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KNIGHT WRESTLING ARCHIVE
LEAGUE CHAMPIONS - 1978, 1979, 2002

2006
Greg Gibson,
Call to Another Hall
NATIONAL WRESTLING HALL OF FAME
(Shasta College-Jeffrey Jen-6/14/07) The standard-bearer for north state wrestling is a man named Greg Gibson. A graduate of Shasta High School in 1972 and Shasta College in 1974, Gibson was inducted June 2 into the National Wrestling Hall of Fame on the Oklahoma State University campus. Max Burch, Gibson's high school wrestling coach and current Shasta College coach, and his junior college coach, Leon Donahue, who made his mark coaching Knights in football and wrestling, joined the honoree. Burch presented Gibson with a marble plaque with Gibson's picture engraved on it during the banquet. Donahue presented him with a ring to honor his induction. Gibson's accomplishments are heady. He was a two-sport star at the University of Oregon in football and wrestling. Gibson started at linebacker for the Ducks and signed as a free agent out of college with the Seattle Seahawks. However, wrestling was the arena where Gibson would excel. He was a two-time All-American at Oregon, finishing second in the heavyweight class at the NCAA championships in 1975-1976 as a junior and a senior. It remained the highest finish by a north state wrestler at the NCAAs until a few months back. After graduation, Gibson joined the U.S. Marine Corps in 1978 and, subsequently, the Marine wrestling team. In 1980, he became the first American to win a gold medal in the World Cup of Greco-Roman wrestling. He qualified for the world team in three wrestling styles: freestyle, Greco-Roman and sombo. He was the first American to ever win a World Sombo Championship in 1981, also winning freestyle silvers in 1981 and 1983, and adding a silver medal at the 1984 Los Angeles Summer Olympics in Greco-Roman. He competed until 2001, and finished sixth in Greco-Roman at the World Team Trials at the age of 48. Burch said Gibson, who lives in Fontana, was a late starter. He didn't wrestle until his sophomore year at Shasta High as a 127-pounder, but got progressively better with each passing year. As a junior, he was up to the 154-pound class, and took third in state at 175 as a senior. He moved on to Shasta College, where he wrestled and played football. Donahue got him involved in weight training and he finished third in state as a freshman. With more time in the sport, he kept improving. "He just got better all along," Burch said. "He was tall and had long arms and that's why he was so good at getting double-leg takedowns." Gibson is already a member of the Shasta County Athletic Hall of Fame and he was inducted into the Shasta College Athletic Hall for football in 1994. Coincidentally, in his year of induction, Gibson's standard at the NCAA championships was eclipsed by another Shasta High product. UC Davis senior Derek Moore won the 141-pound NCAA title in March. Now, Moore's future could also follow along Gibson's, as he, too, is set to join the Marines this fall. Moore may have a leg up in terms of collegiate accomplishments, but he still has a long way to go match the rest of Gibson's feats. "Derek, what he did was fantastic," Burch said. "I know how hard it is to win nationals and, on top of that, be named outstanding wrestler of the tournament. Greg, you have to realize, has wrestled the best in the world in an international setting. A lot of people don't appreciate what he's accomplished." Now, with his induction, perhaps more will.Reporter Jeffrey Jen's notebook runs every Thursday. He can be reached at 225-8228 or jjen@redding.com.
Knights Place Three in NORCAL
BRIDGES, McGARRY & WALLACE ADVANCE
(Coach Byxbe-12/3/06) Northern regionals -- The Shasta College Knights placed three wrestlers in the state tournament, up from one last year. Jake Bridges, a 2005 Foothill High School graduate, beat the top-ranked grappler to reach the 157-pound final, Shasta College wrestling coach Justin Byxbe said from San Joaquin Delta College in Stockton. Bridges lost to the second-ranked wrestler in the state in the final, but he earned his ticket to next week's tournament at Fresno City College. The top six wrestlers from the north and south regionals in each weight class classify for state. Along with Bridges, Tim Wallace, a former Red Bluff standout, and Matt McGarry will go to state as well. Wallace injured a shoulder in the 197-pound semifinals and had to default down to sixth place. He won his trip to Fresno by winning a challenge for "true" sixth place. McGarry, a wrestler from Providence, R.I.,
won his sixth-place match 9-4.

(Printable copy of the wrestling schedule)

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