Great Scott calls it a career
Coleman Scott finished his competitive wrestling career Sunday afternoon under bizarre and confusing circumstances.
Too bad, because he deserved a better end, maybe one in which he walked to the center of the mat and performed the ceremonial retirement ritual of untying his laces, removing his wrestling shoes and walking away, leaving them on the center of the mat.
Instead, the three-time PIAA champion from Waynesburg High School saw his chance to earn a spot on the United States Olympic Wrestling Team – and his competitive career – end Sunday following a 4-4 tie with former Iowa wrestler Tony Ramos in the semifinals of the of their 57kg (126 pounds) weight class at the Olympic Team Trials in Iowa City, Iowa.
Scott believed he had won the match by criteria, rising after taking Ramos down with four seconds remaining to tie the score 4-4 at the buzzer that ended the bout. Instead, it was Ramos who won by criteria (two takedowns to Scott’s one).
Scott rose up after the final buzzer and savored what he thought was a tremendous win while Ramos looked on in disbelief. Then Ramos asked the referee to check the scoring and following that, Ramos was declared the winner. Even the announcers for NBC, which streamed the trials, believed Scott was the winner.
Had Scott defeated Ramos, he would have still had to win in the finals to earn a spot on the national team and compete in the Rio Olympics. Another former Iowa wrestler, Dan Dennis, defeated Ramos in the finals.
Scott’s wife, Jessica, announced his retirement on Twitter Monday, eight days before Coleman’s 30th birthday, saying in part “… Coleman has had an amazing career. I am so glad he chose me to be his wife, his rock and by his side through most of it. Thank you family, friends, sponsors, coaches and fans! We love you all! You all have stuck through the good times and the bad and believed in him when others doubted him. It saddens me that he is officially done, but now on to new beginnings!”
Scott’s career has been filled with incredible accomplishments in the sport. He earned a spot on the 2012 U.S. Team by wrestling in an elimination event at Times Sqaure in New York City dubbed the “Grapple in the Apple.” Scott defeated Reece Humphrey and Shawn Bunch in the 60kg (132 pounds) wrestleoff. The picture taken following that victory showed Scott leaping into the air and into wrestling folklore. It was a victory against the best competition on one of the brightest stages.
More importantly, it gave Scott the opportunity to compete in the London Olympics. Scott was knocked out of gold medal contention after losing to Toghrul Asgarov of Azerbaijani. He recovered, however, and went on to stop Japan’s Kenichi Yumoto to capture the bronze medal.
Scott’s scholastic career was punctuated by a run of three straight titles before graduation: 103 as a sophomore, 112 as a junior and 125 as a senior. He was a Beast of the East champion, a three-time Powerade champion and finished his high school career with a 156-12 record.
He went on to Oklahoma State, where won an NCAA championship at 133 pounds in 2008 and was a four-time All-American. He won two Big 12 championships and was named Outstanding Wrestler in 2005.
Scott’s career path turned to coaching when he took over the wrestling program at the University of North Carolina in August after serving a year as assistant coach.
He’ll be remembered as another in a long line of great Greene County wrestlers but maybe most impressive was the way he carried himself outside the circle. He made numerous trips back to his hometown and attended events that honored and recognized his achievements, even though it was not his most comfortable setting.
When Scott realzied he had lost to Ramos, he walked over and shook his hand, then left the mat. Scott showed a lot of class in what had to be a devastating defeat. Other wrestlers might have handled it poorly, but that was not Coleman’s way.
He said goodbye with respect and dignity to a sport that had provided him a place among the greats.
Assistant sports editor Joe Tuscano can be reached at jtuscano@observer-reporter.com