1961 City High State Champs: The City High Dynamos won the inaugural state high school wrestling championship in March, 1961 held at old Red Bank High School.
front row (l-r) Gary Payne, Ed Sussdorf, Jim Eldridge, Thumper Hooten, Howard Huddleston, Rick Reisch; back row (l-r) Chip Langley, Frank Wright, George Dickinson, Tommy Smith, Lance Schaeffer, Jack Hinds. (not pictured: coach Bill Von Schaaf.
There is something special about being the first.
A half century ago (March, 1961), the Chattanooga City wrestling team, located on Third Ave (current home of Chattanooga School for the Arts and Sciences; CSAS), sent 11 wrestlers to the inaugural state wrestling tournament at old Red Bank High School and by Saturday night had the team trophy well in hand.
Only in their third season of existence under coach Bill Von Schaaf, those 11 City wrestlers were quick learners of the sport, using their overall athletic talent and desire to win.
The Dynamos were led by undefeated state champs Jim Eldridge and Lance Schaeffer.
"We wrestled well in that tournament and it was a great accomplishment to win the first state championship, said team co-captain Schaeffer in a phone conversation earlier this week.
"I had not thought about those high school years in a few years, but it is great to re-count those good times at City and with the wrestling team."
Schaeffer was undefeated for three years, with only a 1-1 tie with McCallie's Paul Tessmann in 1960 to keep him from a perfect prep career
record.
He tells the story of how he won the prep AAU championship in 1960 in Knoxville.
Schaeffer had won the '59 tournament and advanced to the 1960 finals against another defending champion.
"I remember one of the tournament organizers smiling at my opponent just before the ref blew his whistle to start the match and pointing to the outstanding wrestler award as if to say 'this is yours',"he said with a laugh.
"I guess I upset those plans as I won the match and was selected as the best wrestler."
The 1961 state event was an all comers event - eight teams, mainly from Chattanooga and East Tennessee - with no qualifying district or region. Wrestlers would not have a district qualifier until 1965.
The Maroon and White had all 11 wrestlers place in the top four in their respective weight classes to edge host Red Bank by two points, 77-75, as McCallie (two champions) was a distant third with 47 points, using a partial varsity lineup.
The only team from the central time zone was Tennessee School for the Blind which placed fourth (45) with one champion.
1961 State Team Standings: 1. City High (77) 2. Red Bank (75) 3. McCallie (47) 4. Tenn. School for the Blind (45) 5. Everett (38) 6. Notre Dame (35) 7. (tie) Baylor, Friendsville (11)
State Champs: 98 - Bill Bunch (Red Bank), 105 - Mitchell Cole (TSB), 112 - George Thrash (Red Bank), 119 - Ronnie Wilson (Everett), 126 - Jim Eldridge (City), 132 - George Farr (Red Bank), 138 - John McCall (McCallie), 145 - Larry Pendergrass (Red Bank), 155 - Lance Schaeffer (City), 167 - Paul Tessmann (McCallie) 185 - Jack McGauley (Baylor) Heavyweight - Jimmy Hennen (Notre Dame)
Team Reunion: Team member Chip Langley said that the '61 team will have its 50th anniversary reunion at the 2011 state tournament.
Capsule Recap of the City High Team:
105 - Howard Huddleston (Jr.); placed second to tournament Outstanding Wrestler Mitchell Cole of Tenn. School for the Blind, 7-3; Huddleston attended Univ. of Chattanooga.
112 - James Flockwell(Sr.); placed second to George Thrash (Red Bank), 8-0
119 - George Dickinson (Sr.); 3rd in the state; '61 City Prep champ; set record for fastest pin in City Prep League (17 seconds); also won the high school state AAU in 1959 and 1960, which was the forerunner to the 1961 state event; co-captain with Lance Schaeffer (1960, '61); small college national champion in tennis at Univ. of Chattanooga in 1966.
126 - Jim Eldridge (Sr.); undefeated state champion; dec. Ronnie Bridges (TSB), 7-1 in the finals; 2x City Prep tournament champion; pinned McCallie's Phil Greek in '61 City Prep finals; wrestled at Univ. of Chattanooga.
132 - Frank Wright (So.); 3rd place in the state; '63 state runner-up and co-captain; wrestled at Univ. of Chattanooga; former head wrestling coach at Southeast Whitfield High School.
138 - Chip Langley (Jr.); 4th place in the state; '63 City Prep champ as a postgraduate wrestler at McCallie; wrestled and played football at Univ. of the South; former wrestling coach at Marion (Ala.) Military Institute.
145 - Jack Hinds (Jr.); 3rd place at state; state runner-up in '62 to Moe Trail (Baylor).
155 - Lance Schaeffer (Sr.); undefeated state champ; 2x high school state AAU tournament (1959, '60, outstanding wrestler in '60); 2x City Prep champ; '61 Guntersville (Ala.) tournament champ; undefeated in high school for three years with one tie; co-captain in 1960, '61; wrestled at Univ. of Virginia, losing two matches; received full fellowship to Vanderbilt Law School.
167 - Kirk Salter (Jr.); 3rd place at state; 4th place in '62; UC wrestler
183 - Ed Sussdorf (Jr.); 3rd place at state; runner-up at '62 state and City Prep tournaments to Baylor's Dee Reddick; placed third in City Prep in '61.
Hwt - Gary Payne (Sr.); state runner-up to Jimmy Hennen (Notre Dame); 3rd place in 1960 and 1961 City Prep tourney.
City's 98-pounder Thumper Hooten was suspended from the team by coach Von Schaaf prior to the 1961 state tournament; but Hooten did win the 1962 state (98) and City Prep (106) championships; 3rd place in '61 and '63 City Prep tourneys; co-captain in 1963; wrestled at Auburn.
Contact B.B. Branton at william.branton@comcast.net
1961 Individual State Champs: front row (l-r) 98-Bill Bunch (Red Bank) 105-Mitchell Cole (Tenn. School for the Blind), 112-George Thrash (Red Bank), 119-Ronnie Wilson (Everett), 126-Jim Eldridge (City), 132-George Farr (Red Bank); back row (l-r) 138-John McCall (McCallie), 145-Larry Pendergrass (Red Bank), 155-Lance Schaeffer (City), 167-Paul Tessmann (McCallie), 185-Jack McGauley (Baylor), Heavyweight-Jimmy Hennen (Notre Dame)
Outstanding Wrestler: 105, Mitchell Cole (Tenn. School for the Blind)