Opinion

McCook's first state champion

Monday, April 3, 2006
Don Thompson, ready for action

For many years Don Thompson was looked upon as one of the most prominent and respected citizens in McCook, and in Nebraska.

He represented the McCook district in the Neb-raska Unicameral, as did his father before him. Don served for five consecutive terms, from 1955 through 1965, serving as the Speaker of the Nebraska Legislature in 1961. As a member of the Legislature Thompson was instrumental in creating a new department -- of Water Resources, and he also sponsored the first significant underground water legislation passed in Nebraska.

Thompson's interest in water matters and conservation farming practices was continuing, and all consuming throughout his lifetime. At various times he served as President of the Republican Valley Conservation Assoc-iation, was a member of the Nebraska Natural Resources Commission, the State Soil and Water Commission, the State Oil and Gas Commis-sion, and the Nebraska Pow-er Review Board.

He was elected to the Hall of Agriculture Achievement in 1957, received the Service to Mankind in 1964, the Headgate Award by the Four States Irrigation Council in 1968, and in 1972 was appointed as a consultant to the Bureau of Reclamation. In 1973 he received the Distinguished Service Award from the Nebraska Water Resources Board, and also The Agriculture Builders Award from the McCook Chamber of Commerce.

Along the way he was a leader in conservation practices and built up a "Show Herd" of Pure Bred Hereford (Anxiety 4th ) cattle on his Thompson Brothers ranch (Chet, Don and Dale) -- and still found time to be President of the McCook Kiwanis Club and head up the board of the Red Willow County Health Department, among other volunteer duties in the community.

All this was during Thom-pson's adult years. But, while still in high school, Thom-pson was successful in another way. In 1928 Thompson was a member of the McCook High School Wrestling team, the first of any McCook's sport's team to gamer a Nebraska State Champion-ship. Not only did they capture a State Trophy -- they decimated their competition, winning all six of the weight divisions they entered. Five of the six boys from McCook pinned their final opponents.

In 1928 the State Wrestling Championships were held in Omaha. There were no Class A, B, etc. All schools were in one class, so the boys from McCook and all the small outstate towns were very apt to be competing with the much larger Omaha schools.

McCook was considered a long shot to win any wrestling championship. For one thing, 1928 had seen professional wrestling panned unmercifully. There had been a series of scandals involving professional wrestlers. People were saying that not all professional matches were on the up- and-up (imagine!). Some of the top professional wrestlers were putting on exhibitions, which many felt were diminishing wrestling -- such as wrestling with trained bears, or professional boxers (Strangler Lewis and Jack Dempsey were purported to be planning an exhibition match -- winner take all).

And the taint of professional wrestling was having its effect on the amateur sport -- to the extent that many high schools and colleges were considering dropping the sport altogether.

The '28 McCook squad was just in its second year of competition, and lacked wrestling experience. The number of wrestlers out for the team was small, and when injuries to boys in some of the higher weight classes were factored in, the McCook boys were usually wrestling in a higher weight class than was natural.

It was not until the boys got to the State Tournament that all six of the boys (known as "The Little Six"), were able to wrestle in their appropriate weight division. (The McCook squad consisted of Raymond Trupp, Wayne Meadows, John Cain, Jack Viersen, Don Thompson, and Clarence Corey. They were coached by Bob Pollard.)

Completing the regular season, their won-loss record was hardly that of a Title Contender -- two wins, one loss and one draw. In this part of the country the powerhouses of high school wrestling of the day were Cambridge and Oberlin. (Kansas was noted for their fine high school wrestling programs for most of the 20th century.)

Still, there was reason to hope for the McCook squad. McCook opened the season by tying a strong Oberlin team, 15-15. In a return match one of McCook's wrest-lers, Marvin Graves was disqualified for using an illegal scissors hold on his opponent, and Bison heavyweight, Herman Hegen-berger suffered a shoulder injury.

(Both of these "canvas scrubbers," as wrestlers of that day were called, were forced to miss the state Tourney.) Oberlin won that match 15-14.

McCook took two matches that year from the Cambridge squad, defeating the Trojans soundly (20-2) in the second match. At that match Ray Ranels, a University of Nebraska football star refereed the matches, and Cornhusker Coach, Ernest Bearg came along. Both men were greatly impressed with the McCook squad. The next day the Gazette headline read, "Wrestling Team's Work Gets Praise."

"The showing gives promise that the local school has an excellent chance to shine in the state tournament at Omaha next Friday and Saturday in the opinion of Coach Bearg and Ray Panels."

Bearg told Coach Pollard after the match that the Bison had reason to be confident, though he added, "I don't wish to raise any false hopes."

Ranels added this ... "Some of your men are about the best high school wrestlers I've ever seen. You ought to have a big chance at the state tourney."

Pollard didn't relax things for his charges. They worked out strenuously at the YMCA on Tuesday, followed by a lighter drill on Wednesday before leaving for Omaha.

The Bison took varying routes to Omaha. Some went by car, others by train.

At the tourney Pollard entered six wrestlers, omitting the Heavyweight and the 115 pound classes. For their opening rounds, Trupp at 95 pounds, and Meadows at 105 pounds had byes.

The other four competed and won their matches by pinning their opponents, Cain at 125 pounds in 2 min. 10 sec., Thompson at 145 pounds in 2 min. 13 sec, Corey at 155 pounds in 2 min. 14 sec., and Viersen in 4 min. 58 sec.

In their final matches the Bison scored five more pins and one decision. Reported the Gazette, "The 'Little Six' did more than come out in the heap in an elimination mat tournament."

First the Bison realized a season long dream cherished by Coach Bob Pollard, and Second, it won the first State Championship in athletics (in any sport) to have been taken by a McCook high school team ...

Pollard had described his optimism for the team as the season opened, noting "the strenuous nature of the game and the determined work necessary to develop a wrestler eliminated the weeds and poor trainers at the start."

After the State Tourney, "The squad that endured was composed of the 'cleanest and most desirable type of athletes." As a result the actual winning was easier than expected ... We didn't have any real tough competition all the way through, although I was certainly nervous for a while."

As noted, Don Thompson garnered a great many honors and awards during his lifetime. Shortly before his death in 1990, he acknowledged that of all his honors, being on that wrestling team and winning that State Champion-ship, meant more to him than any of his other honors.

Each member of the '28 team was awarded a gold medal.

Don's medal was given to his daughter, Jerda Garey of McCook, who has donated it to McCook High School. It now hangs in the trophy case at the school, a reminder of that first State Championship ever, for the Bison, and serves as an inspiration for those Bison athletes still competing.

-- Source: McCook Daily Gazette Centennial Edition.

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