Takedown Report

Wrestling History

From student to coach, Roger Reina has lived and breathed Penn wrestling for 40 years

Reina is entering his 22nd season at the helm
By Tyira Bunche 

Forty years ago, freshman Roger Reina stepped foot on Penn’s campus as a starting member of the wrestling team. That was only the beginning of his lifelong commitment and dedication to the sport that has made him a legend in the wrestling community.  After graduating in 1984, he served as head coach Larry Lauchle’s assistant at Penn for two years. In his time as an assistant coach, Reina was thinking about his future, which at the time did not include wrestling.  “I had no intention to coach full time,” Reina said. “I was taking some final classes I needed to take to apply to veterinary school, and that’s what I thought I was going to be — a veterinarian.” After Lauchle announced his retirement in 1986, Reina was presented with what he thought was a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity: to become the head coach of his alma mater. He jumped at the chance, and with that move he became the youngest Division I wrestling head coach at age 24. Rest of the story at https://www.thedp.com/article/2019/11/penn-wrestling-roger-reina-coach-profile-legacy-veterinarian-student-athlete?mc_cid=c2d2591d06&mc_eid=2ef7cbca4b

Michigan Hall of Honor Q&A: John Fisher (Wrestling)
11/13/2019
By Leah Howard
On Friday (Nov. 15), John Fisher will become the 15th member of the wrestling program to be inducted into the University of Michigan Athletics Hall of Honor. Quick, always aggressive and possessing an outstanding leg attack, John Fisher (1985, ’87-89) was a dominant force in the Wolverine wrestling room — and on the national scene — through the latter half of the decade. Fisher remains among Michigan’s most decorated wrestlers, listing as one of only six four-time NCAA All-Americans (1985, ’87-89) in program history. He was a three-time Big Ten champion at 134 pounds. Boasting a career record of 183-21, he still holds the U-M school record for all-time wins, a mark that will likely remain untouched for a very long time. After graduation, Fisher embarked on a long, successful international career as one of the country’s top freestyle wrestlers. He was crowned a U.S. champion in 1992, won a World Cup title five years later, and twice served as an Olympic alternate. The 15th Michigan wrestler to be inducted into the Hall of Honor, Fisher is also a member of the Michigan Chapter of the National Wrestling Hall of Fame, the Greater Flint Area Sports Hall of Fame, the Greater Flint Afro-American Hall of Fame and, as a four-time Midlands champion, the Midlands Hall of Fame. A longtime teacher within Ann Arbor Public Schools, Fisher was named a Celebration of Excellence award winner by the Ann Arbor Board of Education in 2010. Rest of the story at https://mgoblue.com/news/2019/11/13/hall-of-honor-q-a-john-fisher-wrestling.aspx?mc_cid=c2d2591d06&mc_eid=2ef7cbca4b

November 20, 2019 - Posted by The TakeDown Report | Uncategorized