Wrestling: Thompson slated to join P'burg HOF

When it comes to Phillipsburg High School and the wrestling program's storied history, the contributions from former two-time state champion and longtime coach Rick Thompson certainly stand out.

Perhaps no athlete or coach has advocated for the Garnet and Grey more than Thompson, who was also an accomplished head coach in cross country -- leading the 2005 boys team to a Group 3 championship that still stands as the Stateliners' only state title in that sport.

Thompson's Slippery Rock HOF plaque.

For all of his athletic and coaching achievements in both sports, Thompson will take his rightful place in the Phillipsburg Athletic Hall of Fame on April 24, 2022. He is among six individuals and one team (1918 football) in the second class. 

The first set of inductions, voted on in December 2019 and originally slated for 2020, were held on Sept. 19, 2021, due to the pandemic. 

This is Thompson's second such honor this year as he recently gained membership into the Slippery Rock University Hall of Fame -- where he wrestled in college -- this past summer. 

"It really is," Thompson said from his home in Myrtle Beach, S.C., when asked if going into this Hall of Fame ranks higher than any other honor he's received throughout his career. "I'm happy to be inducted."

Candidates, as is the case with the National Baseball Hall of Fame, must receive 75 percent of the vote from the 12-person committee to earn induction into the Phillipsburg Athletic Hall of Fame. In all, 29 have appeared on the first two ballots with a total of 18 (11 in the first class) earning the requisite 75 percent.

Former Stateliner wrestlers and state champions Bob Stem and John Barna, along with legendary coach Thad Turner and NFL Hall of Famer Jim Ringo,  headlined the inaugural class of the Phillipsburg  Athletic Hall of Fame. Barna, coached by Thompson during his final two seasons, is the program's only three-time champ (1980-82), while Turner, who also served as the head coach at Lehigh University, put P'burg wrestling on the map. His teams went 98-14-4 overall (including three unbeaten campaigns) during his nine seasons in charge and he coached eight individual state champions.

Turner served as the presenter for Thompson's induction to the Slippery Rock Hall of Fame. Thompson said that Turner or his son, RJ, will do the honors in April. RJ, 38, resides in Stowe, Vt., along with his wife, Olivia, who is expecting the couple's second child -- a girl. They also have a 3-year-old son, Barkley.

Thompson, 66, is the wrestling program's all-time winningest coach with a mark of 268-54-1 in 15 seasons across three stints (1980-88, 1991-95 and 2003-06). He guided the 'Liners to 15 sectional titles, the most under any P'burg coach, and eight state championships (five in Group 3, three in Group 4), as well as six runner-up finishes. He won the Wilfred E. Cann Award as New Jersey's Coach of the Year in 1988 and coached 96 district, 39 region and nine individual state champions.

Considered one of the sport's premiere motivators, Thompson stepped down after nine seasons as the head coach at Bangor Area High School in Pennsylvania following the 2016-17 campaign and took over at Bethlehem Catholic for a short 6-1 stint in 2018-19. Thompson hasn't coached since, though he did apply for the P'burg job last spring, which ultimately went to Brad Gentzle.

Thompson's Slippery Rock bio.

"Wrestling is so demanding mentally," said Thompson, a retired health and physical education instructor. "I had people who motivated me. My job was to make a better athlete and find a way to push those buttons in a positive way. Our kids may lose because the other guy is more talented, but not because they were in better shape or stronger. Some kids I coached went on to college and have been successful [off the mat], and I'm proud of that.

"The kids I coached in wrestling and cross country, I always treated fairly. I never had a favorite."

Thompson is 477-232-4 overall, with wrestling stops at Mountain High School (now West Orange), Hackettstown, Franklin and Voorhees. As a wrestler, he won two state titles (1971 and '73) and placed third ('70), to go with four district and three region championships for the Stateliners under Turner (1970) and later former coach Jan Dutt (132-25 from 1970-80), who also attended Thompson's induction at Slippery Rock.

But for all of those wrestling accolades, Thompson rates his days with the cross country program at Phillipsburg as some of the finest moments. 

He guided the boys and girls teams, starting out as a co-coach with Neil Frankenfield, who also served as the head coach in track and field with Thompson as his assistant. All told, Thompson amassed 1,079 coaching wins combined in wrestling and cross country (407-83 with the boys and 195-39-1 with the girls teams). The 2005 boys team also finished third in the Meet of Champions.

"I loved every second of cross country," said Thompson, whose girls teams won 88 consecutive meets and three sectional titles during the mid 1980s along with a state runner-up finish in 1988. "There are no bad calls in that sport. The time doesn't lie. To me it's still one of the best sports to coach."

Here are the others in the second class of the Phillipsburg Athletic Hall of Fame class:

• 1918 football -- First to be recognized as state champions in what was then the New Jersey Scholastic Football Association. Went 6-1 and scored 336 points, losing only to Barringer. Scored 101 against Washington High School (now Warren Hills) and 99 vs. Lincoln.

• Ted Dailey -- First team All-State end in football, captain and four-year starter from 1925-28. Scored 42 of the Stateliners' 89 points in '28. All-American at Pittsburgh and later led Syracuse to a national title as coach. Member of the Phillipsburg-Easton Hall of Fame (2006).

• George "Sammy" Moyer -- First team All-State halfback in football. Played on three unbeaten teams from 1933-35, captain of the 10-0 co-state championship squad in '35. Later served as Phillipsburg football coach from 1952-53.

• Clayton Willever -- First team All-State quarterback, who led the school to a state championship in 1918. Scored a school record seven touchdowns and kicked four extra points in the 99-0 win over Lincoln. His 195 career points stands sixth on the program's all-time list.

• Eileen Clymer Schwab -- Earned 12 varsity letters in three sports and was a four-year starter in field hockey, basketball and softball, serving as captain in all three. Played on the East Penn League championship field hockey teams in 1974-76 and was the starting shortstop on two state championship teams in 1975-76. Was a starter on the 1975 state runner-up team in basketball.

• Mary Jane Deutsch -- Softball and basketball standout earned eight varsity letters and set softball records in batting average, RBIs, singles, triples and home runs. As an All-State selection at catcher in 1976, she hit .517 with 18 RBIs and did not strike out in 47 at-bats. Also a four-year starter in basketball who broke all-time scoring and rebound records in 1976. She coached basketball, softball and track and field during the 1980s.