Takedown Report

Memorial services for James Johnson announced

Memorial services for James Johnson, 2012 Olympic Greco-Roman coach and past World Team member, have been announced for this weekend, USA Wrestling announced Monday.

James Johnson (Photo/Larry Slater)The man affectionately known as “JJ” passed away Sunday, Sept. 8. He was 61.
Visitation for James Johnson will take place Friday, September 27 from 2 p.m.- 7 p.m. at the Don Brown Funeral Home, 497 2nd Street, Ayden, North Carolina. The funeral service is scheduled for Saturday, Sept. 28 at 1 p.m. at D.H. Conley High School, 2006 Worthington Rd., Greenville, NC. It was at D.H. Conley where Johnson became the first wrestler in school history to win a state title at the 1976 North Carolina wrestling championships.

After graduating from D.H. Conley, Johnson headed north to the University of Kentucky, where he was an NCAA championships qualifier for the now-defunct mat program which had been headed up by Fletcher Carr. However, Johnson truly made a name for himself in Greco-Roman, first as a wrestler, then, as a coach, in a career that spanned decades. For his accomplishments as wrestler and coach, Johnson was inducted into the North Carolina Wrestling Hall of Fame in 2007, and welcomed into the University of Kentucky Athletics Hall of Fame in 2016. Rest of the story at http://intermatwrestle.com/articles/22358?fbclid=IwAR2Du5nG3mMReELmRK-q7yUSfFbsy2V1dHLiInnRsaOwm4mUAa0lEYZ9kXw

September 23, 2019 Posted by The TakeDown Report | Uncategorized | Leave a comment

Shenandoah University announced it has added men’s wrestling

By: Scott Musa, Associate AD
WINCHESTER, Va. – Shenandoah University announced Monday that it has added men’s wrestling as its 22nd intercollegiate athletic program. The team, which will compete in the James R. Wilkins, Jr. Athletics & Events Center and practice in Shingleton Gymnasium, is scheduled for its first season of competition in the fall of 2020. It is expected that at capacity the team will have 30-35 members by the 2021-22 season.

The addition was assisted in large part by a generous donation from Rob and Gene Frogale, the owners of Annandale Millwork & Allied Systems. Rob Frogale is currently the Vice Chair of the Shenandoah University Board of Trustees and Gene Frogale is a former collegiate wrestling champion. “We believe that wrestling is going to provide another reason for young men in the Shenandoah Valley to continue their education here at home,” said President Tracy Fitzsimmons, Ph.D. “The opening of the Wilkins Center gives us the ability to add the sport as we have an outstanding competition venue that has already proved popular with the wrestling community.”

Opened in January, 2018, the Wilkins Center has hosted one youth wrestling tournament and university officials intend to host additional meets in the near future. Prior to the university deciding to add wrestling as its 11th men’s sport, athletics department officials visited both Ferrum College and Averett University on fact-finding missions. “We learned a great deal from our trips to Ferrum and Averett,” Director of Intercollegiate Athletics Bridget Lyons said. “I would like to thank the administrations and coaching staffs at both schools for opening up their facilities and spending time with us to discuss how to most successfully add a program. “The knowledge we gained was invaluable in this process.” Rest of the details and story at https://portal.nwcaonline.com/articles/NWCA_News/Shenandoah-University-announced-it-has-23-9-2019

September 23, 2019 Posted by The TakeDown Report | Uncategorized | Leave a comment