Mary leads local charge into Pa. hall of fame
He oversaw arguably the greatest era in Canon-McMillan High School wrestling.
Now, Chris Mary is going to receive one of the state’s highest honors in the sport.
Mary, who led the Big Macs to five PIAA championships – three individual and two dual meet – will be part of this year’s class of inductees into the Pennsylvania Wrestling Coaches Association Hall of Fame.
Mary will join former C-M wrestler George O’Korn and former Charleroi coach Lee Hall in this year’s class.
“I was surprised and truly honored,” said the 50-year-old Mary.
“It’s the ultimate honor to be in the hall of fame. I’ve been in this sport with legends Gene Bowman, Dave Cook, (Manuel) ‘Buns’ Pihakis, George O’Korn, Joe Shook and Butch Marino. But it’s especially an honor to now be in with my brother, Phil, who got in 2011.”
Mary led the Big Macs to PIAA Team Tournament titles in 2011, 2012 and 2013. The state also crowned a team champion at the individual tournament and Canon-McMillan in 2013 and 2013.
“I knew these were special times,” said Mary. “We tried to seize the moments and cherish all those moments. I always reminded the kids about how special those times were.”
Mary had a carer record of 214-42 and coached 72 section champions, 20 WPIAL champions, 34 state placewinners and six state champions. One of his wrestlers – Albert Miles – won an NCAA Division II title for the University of Pitt-Johnstown.
The Big Macs won four consecutive WPIAL Team Tournament titles (2010-2013), the first time a Class AAA school accomplished that feat.
The Big Macs wrestled in two of the epic dual meets in PIAA history, both against Central Dauphin and both in the state team tournament. The first came in the 2012 semifinals, a 28-25 victory in the semifinals; and a 34-31 win in the 2013 finals that was decided in the final bout: a 4-3 decision by Brendon Price over Zach Elvin.
“If I had to rank the greatest wins, the two Central Dauphin wins would be at the top,” Mary said. “The first WPIAL title was special.”
In that dual meet, delayed a couple days by a snowstorm and rescheduled to take place at Fox Chapel High School, Canon-McMillan defeated Kiski, 33-27, when Mike Hull, now a linebacker with the Miami Dolphins, won the final bout, 3-2, at heavyweight by decision despite a shoulder injury.
Mary said he loved his time as head coach, but isn’t planning on a return.
“I have two girls, four and seven,” said Mary. “I follow the sport and love the sport but I don’t miss the every-day grind. It takes a toll on you.”
Mary had a 45-0 record in his final two seasons and won a section team title in each of his 12 years of coaching. He was named Coach of the Year numerous times and has been inducted in the Canon-McMillan, WPIAL and Pennsylvania Sports halls of fame.
As a wrestler at Chartiers-Houston, he was a three-time section champion, a three-time WPIAL champion and three-time state placewinner.
O’Korn is a 1973 graduate of Canon-McMillan and 1978 graduate of the University of Pittsburgh. He was a nine-time letter winner in three sports: football, wrestling and baseball. O’Korn was a two-time state champion, winning the 165-pound championship in 1972 and 167 pounds in 1973.
He had an 81-5 record that included a WPIAL title at 165 pounds in 1972. O’Korn was also a three-year letterman in wrestling at Pitt, qualifying for the NCAA Division I Tournament twice. He also made the Pitt baseball team, but an injury kept him from lettering.
Hall is a 1960 graduate of Hughesville High School, where he was the 1960 PIAA state champion at 165 pounds. He graduated from Pitt in 1965. Hall coached wrestling at Charleroi from 1967-1984, amassing a 142-149-4 career record. He coached 25 sectional champions and 5 WPIAL champions.
Hall was a PIAA-certified referee in the WPIAL for 23 years. In 2004, he was inducted into the Southwestern Pennsylvania Wrestling Hall of Fame.