I encourage anyone that hasn't to visit the Legends of the Mat subforum of College Wrestling on www.themat.com

The gist is that it is a depository for classic wrestling stories that should be preserved for current and future generations of wrestlers. Like most things...if they aren't written down the oral story slowly disappears.

I'm proposing that folks do the same thing here. I have a couple in mind that I will be posting here soon. I don't really think any parameters need to be set, just that the story involve wrestling and is worth being re-told.

Okay, So here is my first one and one that comes to mind every time I'm getting tired with a shovel in my hand.

Please feel free to fill in details if you are more familiar with the story or a friend of Ray Glaze. I never new Coach Glaze very well but he is a legend in the wrestling world around Topeka. He was the head coach at Washburn Rural when I was wrestling but was the head coach at Seaman before that. He coached my HS coach Dennis Switzky and was a friend/workout partner of one of my college coaches Jody Thompson (Labette CC). He may have been the head coach at Seaman when coach Thompson was an assistant coach up that way.

Anyway, As I remember Coach Thompson telling the story... Coach Glaze's kids were requesting a swimming pool. Most people would probably say "No" or call a swimming pool company for an estimate. Well...Ray Glaze took a shovel out of his garage and dug his kids a swimming pool. Not with a backhoe...with a shovel. If you've ever met the man you can see in his eyes that he is no man to be taken lightly. He epitomizes the look and the steely determination of a wrestler. This is a story I will never forget.

Another one on Ray Glaze. Coach Thompson also told me this story. In Coach T's early day's at Labette CC he was still competing in national level tournaments and often worked out with Gary Blosser. They were doing quite well I'm sure as neither of these guys were ever slouches and have the medals to prove it. I'm not sure how often Ray Glaze worked out with them but on one particular time it went something like this, as told by Coach Thompson. Coach T prided himself on not being rode by anyone and was absolutely confident in his ability to not get rode. Apparently Coach Thompson said something of the like to Coach Glaze and Glaze scoffed at him and told him that he could ride him out. They assumed the positions and went at it. Coach T described the situation as a hand fight up to his feet, peeling hands, popping hips with everything he had....but unable to quite get away from the grasp of Coach Glaze. Across the room they went to where Glaze rammed him into the corner of the room into block walls and continued to drive him (with tightwaist) into the corner like a battering ram for some lengthy period of time.

I wish I knew more of the details on those stories but the are both a couple of classics in my book.

Great stories, Ike! I grew up down the street from Coach Glaze and knew the legend of his hand-dug pool very well. I used to go to his place and play games with his grandson Mark. My older brother always looked up to Coach Glaze as a mentor, having wrestled for him all through high school. I only had the chance to wrestle for him my freshman year before he retired from coaching. I'll always respect him for being so hard-nosed. He really trained his boys -- his wrestlers -- to become men. I never came close to being able to take him down or get out from underneath him. When I was wrestling for him, I took advantage of every chance I could to get some pointers from him.

I did get to take his Anatomy and Physiology class when I was a sophomore. He walked around the classroom with a modified yardstick -- his "thumper." He was notorious for whacking kids who weren't paying attention or sleeping. Half the time he'd actually hit the kid, half the time he'd hit the desk, which would make everyone jump. He also knew this horrible pinching point on the back, right behind the armpit. He'd grab a bit of skin and twist, and man did that hurt like crazy.

I'm sure lots of "old school" teachers did stuff like this back in the day, but I can't think of any teacher I had in the 90s who could have gotten away with it. Everyone who had Coach Glaze as a teacher loved him. It was an honor for some kids to be the one who incurred his wrath the most -- you'd see the smile on the kid's face after Coach Glaze thumped him with the yardstick or after he'd pinched the kid's side.

Great man -- I wish I had more stories about him from on the mat. Every time I run into him back in Topeka, I make sure I talk to him. My first year as head coach at Washburn Rural, I asked him to be an honorary coach at our annual wrestle-off scrimmage -- he and Scott Murray were myy two honorary coaches. It was great seeing the two of them talk and hearing their stories.

I remember wrestling for Coach Glaze in the early 80's. We would always try to get him down, even 3 of us would jump him from behind. He would get us all piled up on our backs and tell us, "You mess with the bull, you get the horns." I agree with Coach Bovaird. Great man and Great Coach.