Tom Teagarden Passed Away

[Raw Daddy]

Tom Teagarden passed away last week. According to his obituary, he was the first freshman to start at Penn State. I never knew that or know how accurate that is, but he had some very memorable matches. He won his state title at Rec Hall and started the Bentworth program after his days at Penn State.

Thomas Teagarden Obituary (1953 - 2022) - Bentleyville, PA - Observer-Reporter

View Thomas E. Teagarden's obituary, send flowers and sign the guestbook.

www.legacy.com

 

[nittinsc]

https://observer-reporter.com/sport...cle_cde7be9c-9106-11ec-abdb-13e96ac3db0a.html

Very sad to hear this news

 

[railbirrd]

Tom Teagarden passed away last week. According to his obituary, he was the first freshman to start at Penn State. I never knew that or know how accurate that is, but he had some very memorable matches. He won his state title at Rec Hall and started the Bentworth program after his days at Penn State.

Thomas Teagarden Obituary (1953 - 2022) - Bentleyville, PA - Observer-Reporter

View Thomas E. Teagarden's obituary, send flowers and sign the guestbook.

www.legacy.com

Teagarden's freshman and sophomore years, he knocked off at least 3 wrestlers who were legendary in NJ high school wrestling, including Jerry Nisivoccia of Rutgers (a favorite of mine; this was Nisivoccia's first loss "ever" - he went undefeated in hs), Mike Frick, and Joe LaSpada.

History – Penn State Wrestling Club

www.pennstatewrestlingclub.org

 

[Raw Daddy]

Teagarden's freshman and sophomore years, he knocked off at least 3 wrestlers who were legendary in NJ high school wrestling, including Jerry Nisivoccia of Rutgers (a favorite of mine; this was Nisivoccia's first loss "ever" - he went undefeated in hs), Mike Frick, and Joe LaSpada.

History – Penn State Wrestling Club

www.pennstatewrestlingclub.org

That Bryant match against Pitt sticks out to me. I tried to find pictures from high school match. Imagine sold out Rec Hall with people sitting to the edge of the mat and the men with people on their shoulders to watch a high school match.

 

[AgSurfer]

That Bryant match against Pitt sticks out to me. I tried to find pictures from high school match. Imagine sold out Rec Hall with people sitting to the edge of the mat and the men with people on their shoulders to watch a high school match.

True story. Teagarden moved up to 103 in 1970 and made it to the state finals again where he lost to Dan Blakinger from District 3. That was the first year they held the state finals in the farm show arena in Harrisburg. A friend of mine and I were there to watch, and when Teagarden was wrestling his semi-final match, there was a young guy sitting behind us who I think was pretty buzzed on alcohol. He kept rambling "That's the only guy who beat me this year." We talked to him a little bit, and I just dismissed him thinking he was some young high school kid who had too much to drink. Well it turned out that he really was George Bryant! If I recall correctly, I think Bryant won a state title the following year and wrestled at 118 for Pitt.