Conklin put Waynesburg wrestling on the map
Waynesburg Central High School has always been a wrestling hotbed. The Raiders rank third in PIAA history in wins, the have 33 PIAA medal winners and 21 champions on their resume.
The history traces back to 1939 and the man who first put Waynesburg High School wrestling on the map was the late Dr. James Conklin. Waynesburg has a pair of four-time WPIAL champions: James Conklin and Coleman Scott. Conklin also won four PIAA titles, while Scott claimed three state crowns.
Conklin looked back on his wrestling career in a 1990 Pittsburgh Press article.
鈥淎t the time you wrestled for fun,鈥� Conklin said of his four PIAA titles. 鈥淚 knew it was something special, but I had no idea how significant my accomplishment would become.鈥�
Thirteen wrestlers have won four PIAA titles. Five were four-time state champions without a loss.
Conklin registered a sparkling record of 70-0-1.
鈥淚t was great because I knew nobody could beat me,鈥� Conklin said. 鈥淚 never once thought I was going to lose.鈥�
Conklin captured his first PIAA championship in 1940 when he was an 85-pound freshman. He beat Phillipsburg鈥檚 Bob McDonald, 5-0, in the title match.
鈥淭he only blemish on my record came during my freshman season,鈥� Conklin said. 鈥淚 tied Canonsburg鈥檚 Ed Stanley during the regular season, and then beat him in the WPIAL tournament.鈥�
Conklin moved up to 95 pounds as a sophomore. He defeated Abington鈥檚 David White, 12-6, in the PIAA final.
鈥淚 was always wrestling against seniors my first two years at the state tournament,鈥� Conklin said. 鈥淏ut I didn鈥檛 feel any pressure. The pressure to repeat didn鈥檛 bother me at all.鈥�
Conklin competed at 112 pounds his junior season and downed Forty Fort鈥檚 Ken Ryman, 5-0, in the final.
He notched a 4-3 victory over Haverford鈥檚 George Halas in the 120-pound championship match for his fourth title in 1943.
鈥淓verybody was looking forward to the showdown between me and Grove City鈥檚 Steve DeAugustino during my senior year,鈥� Conklin remembered. 鈥淚 was a three-time champion and he was a two-time champion, but the match never took place. He lost in the semifinals to Halas.鈥�
Conklin was a Lieutenant as a U.S. Army Air Corps navigator in World War II. He entered the University of Indiana at Bloomington in 1946 and resumed his wrestling career for two years. He won all but one match each year.
He moved on to the University of Pittsburgh Medical School in 1948, and the following year Pitt began its wrestling program under Rex Peery. Wrestling at 165 pounds in the 1949-50 and 1950-51 seasons, Conklin lost one dual match each year.
His medical studies limited involvement in tournament wrestling, but he did enter and win the Wilks tournament. He was captain and named 鈥淚deal Squad Member鈥� by his teammates both years at Pitt.
Conklin forged a remarkable eight years of competition at the prep and collegiate levels. He lost only four dual matches. He completed his wrestling career as an assistant coach to Peery in 1950-51 during his senior year in medical school.
After completing medical school and serving his residency, Conklin began his career as a plastic surgeon. His talents were known throughout the East Coast and his practice was one of the best and largest in the area.
Conklin was an Assistant Professor of Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery at the University of Pittsburgh for 33 years, teaching at the University Medical Center.
Hunting became a passion for Conklin. He became recognized as one of the world鈥檚 top hunter-conservationists. He collected 250 different species of animals from all six continents, most of which have been donated to four museums, including the Pittsburgh Carnegie Museum, to which he bequeathed his remaining mounted specimens.
One of the three main halls in the International Wildlife Museum in Tuscon, Arizona, is named the Dr. James E. Conklin Hall and the main lodge of the Wildlife Leadership School in Jackson Hole, Wyoming, is named the Dr. Jim Conklin Lodge.
Conklin married his first love and high school sweetheart, Jane. They had one son and two daughters.
Among the honors bestowed on Conklin are induction into the Washington-Greene County 缅北禁地 Hall of Fame in 2000. Conklin is also in the Western Pennsylvania, Pennsylvania Wrestling Hall of Fame and he was the first recipient of the Outstanding Pennsylvania Award to be inducted into the National Wrestling Hall of Fame.
Conklin died of cancer on May 8, 2001. He was 75.
In memory of Conklin, his family and friends created The Conklin Award, which recognizes the toughest, most ethical and conservation-minded active hunters in the world.
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George Von Benko鈥檚 鈥淢emory Lane鈥� column appears in the Monday editions of the 缅北禁地. He also hosts a sports talk show on WMBS-AM radio from 10 a.m. to noon on Saturdays.