Coach Nitsch was my coach his last year at Manhattan High before he joined the FBI. He was tough-as-nails and I quit on him twice . . . the second time as a sophomore who had just made Varsity. I was struggling in school and life and it was easy to quit. He met me in the hallway and left no doubt about how he felt about my decision. He apologized a few days later but I knew that I had let him down and our relationship would never be the same.
Late in my junior year, I walked past his office near the locker room and saw a poster on the wall labelled in bright red sharpie--QUITTERS . My name was the first on the list. I was mad as hell because it hurt and it was true. As a senior, I was still angry and embarrassed and I went out just to prove a point to him. He didn't say a word to me for the first week of practice. When we had wrestle-offs, I beat his varsity heavy weight from the year before and took our only State Champion that year to overtime (where he promptly pinned me). I worked harder than I ever had and I kept looking to Coach to get any feedback . . . and he kept looking at me, waiting for me to quit. The longer I stuck it out, the more he opened up to me. He was one of the funniest people I have ever been around and he could use humor to take the pressure off in any situation. Before big matches, when other coaches were pumping up their wrestlers . . . he would most often be making fun of someone’s singlet or hair.
About half way through the season he came up behind me during a line-up for a dual, he put his hands on my shoulders and whispered "I am proud of you . . . " It was like a weight had been lifted off my shoulders and he was giving me a chance to feel good about myself again.
After Regionals, he had to leave to begin his training and we had a team meeting to say goodbye. The whole team broke down and all of us were sobbing. I remember that Nitsch kept it together and made eye contact with everyone. I can’t remember a more meaningful or emotional good bye in my life and I am sure my teammates feel the same. When I was finished dressing and was at my locker alone he came back in and shook my hand. I tried to tell him how sorry I was that I quit on him. He listened to me and told me that didn’t matter now, that he was still proud of me and that it meant a lot to him that I had the courage to come back out. It was an extraordinary moment in my life.
Coach Nitsch never made it easy. He was intense and demanding, but his heart was so big and he could make you laugh so hard that you would forget about the pain of practice or a loss. He was never shy to share his expectations for you . . . and they were always high. There is no greater gift you can give to a young person than that.
I know that season changed my life. If you can find success in one thing, you can find it in others. That is what our sport is really about and Coach was a big part of teaching me that. I suspect now that he always knew I was walking past his office, looking for a way back in . . . and I am so grateful to him for leaving that door open.
God Bless you Coach!
A.C. Barker
MHS Heavyweight
1986
