Spring Break
Wrestling dead at Eastern but not to wrestlers
Editorial Board
Issue date: 6/24/08 Section: Opinions
The NCAA says that a perfect APR is 1000, and the cutoff rate is 925. Wrestling's 26 athletes scored an 851.
Wrestling at Eastern came with scholarships, and these athletes were students. It may be hard to hold much sympathy when a team fails, repeatedly, to make grades. The purpose of attending college isn't to play sports; it's to get an education.
Eastern wrestling faced problems with the NCAA repeatedly and the entire athletics department was placed in jeopardy.
This might seem a little harsh, but it turns out that if Eastern athletics would not have been able to rectify the situation on their own, the entire athletics program would have been placed on correspondent membership and the whole athletics program could have lost all NCAA membership privileges.
Former Athletics Director Rich Duffie said he made the decision to cut the wrestling program after the NCAA released a three-year report and spring '07 grades were released.
Former EIU wrestler Adam Beeler graduated from Eastern before the program was cut, but remembers the wrestlers were "really bummed out."
Beeler still trains regularly in Hillsboro, Ill. and still wrestles. He trades options for a company in which he invested money.
Anthony Genovese graduated from Eastern this past spring and will start a job at Addison Trail High School, where he will coach wrestling.
"It's my way of life," Genovese said about wrestling. "It's my bread and butter."
Genovese said that Duffie did not give wrestling a fair shake.
"He was not a friend," Genovese said. "He hated wrestling." That the wrestling program was cut "was the worst thing that could happen."
According to Genovese, Eastern did not adhere to the NCAA's rules for academic probation. Wrestlers were not given the requisite time to get grades up, the team was only given one year, then suddenly cut.
Thomas Johnson, another former Eastern wrestler, is also now a wrestling coach. He coaches at Warren Central High School, in Indianapolis.
These three former wrestlers say the same thing; that wrestling is a sport that diehards will compete in whether or not they are part of an official program. You can take wrestling out of a school, but you can't take wrestling from the athlete.
Genovese puts it best, "with wrestling, you just want to share it. That's the way of life. That's what happens. I just want to share everything I know."
Wrestling is done at Eastern for now, but the wrestlers themselves aren't.
Wrestling at Eastern came with scholarships, and these athletes were students. It may be hard to hold much sympathy when a team fails, repeatedly, to make grades. The purpose of attending college isn't to play sports; it's to get an education.
Eastern wrestling faced problems with the NCAA repeatedly and the entire athletics department was placed in jeopardy.
This might seem a little harsh, but it turns out that if Eastern athletics would not have been able to rectify the situation on their own, the entire athletics program would have been placed on correspondent membership and the whole athletics program could have lost all NCAA membership privileges.
Former Athletics Director Rich Duffie said he made the decision to cut the wrestling program after the NCAA released a three-year report and spring '07 grades were released.
Former EIU wrestler Adam Beeler graduated from Eastern before the program was cut, but remembers the wrestlers were "really bummed out."
Beeler still trains regularly in Hillsboro, Ill. and still wrestles. He trades options for a company in which he invested money.
Anthony Genovese graduated from Eastern this past spring and will start a job at Addison Trail High School, where he will coach wrestling.
"It's my way of life," Genovese said about wrestling. "It's my bread and butter."
Genovese said that Duffie did not give wrestling a fair shake.
"He was not a friend," Genovese said. "He hated wrestling." That the wrestling program was cut "was the worst thing that could happen."
According to Genovese, Eastern did not adhere to the NCAA's rules for academic probation. Wrestlers were not given the requisite time to get grades up, the team was only given one year, then suddenly cut.
Thomas Johnson, another former Eastern wrestler, is also now a wrestling coach. He coaches at Warren Central High School, in Indianapolis.
These three former wrestlers say the same thing; that wrestling is a sport that diehards will compete in whether or not they are part of an official program. You can take wrestling out of a school, but you can't take wrestling from the athlete.
Genovese puts it best, "with wrestling, you just want to share it. That's the way of life. That's what happens. I just want to share everything I know."
Wrestling is done at Eastern for now, but the wrestlers themselves aren't.
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Viewing Comments 1 - 5 of 6
G.OToole
posted 6/24/08 @ 11:53 AM CST
As the chair of the Save EIU Wrestling program, I can tell you that your article only reflects half of the real truth. With a son on the wrestling team and as a former wrestler at EIU, I do not believe the school fairly evaluated all the facts behind the caceling of the program. (Continued…)
Mark Sherman
posted 6/26/08 @ 7:48 AM CST
I can tell you're a former wrestler from the numerous spelling errors in your post. j/k
Enough
posted 6/27/08 @ 12:54 PM CST
Mr. O'Toole,
Your son having a 3.8 GPA as an accounting major is great and you should be very proud of him. But having one student-athlete with great grades doesn't pull the weight for the rest of the 15 plus roster (I'm ball parking the roster size)You and your son should be upset with the rest of the team for not taking school as serious as your son has. (Continued…)
B. Tipsword
posted 6/29/08 @ 10:46 PM CST
Mr. Enough,
I would like to clarify a couple of points.
1. The '06-'07 EIU wrestling roster consisted of 23 athletes, 9 of these young men had GPAs of 3. (Continued…)
B. Tipsword
posted 6/30/08 @ 11:16 PM CST
Mr. Enough,
No, I don't consider 9 out of 23 with a 3.0 or better for one semester as a great stat to show off. I only provided that information in response to your comment, "one student-athlete with great grades doesn't pull the weight for the rest of the 15 plus roster". (Continued…)
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