Titans plan wrestling celebration

Summer is the time of family reunions. Put some meat on the grill and family get-togethers happen. Barbecue smoke brings out rollicking stories of family lore and good times are had by all.

In essence, that is what will happen in Brown’s Park on Aug. 7: a big family reunion.

On that day in the park across 32nd Street from University High School, Titan wrestlers, past and present, along with their families and friends, will gather “celebrating 20 years of U-Hi wrestling,” organizers promise. All 20 of those years have been under the direction of Coach Don Owen.

“It’s not just a bunch of wrestlers getting together,” explained event organizer Jay Jordan, a volunteer assistant coach at U-Hi. “I guarantee you there will be families there, parents will be there, longtime fans of the program will be there. This is one big wrestling family. I think that’s a big part of why this program has been so successful under Don.”

Family.

That’s truly the only way to describe the passion amateur wrestling fans feel for the sport – one of the few prep sports without a professional sponsor to ignite its fan base. Football has the NFL, basketball the NBA, and even volleyball has its professional beach cousin.

But wrestling is different. Even Division I colleges have forsaken the area – the nearest top-tier schools offering collegiate wrestling are Boise State and Oregon State. It’s a sad state when the oldest competitive sport in the world – dating back to the time of Plato and the first Olympic Games – gets overshadowed by the Kabuki theater that laughingly calls itself professional wrestling. To paraphrase Mark Twain, the difference between amateur and pro wrestling is the same as that between the lightning bug and the lightning.

Wrestling families and fans follow the sport the way most families keep track of distant relations.

“That’s what we’re looking forward to – a celebration of family,” Owen said. “I can guarantee you this: You’re not just going to just see wrestlers there. You’re going to see moms and dads and aunts and uncles. That’s what my goal is: to celebrate what a great family atmosphere we’ve had.”

“Family has a lot to do with wrestling,” said three-time U-Hi state champion Andy Roberts. “I know in my family, my two brothers (state champions Kevin and Dusty) and I got into wrestling because my uncles (Spokesman-Review Voices Editor) Jeff (Jordan), Jay and Denny were all nuts about the sport. Same with my cousins who wrestled at U-Hi.

“You can see that with a lot of families that have gone through. The Fish family, Cory and Chase and their dad, Kelly. The Osborn family – there have been Osborns wrestling at U-Hi for 25 years or more and there’s still one wrestling there.”

It’s extended family, too.

“The cool thing about this program is that kids like to come back and visit,” Jay Jordan said. “I run into former U-Hi wrestlers all the time and those are always the best hugs you can get.

“And I think that’s something that Don is really looking forward to – getting the chance to catch up with kids who wrestled for him, not just the state champions. You don’t have to be a state champion to be a champion for Don Owen. You come into his wrestling room, you work hard and live right and do the best you can, you’re a champion.”

In Owen’s 20 years at University, the school produced two state championship teams, in 2005 and this year. In all, the school produced 18 state champions, including three-time state champs Andy Roberts and Tommy Owen, Don Owen’s nephew, and four two-time state champions: Jake Mason, Cory Fish, Brian Owen and Dusty Roberts. Many are expected to attend.

Also returning is Kevin Roberts, the first wrestler to win a state title at University under Don Owen (winning the 115-pound title in 1991) before going on to win All-America honors at the University of Oregon. He is now an assistant wrestling coach at Oregon State.

“I think one of the most memorable things that we’ll have will be an open mic period where a lot of these people will be able to get up and tell stories about their time at U-Hi – that should be hilarious,” Owen said. “We’ll have other entertainment, of course, and we’ll take folks across the street to see the wrestling room at the new high school, if they haven’t been in there before. Some of them will get to see their names up on the wall for the first time.”

Owen demurs when it comes to taking credit for the school’s impressive record of successes, passing praise on to his assistant coaches, Dave Orndorff, Matt Smith and Ben Osborn. He also praises the head coaches who led the Titans prior to 1991, when he left Coeur d’Alene High to take over at University.

“My daughter came up with the idea and I mentioned it to Jay and he’s ramrodded the thing,” Owen said. “But I told them that we can’t do this without the help of our booster club. Our program is what it is because we have great parents and a great booster club helping make it work.”

“Don is undoubtedly the leader, but he’s surrounded himself with a great group of assistant coaches, too,” Jordan said. “They’ve been there a long time and they’re a big part of what makes that program what it is.

“But in truth, it comes from Don. My son (standout wrestler Danny Jordan) and my nephews who all wrestled for him will tell you that he is the most competitive person they’ve ever known.”

Roberts agreed.

“I am the competitive person that I am today because of wrestling for Don,” he said. “I hate to lose more than I like to win, and Don’s the same way. He’s constantly doing whatever he can do to make himself a better coach, whether it’s watching film or whatever. He’s committed to his wrestlers, and it shows.”

And, for one Saturday in August, they will all share that commitment and celebrate their collective success.