Welcome to RED RAIDER WRESTLING HISTORY!
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If you wrestled for Coatesville, you belong in this great history. While the website does not have a lot of eye candy you are welcome to send any of your information, photos, behind the scenes stories etc. to make this website an enjoyable place to reminisce.
My name is Steve Ragland and it is my complete pleasure as a former wrestling Red Raider to help preserve these memories. I wrestled for the 1972-74 Raiders. The peak of my Red Raider success was in 1974 in the 138 pound weight division. My thanks to Mr. Gary Gill who provided the majority of files on this website. My hat goes off to you for a job well done. This is just the beginning so please continue to visit and share this with your friends.
One of the most interesting and somewhat complimentary questions ever posed to me was "Who I thought the best wrestler was between myself and fellow teammates". The intrigue of comparisons and dream match ups always seem to make good sports conversation. To have captured the respect and wonderment of the wrestling community is a worthy compliment but the results will forever remain to be seen. So don't wait up to see if Ali in his prime would beat Evander Holyfield or Lennox Lewis, or if Smokin' Joe Frazier could tame Mike Tyson, or how about Sugar Ray Leonard, Thomas Hearns and Marvin Hagler in a tournament against Roy Jones Junior, Sugar Shane Mosley and Oscar De la Hoya. It will never happen even if all things possible were equal such as height and weight. Each athlete was unique in their respective weight. Well you might get your dream match up on a Sony Play-Station or X-Box.
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Each Era has someone who shines brighter than everyone else. It takes the willingness of both gladiators to compete in order for one to emerge victorious. There are no losers and you only need to work out in the heated wrestling room of Coatesville High to understand that while winners are forged from within these walls like the famous steel that our town is known for , those who never see the limelight are the ones who helped to shape us.
The most important part of making history begins in the pre-season. It requires a dedication to training both mentally and physically to subject your flesh to the higher standards of your art. Refusing to eat in order to make weight. Drilling each move as near to perfection as possible.
In wrestling, match ups are the tale of the tape just as it is in boxing. Wrestlers may find themselves competing above their normal weight to match up against the opposing team. At the end of the season each personal record is reviewed for seeding purposes in the sectional tournament. If all goes well the top seeds will meet in the finals. Of course that also is the wonderful thing about upsets, they can change a perfect plan.
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The post season has no respect for records, titles or awards. A guy with a less than 500 record can put it all together and win it all. Who is to say when that moment of maturity will arrive? I was undefeated in the Chest Mont league and for me, it was 1974 in the Semi-Finals against Dana Abderhalden of Phoenixville that I came of age or (peaked). I was the second seed in the District tournament. Dana caught me standing high with a Jap Headlock and slammed me to the mat. Normally when you find yourself on your back the instinct is to struggle to get out. During that moment of struggle you can very easily give up back points. A throw such as the Jap Headlock can put you in a temporary state of shock or confusion but my reaction was to simply drive my legs into the mat and drag both of us off the mat. To this day, I think that it took a great deal of presence of mind and strength to drag someone who literally had me on my back, off the mat. The argument for back points came up but the fact that I was able to get out of bounds immediately meant that Dana did not establish control long enough to be awarded the points. When I came off the mat I switched headgears to my favorite nylon Black and that was the photo that defined my moment of maturity. Don't forget to sign or read our GUEST BOOK
What the picture did not show was my determination, the eye contact, the body language and confidence that said to my opponent "You are in trouble and I'm bringing it to you". That is part of the mental aspect of wrestling that cannot be taught.
The following week I was bed-ridden with the flu and had to actually skip a dose of medicine in order to ensure myself that I would wake up in time to walk over to the school on the Saturday Morning of the Regional Championships. The ground was covered with snow and I was covered from head to toe in clothing that made me look like the abominable snow man.
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The rest of the story is Coatesville History. Please send in your most memorable moments or if you have stories of others that you want to tell here is your opportunity to introduce the writer in you to the world and if you need some help, I will be more than happy to assist!
Ready... Wrestle
Send your E-Mail to coatesville_redraiders@yahoo.com
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Would you like to download the some of the memories? Well know you can. Just click on BONUS in the side bar and select the Zip file you wish to down load and save.
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This page was last updated on 09/12/04.
