by B.B. Branton
posted November 25, 2008
) Photo by Veronica Seaman Irish Wrestling - Past and Present: Notre Dame senior 125 pounder Tee Boone (left) and current Notre Dame coach John Mullin (right), met recently with 1940 graduate Sam Darras (seated) who formed the school's first wrestling team his senior year. |
Martin Francis, "Pistol" Pez Whatley, Doc Hodges and Jim Phifer. Add Ken Mara, David Weeks, James Jabaley, Chris Mullins and Jay Adamson to form part of a prestigious Notre Dame wrestling honor roll.
The aforementioned wrestlers and numerous others have carried the Green and White banner from decade to decade as the Irish open the 70th season of wrestling this Saturday at the Heritage Duals in Ringgold.
But the fanfare is as much about the present � three-time defending A/AA state duals champions � as it is the past � traditional state champions in 1968 and 1970 and the state's first, four-time champ in Francis, 1969-1972.
Current head coach and wrestling alum
John Mullin (who wrestled for David Held) returns nine starters, including three-time state medalist Tee Boone (143 career wins), to put the Irish in position for a run at a four-peat.
A strong present stands on the shoulders of a solid past as the Irish took to the mat in 1940 and were formidable from the start, competing in the Chattanooga YMCA and Chattanooga Frye Institute tournaments (1940-1948), followed by three years in the old Mid-South Conference (1949-1951) and a familiar face in the state tournament for nearly a half century.
The First Team: Senior Sam Darras convinced the school principle to have varsity wrestling in the winter of 1940, recruited some football players, led the Irish to a team title and Notre Dame wrestling was on its way.
"We had no wrestling mats at school so the YMCA on Cherry Street let us practice and shower there which was a great help," said Darras, a 1992 inductee into the school's Hall of Fame, known as the Hall of Thunder.
"Sam did a great job of recruiting wrestlers and we had a pretty good team," said Frank Jackson who wrestled in 1940, along with YMCA champ Frank Hubbuch and two who died during World War II, Mike Amar and Ogie Martin.
But Darras, born to Greek immigrant parents, wrestled first with the language barrier before winning YMCA city mat titles in 1938 (unattached) and 1940. He had learned the basics of the sport from his older brother, a city and state champ in the mid-1930s.
"We spoke only Greek at home and at our restaurant, so I had to learn English in grammar school," stated Darras, who would later wrestle and play football at Princeton and then two years of football for coach Scrappy Moore at Chattanooga.
But speaking Greek around the home place had its advantages as Greek pro wrestlers, including nationally known George Zaharias - husband of legendary female athlete Mildred "Babe" Didrikson Zaharias - would congregate at the Darras Restaurant on Main Street after a wild Thursday night of wrestling downtown.
Darras pointed out that, ��The Greeks in Chattanooga loved George and they would pack the auditorium when he and fellow Greeks were in town.
"And it was good for the family business as well," he said with a smile.
Notre Dame was a solid competitor for most of the first three decades and the breakthrough came with the 1968 title, featuring state champions Yogi Anderson and Mara.
Father Ryan Rivalry: Two hours up the road a worthy foe - Father Ryan - was also causing a stir in the late 1960s and a great rivalry was formed.
If there was ever a holy war in wrestling it was Sunday afternoon Ryan Notre- Dame matches four decades ago, which were legendary.
"Our match with Ryan closed out the regular season and those first few years we were two of the best in the state," said Anderson, Irish wrestling coach in the 1970s and current director of Scenic Land School in Chattanooga.
"The two teams went to late mass together Sunday morning and then fought like cats and dogs at 2 p.m. before standing room-only crowds," stated Anderson with a laugh. "There wasn't anything else like it."
The 1968 meeting was a classic as coaches Nick Bratcher (Notre Dame) and Joe Drennen (Father Ryan) faced off with undefeated teams at Notre Dame. Ryan rallied from 11 points down to even the score at 19, but defending state champ Whatley pinned Phil Mattingly in the final match for a resounding 24-19 triumph. Four weeks later, Notre Dame had its first state crown.
In 1969, Mattingly stayed off his back in a re-match with Whatley and Ryan escaped with a 20-19 triumph. A frustrated Whatley kicked the Ryan heavyweight, which set off a near riot. Ryan went on to claim its first of nine traditional titles a few weeks later.
Current Ryan head coach Pat Simpson recalls watching his first Notre Dame-Father Ryan match as a seventh grader.
"The 1969 match at Ryan was the single greatest high school match I have ever witnessed," said Simpson who would defeat his Notre Dame opponent as a sophomore (1972) and senior (1974).
The two schools continued to corner the market on state championships, alternating titles in 1970 (Notre Dame coached by Schaack Van Deusen) and 1971 (Father Ryan coached by Drennen).
The squads will meet this season - but on a Friday (Jan. 23), not a Sunday - at Notre Dame (6 p.m.) for the first time in several years.
"The two schools have winning traditions and the match should draw a great deal of attention," said coach Mullin whose staff includes a pair of two-time state champions in Tim Voiles (Lookout Valley, 1994-95) and Johnny Lennon (Cleveland, 1980-81).
Notre Dame's success is not only found in quality wrestlers and teams, but also in quality facilities.
The John Varallo Athletic and Wellness Center and Academic Annex will open this spring and will include a 5,200 square foot wrestling room and coaching offices.
"We are excited about the new athletic home for some of our teams and I know the wrestlers are thrilled," said school athletics director and 1985 state wrestling champion Howie Sompayrac.
So from the initiative and hard work of a first generation teenage American to the school's first state champ (Jimmy Hennen, 1961) to five state team titles and a soon-to-be-open, state-of-the-art facility, seven decades of wrestlers continue to sing these famous lyrics:
"Cheer, cheer for Old Notre Dame,
Wake up the echoes cheering her name,
Send a volley cheer on high,
Shake down the thunder from the sky!
What though the odds be great or small, Old Notre Dame will win over all, While her loyal sons aremarching Onward to victory!"
Contact B.B. Branton at william.branton@comcast.net
| Dining Out | Business | Movies | Focus | About Us |
| Church | Living Well | Memories | Outdoors | Real Estate | Student Scene | Travel |
