Q: Coach, have you recovered from the festivities surrounding your final home wrestling meet after thirty years on the mats?

A: I definitely think so. Even though there was a snow storm quite a few people came out and I had the opportunity to see a lot of people that I hadn’t seen in a while. To top it all off, the wrestling team was just excellent. They were in top form and just went out there and defeated Springfield and Southeast, which was pretty nice ending our home regular season schedule, as far as dual meets are concerned.

Q: I noticed that your wife and family were at the meet to support you. I’m sure they’ve seen you coach before, but what did it mean to you to have them all here for this special occasion?

A: Well to me and to my family this thing was not just all about me. Anytime there is a family event, we’re there. We’re there for each other. Whether it’s something I’m involved in or something my wife and kids are involved in, we’re always together. It’s pretty important to all of us.

Q: I know you had the opportunity to coach your sons. Tell us about the joys and the concerns that you went through during their wrestling careers.

A: At that time, if my memory serves me correctly, when I had Greg, it was a very exciting time for me and for my family. We were fortunate that he was an excellent athlete and he competed very well. I get very involved with all my athletes. He was my first son and I was not only his coach, but a nervous father as well. I have fond memories of the excellent experiences that we shared together. When my youngest, Jeff came along, I think I had matured some and I was a lot better coach by then. Greg said he never felt any pressure with his Dad being the coach and I don’t think Jeff did either. For me, I think I just kept it all inside.

Q: You mentioned that you saw people this past week that you had not seen for a long time. Who were some of those people?

A: First of all, Dave Gannaway from the Illinois High School Association made a nice presentation and said some fine words about me...he’s just a fine gentleman. I’ve known him since he competed in high school. I followed his career through the college ranks and then when he went to work at University High. Now of course, he’s with the IHSA. If I would try to mention a lot of names, I know I would leave some out. I do know there was an awful lot of people there in a snow storm. I know on my part and on my family’s part we really appreciated everyone making a special effort to come out. Dave Klemm, who is the coach at Lincoln College, sent his assistant coaches up to the suburbs to coach the team, so that he could stay here. I know that not only Dave, but several others made a special effort to be here for this last dual meet. Wrestlers, wrestlerettes and others that have been an important part of the LCHS wrestling program over the years were out in big numbers. It was just a joy to have the opportunity to see them all again.

And then the best part, our young wrestlers went out and demolished Southeast and Springfield...as a matter of fact, if we can beat all four of the Springfield teams we consider ourselves to be the City Champs. In the thirty years that we’ve been here, I would imagine that we’ve won it twenty times. We have a lot of fun with that, although I’m sure the Springfield coaches don’t appreciate it at all. Of course, the more they dislike it, the more we enjoy it.

Q: Coach, it’s quite a record when you think about it, not only spending thirty years in the sport of wrestling, but turning in thirty consecutive winning seasons. What to you attribute that to?

A: Primarily you have to have some excellent athletes in the program before anything else. You have to have young people that are dedicated. You have to have people that are workers. If you have the dedication and the work ethic in place, I think that success is going to come along right after that. Through the years, I’ve been very fortunate to have some excellent athletes. When you have a great work ethic and surround yourself with excellent people, I think success comes easy. We have a priority list with our wrestlers:

1. Family, including your church family

2. School

3. Wrestling

I think all our kids who’ve grown up to be great adults have maintained this priority list in their lives. And of course, there’s the parents...you can’t leave them out. They’ve been very supportive. When the kids go home and say we’ve been yelling at them or working them too hard, they’re the ones that push ’em and tell them you gotta keep going. The parents have played a major role in all of those years.

Q: You once told me that you’re not a big fan of using video tape or any gimmicks in your coaching. What kinds of things have you done to ensure that you would be successful and that the LCHS teams would be successful?

A: I do the same things that I expect the athletes to do. I expect the athletes to work very hard. I do that and the coaches that work with me do that. I feel that we’re always setting goals. Some may say that they’re unreachable, but if you don’t set ’em you’re not going to attain ’em. I feel like I’ve done that over the years. One thing we have not attained is that I set a goal of winning a team championship. Personally, I feel it’s the one thing I have not been able to get. If I had not set that high of a goal, we might not have enjoyed so much success along the way or reached some of the other goals that we had set, like having the winning seasons, or seeing guys advance to someday wrestle in the Pan-Am Games, the All-Staters. The guys with winning records may not have attained all those things without the team championship as the ultimate goal.

Q: In your office, you have a wall of fame. Pictures of the great champions you have coached. How satisfying is it to you to see those kids come through the program and then go on to the collegiate level or on to the Pan Am games?

A: It’s very satisfying. As a matter of fact, they get to my hall of fame by being a state qualifier. If they did not succeed later on, to me, that would be a disappointment. When I take a look at something like that, every one of those guys not only did well here, but they continued to set high goals for themselves and have been able to establish themselves quite well in the job market.

Q: How has your sport changed over thirty years and what trends do you see emerging on the wrestling scene?

A: The biggest trend that I’ve seen is that the coaching has gotten so much better.

Q: Technique wise or something else?

A: Yes, technique wise and everything else. Coaches are much more knowledgeable which makes the wrestlers much more competitive. Competition has gotten more difficult.

Q: What about the participation of athletes today and what about the officiating?

A: The participation level at LCHS is excellent. We have 50-60 kids on average that report every year. About 45 of them will complete the season, those with the good work ethic. Some just don’t want to do that, and that is a disturbing trend. As far as officiating...since the wrestlers are getting better, I think it’s made it easier on the officials.

Q: What kind of advice would you have for area junior high wrestlers or even younger would-be grapplers?

A: Have fun. Don’t put so much pressure on yourself that you don’t enjoy it. Just totally relax and enjoy it. Set standards for yourself. Be on time. Be respectful to everyone. When you take the mat, give everything you’ve got to defeat your opponent. When you’re off that mat respect your opponent. Always strive to enjoy it. A lot of kids put entirely too much pressure on themselves that it’s hard for them to enjoy the sport. You’ve got to enjoy the situation.

Q: What advice in general do you have for the young people of Lincoln and Logan County?

A: The city of Lincoln is a great town. Education-wise from kindergarten through college, Lincoln is fortunate to have an excellent school system. I always encourage people to come to Lincoln because it’s a great place for families. The advice I would have could be summed up in one word...respect. Respect for everyone, your peers, people that are younger than you, and people that are older than you. Someday you’re liable to need some assistance, and if you’ve developed that attitude where you have respect for everyone, you can’t help but have a very satisfying life.

Q: What do people not know about you?

A: I’m a little bit quiet. A little bit on the shy side. When I say something I mean it. I don’t hide anything. I respect my students and I feel that I respect the other teachers here, but I don’t hide anything. Everyone knows how I feel and I try to do that in a respectful way, and I expect respect in return. Eventually, I think I will get it, because they want it from me and I want it from them. In education and coaching that has been an asset to me.

Q: How would you sum up your 30 year high school wrestling career?

A: Well, I wouldn’t write anything about me. The reason that I say that is that there are some great stories of these wrestlers that I’ve worked with. I’ve been totally amazed by some of the achievements of some of these young people...of what they’ve attained through the years. The stories are right there. I would tell any sports writer, time after time about kids that had all the elements against them and were able to rise above and attain a seemingly unreachable goal. I could tell of some kids who had a lot of assets at home and everything going for them, but the unique challenges that they faced. The story’s not about me at all; the story’s about the kids that have been involved in this program through the years. I’ve totally enjoyed that...it’s been great!

[Jeff Mayfield]