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Mural marks C-M wrestling success

3 min read
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It’s 8 feet tall by 8 feet wide and stands guard at the doorway of the wrestling practice room at Canon-McMillan High School.

Those who walk past it are part of one of the most successful programs in the country and might someday find their names included on it.

The wrestling mural, displayed in late February, is a tribute to the success of the program – past and present – and also stands as a motivational tool.

“Many people have said they hadn’t seen anything like that,” said former wrestling coach Chris Mary, who came up with the vision for a mural. “This was dedicated to the wrestlers and former wrestlers of Canon-Mac.”

The idea for a mural came a few years ago when Mary was in the midst of leading the Big Macs to five state titles over a three-year period, the most successful span in program history.

“In 2012, Manuel Pihakis, Brian Hritsko and (I) formed the Canon-McMillan Wrestling Alumni Association,” said Mary. “That’s when we were trying to raise money for our trip to Reno for the Tournament of Champions. The money came in from all over. We were coming off back-to-back state championships and people wanted to be part of it. It was from friends and family of the sport.”

Mary said many people outside the Canon-McMillan community contributed to the program’s trip.

“What can you say about people like that?” said Mary. “After the Reno trip, we had money left over. I knew in my last year or two, I wanted to design a mural … on the bare wall on the wrestling room (entrance). I had this vision of putting together a mural with the legacy of Canon-Mac wrestling from the 1930s to the present, with all the WPIAL titles and state titles.”

The group received permission to create the mural from the school board. Big Splat Graphics, a custom graphic imaging company in Pittsburgh, helped with the design and production of the mural. The cost was about $4,000.

“The images we pulled up from online,” Mary said. “All the information came from Canon-Mac’s historian, Paul Amic. When (athletic director) Frank Vulcano, Pihakis and the school principal saw it, they wanted to put it in the main lobby (of the gymnasium), but the design of it was meant for that 8-foot-by-8-foot wall.”

The alumni association raised all the funds for the mural and the project finally took shape over the previous year. The mural was the second motivational tool established for the wrestling room. Earlier, Mary began hanging large photos of some of the program’s most successful wrestlers.

“We’re blessed with a good Canon-Mac family, and it branches out,” said Mary.

Mary said the mural was built with the ability to accommodate future accomplishments.

“It’s designed to be added to,” Mary said. “There is plenty of room.”

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