is thorough, but I count on feedback to set the record straight if necessary!
Please send me questions to scmat@hotmail.com
Only 250 Coaches have coached those 1,207 State Champs (not counting the missing 24).
If you are curious about the coaches that make up our list of 250, here it is:
SC
State
Champs Coach [Number of team titles in brackets]
------ -------------------------------------------
85 Jim Barnes [17]
46 B.D. LaPrad (active) [3]
40 Steve LaPrad [5]
34 Jack Kosmicki (active) [6]
26 Quincy Riley (active) [2]
25 Kenny Walker (active) [6]
24 Tim Wash [3]
22 Nathan Day [4]
21 John Abercrombie [3]
20 Lance Abernathy (active) [3]
19 Bob Taylor [4]
19 Ed Coles [2]
18 Danny Holland [3]
18 Steve Woodward [1]
17 Phil Williams [3]
16 Malcolm Singleton
16 Mike Frye
15 Kevin Knoerr (active) [1]
15 Rusty Hamilton [2]
14 Jeff Slagle [4]
14 Mark Agner [1]
13 Ken Wilson (active)
12 Albert Spalviero (active)
12 Brad Porter (active) [1]
12 Paul Spence (active)
11 Joe Soltish [1]
11 Russ Howard
10 Andy Smyth
--------------------------------- (active coaches listed above, there are many active coaches below)
9 Glenn Muncy [1]
9 John Checkovich
9 Randy Learn
9 Roy Turner
9 Tom Ellenberger [1]
8 Chad Singleton [1]
8 Chris Brock
8 Dan Hershberger
8 Jim Flowers
8 Jimmy Cox
8 Joe Funderburk
8 Russell Blackston [1]
8 William Damude
7 Charlie Clay
7 David Maas
7 Mark Tillotson
7 Nelson Huggins [1]
7 Thomas Britt [1]
7 Tim Remaley [1]
7 Trey Gardner
6 Dave Martin
6 Jim Bonneville
6 John Thompson
6 Mark Holliday
6 Randall Balch
6 Rick Kreiner
6 Rudolph Cooper [2]
5 Chad Meredith [1]
5 Chester Willis
5 Jack Cantey
5 Martin Williams
5 Mike Morris [2]
5 Paul Lareau
5 Robert Lail
5 Ron Donlick
5 William Tourek [1]
4 Alex Martin
4 Allen Crenshaw
4 Baxter Williamson
4 Bill Ramborger
4 Bill Ryland
4 Bryan Stevens
4 Chris Boyle
4 Chris Strickland [1]
4 David Smith
4 Doug McNairy
4 Edward Hertwig
4 Eric Hansen
4 Frank Shealy
4 Fred Kyzer
4 Jeff Neal
4 Joe Connell [1]
4 John Hollman
4 Kurt Kreuzberger
4 Jim Fitzpatrick [1]
4 Leonard Covington
4 Marion Shaw
4 Mike Casey [1]
4 Tim Robinson
3 Chad Nelson
3 Chip Sloan
3 Connie Grant
3 David Cooper
3 David Marten
3 Dennie McDaniel
3 Eddie Whitt
3 Frank Sessions
3 George Dixon
3 George Martin
3 Henry Chiariello
3 Mark Reeve
3 Nate Thompson
3 Nick Krueger
3 Pat Roeder
3 Ray Chetti
3 Sam Clark
3 Steve Carruth
3 Tom Williams
3 Willie Nearhood
2 Billy Smith
2 Carl Mathias
2 Chad Hawks
2 Charlie Smith
2 Chris MacFarland
2 Chuck Pinta
2 Clarence Kuzma
2 Curtis Godwin
2 Don Boggs
2 Greg Abercrombie
2 Homer Carraway
2 James Ragland
2 James Wright
2 Jason Valek
2 Jeremy Durham
2 Jim Few
2 Jim Prevost
2 Jimmy Griffin
2 Keever Sloan
2 Kenny Farrell
2 Mac Wier
2 Mike Hawkins
2 Mike Kersey
2 Mike Wilson
2 Nick Biddle
2 Phil Witker
2 Quay Scott
2 Richard Bonneville
2 Richard Singleton
2 Rick Somerville
2 Robert Cherry
2 Ronald Protts
2 Sam Sloan
2 Scott Harmon
2 Stan Hopkins
2 Stephen Sutusky
2 Steve Harris
2 Tommy Bell
2 Tony Caterisano
2 Tony Lancaster
2 Trey McGarity
2 Tyrone Talbert
2 Wayne Green
1 Al Curtis
1 Andy Wright
1 Barry Brooks
1 Ben Slavich
1 Bernard Parker
1 Bill Bacon
1 Bill Dingledine
1 Bill Mayer
1 Bill Monks
1 Bill Motte
1 Bill Owens
1 Bill Pierce
1 Billy Holton
1 Bo Smith
1 Bob Mauro
1 Bob Olson
1 Brian Neal
1 Britt McDowell
1 Bruce Brubach
1 Chad McLees
1 Charles Combs
1 Chuck Jones
1 Clark Crump
1 Dale Pegram
1 Dan Snook
1 Darren Wilson
1 David Branham
1 David Wright
1 Derek Ayers
1 Derek Strobel
1 Doug Renfroe
1 Doug Romano
1 Doug Terry
1 Eddie Cook
1 Freddie Kelley
1 Gene Dillard
1 George Foster
1 George Gardner
1 Gil Sanchez
1 Grady Richardson
1 Greg Hutchinson
1 Hal Shirley
1 Hank Boyd
1 Hank Hammonds
1 Herb Lynch
1 Jackie Queen
1 Jake Huizingia
1 Jeff Garabadian
1 Jeffery Jordan
1 Jim Byrd
1 Jim Nolan
1 Jimmy Sutton
1 Jimmy Wallace
1 Jo Jo Anderson
1 Joel McCracken
1 Joey Hendrix
1 John Locke
1 Ken Humphries
1 Kurt Wilson
1 Larry Clark
1 Larry Lawhorne
1 Leroy Jackson [1]
1 Lewis Lineberger
1 Lorick Atkinson
1 Mark Bishop
1 Mark Gaetke
1 Mark Kennedy
1 Matt Anderson
1 Matt Crain
1 Michael Steinbar
1 Mike Hamlett
1 Mike Mongelli
1 Mike Newton
1 Mike Story
1 Nate Evans
1 Neil Collins
1 Norman King
1 Phil Gosnell
1 Raleigh Jackson
1 Ralph Urbanic
1 Ralph Voyles
1 Rasheem Naloms
1 Ray Krolewicz
1 Rick Cameron
1 Rick McLaughlin
1 Rob Chrisman
1 Rob Wells
1 Rod Barndollar
1 Roger Myers
1 Rudolph Duggins
1 Ryan Hendley
1 Shane Hall
1 Tanner Espey
1 Tim Genter
1 Tom Hill
1 Tommy Witt
1 Troy Bennage
1 Troy Bowe
1 Troy Phillips
1 Wayne Anthony
1 Wes Mook
1 William Riner
Interesting Trivia Fact #1 --- Brothers that both coached state champions - B.D. and Steve LaPrad from Roanoke, VA
lead the narrow trivia list with 86 combined state champions. One day we will see Tommy and Robby Bell get added
into this trivial category, but at the moment two brothers that both coach and produce state champions is a rarity.
Interesting Trivia Fact #2 --- Fathers and Sons that both coached state champions - this trivia list gets a little
bigger but not by much! John and Greg Abercrombie, Jim and Richard Bonneville as well as Malcolm and Chad Singleton.
If I missed anyone for this trivia list let me know.
Interesting Trivia Fact #3 --- Former college coaches make the list too! I noticed some of our high school coaches
that coached a SC state champion also have been head college wrestling coaches. They are: Dave Maas - Chowan,
Gil Sanchez - Clemson, Tony Caterisano - Furman, Tom Borrelli - Central Michigan and Jason Valek - Newberry.
Interesting Trivia Fact #4 --- Deaf and/or Blind State Champions - From 1978-1988 the South Carolina School for the
Deaf and Blind had multiple state placers in the AA-A class tournaments. Coach Bill Ramborger made our list above
with 4 state champions while he was at SCSDB. Lonzie Jenkins was one of his standout wrestlers, capturing 2 state
titles. Lonzie was totally deaf and blind. The other two wrestlers from SCSDB that won stae titles were
Carlton Huger and Wayland Moon. Coach Ramborger retired after the 2007 season from coaching track and field
at SCSDB for the past 38 years. Though he coached wrestling for a number of years, his primary devotion was in
track and field where he led SCSDB to the National Deaf Championship in 1977 and 1978 with SCSDB's boys team and
in 1989 with SCSDB's girls team. Coach Ramborger competed at the Deaf Olympics three times and was an assistant
coach for the U.S. Deaf Olympic team five times. Coach Ramborger is not the only SC wrestling coach to produce a
state champion that was deaf or blind. Coach Nathan Day had Felix Richardson win 3 state titles at Battery Creek.
Felix was deaf but never let that get in the way of being one of the most accomplished wrestlers in South Carolina.
Interesting Trivia Fact #5 --- The leader of the pack is from Pennsylvania - The state known for producing many of
our national collegiate champions and Olympic wrestlers, Pennsylvania brought SC the all-time leading coach for
team state titles and individual state titles. Coach Jim Barnes came from Fairless Hills, PA where he wrestled
in the 145 lbs. class in high school. Barnes started his wrestling coaching career at Union high school leading
Union to a 2nd place finish in stae in 1973. Moving on to Airport high school, Barnes captured 3 consecutive
state team titles as a coach. In his final SC coaching position, Barnes' Rock Hill teams won 14 state titles.
During 30 years of coaching, Jim Barnes produced 85 individual state champions, a record we may never see broken.
Interesting Trivia Fact #6 --- Which schools lead the all-time list with number of individual state champions?
Rock Hill has 84 and Summerville has 80 ... they are the top 2 in our state's 39 years. Swansea, Eastside and
Lugoff-Elgin round out the top 5. Check back later in December when the entire list of 104 teams are reviewed.
Hopefully in this SCMAT exclusive article for 2007-2008 the history of SC wrestling is defining itself as
an exciting past with a future awaiting more greatness.
These historical articles at SCMAT will hopefully provide accurate facts though we may always have missed
some data at some point. If you notice a correction, addition or just want to comment please send a reply
to scmat@hotmail.com
thanks,
Mark Buford