Feb 6, 2016 5 min read

John “Buzz” Walters is one of many highly successful wrestling coaches from the area. Very few collected the number of wins – 300 overall, including 284 at West Greene – Walters accumulated as a head coach.

Walters is a 1952 graduate of Mapletown High School, where he was a two-year starter, compiled a 20-2 record and was awarded most valuable honors as a senior. After high school, Walters enlisted in the U.S. Marine Corps.

“In the Corps, you organized, adapted, and completed,” Walters said of three traits he took from the Marines to coaching. “My Marine training had a big impact on my coaching.”

After the Marines, Walters enrolled at Waynesburg College on the GI Bill. He wrestled and played football for the Yellow Jackets.

“I received half-scholarships in both sports. In football, I was a running back on offense and a linebacker on defense,” Walters said.

As a wrestler, Walters had a 24-5 record for Waynesburg under legendary Yellow Jackets coach Raymond “Bucky” Murdock and qualified for the 1960 NAIA Championships.

Walters graduated from Waynesburg in 1961 with a Bachelor of Arts degree in social studies and went looking for a teaching job that might come with some coaching duties.

“I applied for a teaching position at West Greene. I was offered the head wrestling coach and assistant football coach positions at the school,” he said. “My first experience as a wrestling coach, I found out how little I knew about wrestling. I learned all I could from wrestlers, clinics and books. I never stopped learning and trying.

“I had to learn more about techniques. The technique of becoming a winner is the mental aspect of wrestling that is overlooked.”

“One rule I had was a simple one: we won’t lose because we are out of shape,” he continued. “I was lucky to have kids who would listen and wanted to wrestle.”

In his first year as coach at West Greene (1961-62), the Pioneers recorded a losing record but that trend was about to change.

“The next 28 years were winning seasons,” Walters said proudly.

Walters become coach at West Greene during the wrestling program’s second year of existence. Modern facilities did not exist during those early years, which made those winning seasons quite remarkable.

“Our practices were held in the band room,” he recalled. “All instruments and chairs had to be moved and mats put down. When practice was over, we had to roll up the mats and put back the instruments and chairs. Over the years, our practices were sometimes held on the school stage, in a classroom and even the library.”

Walters coached 32 section champions, six WPIAL champions and one Southwest Regional Champion. He also took 21 different qualifiers to the PIAA tournament.

One of Walters’ sons, Rikk Walters, won 107 matches and was a two-time WPIAL champion (1983 and ’84) during his career at West Greene while wrestling for his father.

“Rikk was a hard worker. I never gave him a break and it paid off,” Buzz Walters said.

“My dad was a strict father and coach, and I respect him for that now,” Rikk said.

Jeff Hamilton, who was a standout lightweight wrestler for West Greene and a state runner-up in 1988, recalls his coach’s hands-on approach in practice.

“Coach is the most competitive person I know. He would run every lap the team ran,” Hamilton said. “He made me want to win so badly, just for him.”

Like most wrestling coaches, Walters respected the referees, if he didn’t always agree with them. Sometimes, Walters would, in his own way, offer “suggestions” to the referee.

“The only time I would question a ref was after a match. If I didn’t agree about a call I would ask,” Walters said. “I just got caught up in the excitement of the moment. Many referees are still my friends today. Larry Maggi used to tell everyone I helped him referee.”

Walters did all of his coaching at the Class AA level. Many schools in that classification struggle today to fill all the weight classes. At West Greene, Walters never had that problem. The Pioneers’ roster was always deep and well-stocked with talented wrestlers.

“Too many forfeits today,” Walters said quickly. “Look at Wash High. Back in the day, they would have a lot kids out for wrestling. Today, like a number of schools, they have to forfeit weight classes.”

In his 34-year career, Walters had a 300-143-4 record that included stints at Beth-Center and Clay-Battelle in Blackville, W.Va.

“I believed in training and discipline,” he said. “If you made the wrong choice on the mat, then you pay the price. It makes you a better person and a better person equals a better wrestler.”

Curt Hughes was co-captain of the 1974-75 West Greene team and later coached the Pioneers.

“(Coach) always reminded us to do the right thing,” Hughes said.

Walters cared about his wrestlers. If a kid needed a ride to school, then the coach made sure he would pick up the kid and drive him. And he always had several messages and rules for his wrestlers.

“Go out and establish yourself – don’t give up any ‘gimme points.’ Get on top of your opponent and try for pins. Whatever the outcome, when the match is over, shake your opponent’s hand and leave the mat. You can make a good wrestler out of a person, but you can’t always do it the other way around. Most important of all was to learn from your losses.”

Walters is in the PIAA Wrestling Coaches Association Hall of Fame. He was inducted into the Washington-Greene County Chapter of the Pennsylvania Sports Hall of Fame in 1997.

Bill DiFabio writes a column on local sports history for the Observer-Reporter.