Takedown Report

Legendary MSU wrestling coach Macias dies at 102

The adjectives are numerous — legendary, trailblazer, teacher, coach, champion.
They all apply to former Minnesota State University wrestling coach Rometo “Rummy” Macias, who passed away Monday in Florida at the age of 102.
He is remembered as an affable, loquacious, larger-than-life man who was a pioneer of collegiate wrestling.
Macias founded the MSU wrestling program in 1950 and coached for 38 years. During his tenure, he led MSU to three national championships and nine conference titles.
Perhaps his greatest accomplishment was the number of wrestlers who turned around and gave back to the sport. At least 145 of his wrestling graduates became high school or collegiate coaches in Minnesota and throughout the country.
Current MSU head coach Jim Makovsky said the term legend is appropriate. “Minnesota wrestling has a pretty good reputation and a lot of people give him credit for that,” Makovsky said. “How many people are known by just one name — Rummy.”
Macias was inducted into the MSU Hall of Fame in 1982 — six years before he retired as coach. During his tenure, he coached 93 All-Americans, 19 individual national champions and 74 conference champions. “We knew it was going to happen at some point, but it’s still hard to see him go,” said Jack Eustice, a four-time All-American under Macias in the 1970s, who went on to a standout high school coaching, teaching and administrative career. “It’s disappointing because he was such a quality person. He spent a lot of time encouraging us to figure out what we were going to do after wrestling was done. He was so important to the MSU program.”
A 1948 graduate of the University of Iowa, Macias was an assistant coach there for two years before taking on the challenge of starting up the MSU program. He would recruit farm kids in Minnesota and mold them into quality wrestlers.
Makovsky remembers the first time he met Macias upon arriving in Mankato in 1999. “I already knew of him before I got here. (He may have been short in stature but) he was a big figure, everything about him was intriguing,” Makovsky said. “I golfed with him four years ago and he was so sharp, he’d remember things from years ago. Rummy just loved people and was a great teacher.  … more at … Mankatofreepress.com/Legendary-msu-wrestling-coach-macias-dies-at-102

June 1, 2024 - Posted by The TakeDown Report | Uncategorized