Heir Apparent: Legendary Walsh Coach Bill Barger Passes the Baton to Joe Boardwine

The numbers don’t lie.

Six straight team state titles.  Four straight team national titles.  More than 40 individual state champions coached. Three NCAA  Champions Coached, Four Finalists, and seven NCAA All-Americans. Eight wrestlers who won either a Junior National Freestyle or NHSCA Senior National Title. Such is part of the legacy of retiring Walsh Jesuit Head Coach Bill Barger.  Barger was the coach behind the following athletes, among others:
Don Horning- 2x state champion, 2x Midlands Champion, NCAA 3rd
Rich Robusto- 2x State Champion who is now a doctor.
Marcus Mollica- 2x NCAA Champ, H.S. and Jr. National. Champ
Dan Leemaster- State Champ and H.S. National Runner-up
Clint Musser- 3x State Champ, H.S. Nat. Champ, NCAA Runner-up
Jimmy Johnson-, H.S. Nat. Champ, Big Ten Freshman of the Year
Adam Plouse- 2x state champ, 3x state finalist
Joey O’Neill- State Champ and 2-time finalist; one of the best one-time champs. Scott Overholt- State Champ and Two-Time Finalist
Sonny Marchette- 2x State Champ, Jr. Nat. Champ, JUCO Nat. Champ
Joe Heskett- 3x State Champ, H.S. and Jr. Nat. Champ, NCAA Champ, 4x NCAA All-American (four time top three finisher), U.S. World Team Member.
Jeff Knupp- 3x State Champ
Victor Sveda- State Champ, Jr. Nat.2nd, 2x NCAA All-American
Josh Zupanic- State Champ and 4x Finalist
Mike Pucillo- State Champ and H.S. National Champ
Dave Rella- 2x State Champ and H.S. National Champ                              
Chase Skonieczny- State Champ and NHSCA Senior National Champion     
Johnni DiJulius- State Champ and Two-Time State Finalist with two years to go.

Other State Champions Coached by Barger:
Eric Sabo
Jamie Groudle
Brent Thompson
Brad Byers
Nate Gulosh
Dan Rooney
PJ Jones                                                                                                    
Aaron Woodruff

Many other wrestlers came through Barger’s North Akron Wrestling Club but did not wrestle for Walsh including 4x state champions Johnny McGhee and Harry Lester.  Lester is currently on the United States World Greco-Roman team and has won two world bronze medals.  If you counted guys that came through the North Akron Wrestling Club’s state titles, I would think the number could be approaching 100 total titles won.

But anyone who knows Bill Barger knows that the legacy of the man, his personal legacy- isn’t told by numbers or titles won.  It’s in the lives he’s touched, the friendships made, the fact that he’s always been the guy who has been willing to help out anyone- from a national champion to a Junior Varsity competitor.  And through the success he’s had, he’s remained the completely approachable and unpretentious guy that I first encountered 20 years ago as I had the misfortune to face hammer after Barger-coached hammer in open tournaments from his vaunted North Akron Wrestling Club back in the youth wrestling days.
Now, Bill Barger isn’t leaving the sport, or Walsh Jesuit.  He isn’t going anywhere.  However, he has stepped aside so Walsh could secure the highly-coveted Joe Boardwine as their next head coach while he assumes other duties from within the program. Nevertheless, this transition in one of Ohio’s flagship wrestling programs made it an opportune time to catch up with a coaching legend:

Ohio Wrestling Site: Coach Barger, can you tell us how Joe Boardwine came to be the new head wrestling Coach at Walsh Jesuit?

Coach Barger: Honestly I’ve been talking to him for a couple years just about what he wanted for his future……When you finally get a chance to get a quality guy like that you have to jump on it. You’ve got to realize that him and I go back to the 90’s, just like you he was in our room all the time back in high school all the time. Just this year, we started talking, really John DiJulius was the one who started talking to him.  When he was up for the job at OU, I really thought he was gonna take it we talked a little bit about that a little bit.  But when he didn’t get it, he was open for our job and just the perfect person for what we need at Walsh, so we scooped him up. Knowing him and just being a Joe Boardwine fan it was an easy decision.  It wasn’t really like I was gonna retire this year or anything because I have a good thing going there. But when I had an opportunity to scoop someone like that up I was going to miss the opportunity.  We talked for a few weeks and he was just perfect, he went through the process of talking to everyone in the Administration and all the Jesuits.  This year we are kind of going to be co-head coaches of the program, he’s going to be in charge of the high school program and I’m gonna be working at the youth level.

OWS: That actually bring me to my next question.  Can you tell us more specifically how active you will remain in the Walsh Jesuit Program?
Coach Barger: Yeah, I’m gonna be in the school, I’m gonna take care of the kids academically, you know study groups before practice.  Anything that I ca do in the school that Joe, not being in the school, needs done.  I think it will be a good relationship between the two of us.  The reason I’m doing this- you know, is I’m ready to.  It was a no-brainer.  When you coach as long as I have, and have had the successes thast I have, you don’t mind sharing the spotlight. I mean a couple of years ago I didn’t even sit in the chair with the guys because having 11 or 12 coaches in the room- the young guys- that’s the experience they want, coaching that state semi-final match, that state final match.

You know when you win six state titles in a row and four national titles in a row, you can look back at some point and have more of a sense of perspective.  Sometimes it’s easy to miss things unless you relax and take it in.  I want these other coaches to have that.  I’ve had it a lot and I can’t say I don’t want it anymore or I wouldn’t be coaching the youth. That can be just as rewarding.  Back in the 80’s, you know, when I left Walsh the first time to coach at the youth level, with all those guys like Mollica and Leemaster and Sabo, I had so much fun.  I know I can work with these guys during the week and watch them win at the youth level and be just as satisfied knowing that we have a great coach at the High School Level who is going to take care of things.

OWS: Who will assist Boardwine?
Coach Barger: So many different guys.  Still got Fred Daughtery, Jeff Black, Dan Hanson, Danny Sandy, Rob Sveda, Rob Blunk, Joe may be bring a coach in as well.  Clint’s gonna be in there.  Clint is gonna be working on a strength program. He’s gonna come in the mornings and on Sunday’s.  He’s training guys right now on kettlebells and sandbags.  He’s really gonna be the strength coach at Walsh.  He’s also going to working with athletes in different sports, sports like soccer.

We will have a constant flow of coaches in there- I’ve always let anyone in my room and Coach Boardwine has the same philosophy.  But it’s gonna be his program now.
I really miss coaching these youth kids.  I am going to end up where I started out and I am really at peace with that.

OWS: Coach Barger- last year Jeff Jordan’s St. Paris Graham Falcons crushed the state record for points and put up seven champs and nine finalists, plus three third place finishers- meaning 12 of their 14 took top three. What will it take for someone to catch them?
Coach Barger: Oh I mean, you’ve got to chase them.  When I beat St. Eds in the 90’s when had to chase them.  Jordan- we’re going into that era in wrestling- all the divisions are so strong- Ohio has done a great job in the last few years.  Back in the 90’s, I had to go out of state to get competition, now you can go down the street and get beat up.  The talent hasn’t changed one bit, but it’s spread out to formerly weaker part of the state in the areas like Dayton and Toledo. 

Beating Jordan (pauses)…it’s gonna be an unbelievable task, but it’s attainable.  It’s a shame that we don’t have everyone, Ed’s and Graham, in a single class where they can compete.

You know, (Pat) Galbincea asked about the ‘95 team, “is this the greatest team in Ohio history?” I said, yeah we’re one of the best, but I’ll let history take care of that. That’s the way it was, you know, I didn’t want to brag about it.  That was a great thing they did last year.  Everyone had to look at that and take notice.

You know, the thing, to me, I don’t think Jordan could have beat him ‘95 team. You know, quite honestly, if he had to wrestle us in a dual, I don’t think he would have done it.  You know I love Coach Jordan, but the problem that he has is he keeps his cards too close to his chest.  You know we would have wrestled anyone, anywhere, anytime- we would have wrestled out on the street. You know, he didn’t want to wrestle Blair in a dual after he won Ironman (back in 2007-2008), and he had a schedule opening this year, and he could have wrestled the Cheesehead (a top tournament attended by many top Midwest Teams around Christmas).  But he had to get with his group, his advisors, and they said, “you know, we have a good chance at winning Ironman, and that will get us a national title and we don’t want to risk that title at Cheesehead.”  I’m just not that guy.  I can’t not say it.  You know, if I had that team, I’d wrestle anybody. 

If he can beat anybody he should wrestle them.  It’s unfair to the fans, and it’s unfair to his team, it almost sends a message that maybe he doesn’t have that much confidence in them.

It’s just a shame- you know, he doesn’t have the same vision of the sport.  And you know it ain’t about money, it’s just about being too cautious. And you can’t do that in our sport.  You can have two wrestlers blow out a knee in the same tournament and lose 60 points right there, that’s part of the sport. Like Sonny (Marchette) did in ‘95, that’s another state champ- who’s gonna beat him?  I had no problem with them beating us in a (mythical) match (presumably Coach Barger refers to the article on this site that forecasted a dual meet between his ’95 team and 2009 Graham, see http://www.ohiowrestlingsite.com/articles/article106.php),  but I’m saying that he can’t beat us because he wouldn’t have showed up to wrestle us!  Damn, if he didn’t want to wrestle Blair and go to Cheesehead, then he sure wouldn’t want to go up against Adam Plouse and those crazy dudes, he’d freak out! Put that in your article.

OWS: (Laughs) I will- So, if I may take a step back to something you referred to earlier- I take it you favor a single division state tournament?
Coach Barger: Oh yeah.  Or maybe have two divisions and anybody can opt up into the bigger division.  But once you have so many kids in your school you can’t opt down.  I couldn’t “opt up” right now- that would be running from Jordan.  I wouldn’t opt up to take on St. Eds unless we took care of Jordan first.  Remember when we were gonna opt up?  I told Jordan we were gonna opt up and he said would do it the year after, he wanted to get one more state title and didn’t think that he had the firepower to beat St. Edward yet.  They should have beat St. Eds a couple years before that- His kids just capitulated every year in the dual.

OWS: Coach Barger, back in the 90’s Walsh Jesuit was THE program in Ohio, winning seven team state titles and at least three national titles. In the decade to follow Walsh has been consistently a very strong team but no longer the premier team in Ohio.  How much of an effect did Walsh becoming co-educational have on the program?
Coach Barger: Oh yeah, not as an excuse- but as a fact, whenever you cut your school in half, you go from 800 boys to 400…. it hurt, but it was a great opportunity for Walsh, what those girls are doing in their sports is incredible.

But beyond that, it’s just the way it’s supposed to be, boys and girls, competing against each other. If you think in the world boys and girls aren’t going to compete against each other….well, it’s going to happen.

I respect that the Jesuit school did what it did, but, it made it harder, and it put us on our heels, but I’m not an excuse maker. I’ve love the kids I’ve coached since then, some of my favorite teams weren’t even top five in the state. I love Walsh- I’ve been here since 1977 and it probably saved me as a person.  Before that, I had a tough run, being wounded in Vietnam, I was very young- I was 19 years old when I got shot.  I used Walsh as a vehicle to change my life, to not be the person I was afraid I was becoming because I was so angry.  Then after I was successful coaching in the 90’s I asked them to hire me full time, that I wanted to be in a classroom. I was bluffing, and they hired me the next day.  You know, I’ve always worked since I was 15 years old, I’m a worker.  I worked in the rubber factory for 15 years.  But Walsh was the best opportunity I could ask for. I’ve gotten out tenfold what I’ve put in. 

OWS: Is it possible for Walsh to reach the heights they once enjoyed?
Barger: Yes, I think it’s totally attainable.  I think that young blood is totally necessary.  The greatest wrestling is still in Northeast Ohio, there is so much tradition and there are tough kids on every block. Walsh is going to 1000 kids, so it’s a going to be larger which will help us get more guys in.  If we get our youth program going and swing them all that way, and kids from other areas, we can be up there again.

Jordan’s got it going, but there’s a lot of question marks about his program. I mean he’s on the up and up and all that, but we never ran a “clone” team where everyone does the same thing like his seems to be.  We liked to give kids their own style.  At the youth level, we want to give them access to a lot of information and have them create their own style that fits their talents. We wanted them to be individuals.  Like Chad Owens, he would throw you in a New York minute- boom, you’re gone.  But then Johnny McGhee, Jim Johnson, and Clint Musser, they were a little more sophisticated technically.  You can’t try to make everyone the same.

But I am going down there (to the youth level), and I’m bringing two sergeants with me, and they are very serious about what they do.  I mean, when these kids go wrestle on Saturdays and Sundays they are gonna be ready.  

OWS: Who is coming down to coach with you?
Coach Barger: Todd Randall and Mark Scianna.  Todd coached with me all the way until Josh Zupanic left.  Mark Scianna is just a bulldog, runs a very disciplined practice.  Todd, is great on top and on the mat. I’m gonna go down there and get every 7th and 8th grader thinking about going to Walsh.  I think that I attract- I have a gift.  But it’s not only to attract kids, but to attract coaches.  And Joe’s gonna be like that- we’re gonna be in constant communication, I’m not going anywhere- I’m just putting things where they need to be.  It’s just a perfect fit- I’m so excited I can tell you!  It will free me up, to work on justice issues and the things that are important to me.  I believe very much in living a spiritual life- you really need to think about the things that are going on and try to make things better. 

OWS: Why is Joe Boardwine the right guy to bring Walsh back to state and national prominence?
Coach Barger: Well- he’s my guy- he’s the right guy- he’s what I want Walsh to be.  I’ve looked for who can bring Walsh back to a National Championship.  He does all the things that need to be done. He’s more organized than me already.  Everyone is going to give 100%, and he will accept nothing less.

The difference between me and him is he’s stronger than me at the organization and discipline stuff…I‘ll let kids slide on the language and stuff and ….he won’t.  He will be so consistent.   I think I was pretty good with consistency.  But he’s gonna be better at organization- he’s the perfect replacement for an imperfect person. My strengths are different than his.  He has the passion and commitment.  I go off sometimes, but he has that discipline within himself that is very consistent.  He doesn’t get ruffled.

I cam out of a situation where I kind of used wrestling as a crutch to take care of my PTSD, and had a disability with.  I kind of used it as a vehicle to make me stronger.  But it’s business for him- but he would coach for no money at all. He’s going to do camps, and he’s got a really great plan and it will be great to watch it evolve. He’s going to mirror Jordan.  But he also has a lighter side completely separate from the professional side- I would never hire someone again that didn’t have that lighter side- that just didn’t want to have fun with the guys.  Boardwine definitely has a lighter side.

OWS: Now I have a tough question for you- You’ve been one of the state’s top coaches for 20-plus years and following wrestling in Ohio much longer than that.  In your opinion- who is the single best wrestler you have seen come out of this state?
Barger: Oh man….(Long Pause) David Taylor.  He’s the real deal. He’ll be as dominant in college as he was in high school.  And I’d rather not have to answer any one of my guys because I have to live with those guys!  That kid is amazing.  I’ve been around some great wrestlers, besides my own I coached Cael Sanderson in the Dapper Dan Match. But Taylor always amazes me.

OWS: Coach Barger, thank you for taking the time to talk, and for all of your great contributions to the sport!
Coach Barger: Thank You!

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- OhioWrestlingSite.com