Forty years after Olympic glory, this North Jersey native will be feted by alma mater

HALEDON — The press once called Bruce Baumgartner a New Jersey “nice guy” — a “teddy bear” who served his wife breakfast in bed.

Yet the same cuddlesome Baumgartner, a former wrestling sensation at Manchester Regional High School , garnered a much different reputation around the mats. In his senior season, when he put up a record of 27-1, the star grappler pinned an unlucky opponent in fewer than 10 seconds.

Baumgartner, now 63 and living in Edinboro, Pennsylvania, went on to become a four-time Olympian and among the most decorated freestyle wrestlers in U.S. history.

He is part of a very select group of athletes whose names may ring a bell.

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Long-jumper Carl Lewis, discus-thrower Al Oerter, swimmer Michael Phelps and Baumgartner are the only Americans who have won four medals in the same event at the Summer Olympics.

Now 40 years after Baumgartner took home his first one, his alma mater plans to rededicate the high school field house in his name.

Board of Education trustee Jeffrey Fischer said officials hope to schedule the public tribute before the end of the year. “We’ve had some good athletes,” he said, “but nothing to the extent of the honor that Bruce brought to the school.”

The field house is on the north side of the high school on Church Street. It has a concession stand, a locker room and the training room for the Falcons wrestling team.

Fischer said officials want to enlarge the red letters spelling out Baumgartner’s name on its facade and possibly add a graphic element to the sign, such as a depiction of the Olympic rings. The athletic facility was initially dedicated to him in September 1984, a month after he defeated Robert Molle of Canada in their gold-medal bout at the games in Los Angeles.

Fischer, who was on the school board at the time, remembered this week how the borough indulged in the success of its heavyweight idol. “A little town like Haledon getting an Olympic gold medalist — that’s a big thing,” he said.

There was a parade, followed by a dinner for the 23-year-old Olympian at what was then the Police Athletic League building on Roe Street.

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Baumgartner, the former athletic director at Pennsylvania Western University at Edinboro and the president of the USA Wrestling board of directors, achieved medal victories at each of the next three Olympics: silver in Seoul, South Korea; gold in Barcelona, Spain; and bronze when the sporting events returned to the U.S. in July 1996.

It was on the occasion of his earning a spot at the Atlanta Games that Baumgartner reached the climax of his career: His Olympic compatriots asked him to carry the American flag at the opening ceremony.

Baumgartner, however, always stayed humble.

“We’re all human beings,” he told The Record that summer. “Just because I’m a better wrestler than the average person doesn’t mean I should be treated better.”

Philip DeVencentis is a local reporter for NorthJersey.com. For unlimited access to the most important news from your local community, please subscribe or activate your digital account today.

Email: devencentis@northjersey.com

Hardware heroes

These athletes won the most gold medals since the modern Summer Olympics started in Athens, Greece, in April 1896.

Michael Phelps, USA: 23 medals in aquatics from 2004 through 2016.

Larisa Latynina, Soviet Union: nine medals in gymnastics from 1956 through 1964.

Carl Lewis, USA: nine medals in athletics from 1984 through 1996.

Paavo Nurmi, Finland: nine medals in athletics from 1920 through 1928.

Mark Spitz, USA: nine medals in aquatics from 1968 through 1972.

Usain Bolt, Jamaica: eight medals in athletics from 2008 through 2016.

Matthew Biondi, USA: eight medals in aquatics from 1984 through 1992.

Ray Ewry, USA: eight medals in athletics from 1900 through 1908.

Birgit Fischer-Schmidt, East Germany and Germany: eight medals in canoeing from 1980 through 2004.

Sawao Kato, Japan: eight medals in gymnastics from 1968 through 1976.

Jenny Thompson, USA: eight medals in aquatics from 1992 through 2004.

Source: Olympics.com

This article originally appeared on NorthJersey.com: Forty years after Olympic glory, this North Jersey native will be feted by alma mater