NEW MARTINSVILLE – When you talk wrestling, the name Dr. Vince Monseau quickly enters the conversation.

Monseau is a Hall of Famer several times over. He has coached many teams at various levels with peerless precision.

The wrestling legend recently opted to retire from the coaching profession. Monseau served as Magnolia High mat mentor the last three years.

His decision draws to close a career which spanned six decades. It was steeped in sparkling success every step along the way.

Monseau is now 76 with three successful children and seven grandchildren.

“I have been so blessed to have so many good people around me…coaches, mentors and wrestlers,” Monseau said. “I am very thankful to Bob Starkey. He was a great coach at Oak Glen and he hired me when the school first opened its doors. I just finished my first year of coaching at Germantown.

“He was the football, basketball and track coach. When he saw players could not help him in basketball, he encouraged them to try out for wrestling,” Monseau said. “I got quite of few wrestling thanks to his support.”

The 1959 Weir High grad is best known for the magical work he performed on the mats at West Liberty. He arrived at the hilltop after one year at Peru State in Nebraska.

Monseau spent 31 years (1973-2004) as head coach of the Hilltoppers, compiling a 359-221-7 record. He coached 72 All-Americans, 34 Academic All-Americans and six national champions. He guided West Liberty to a national runner-up finish in 1995.

Monseau also directed the NAIA National Wrestling Tournament in both 1979 and ’87 and was an administrative assistant for the NCAA Division II National Wrestling Tournament in 2003.

He also coached football and cross country during his days at West Liberty.

“I took over a good program at West Liberty. Fred Pechek was the coach. I became good friends with him while I was coaching high school,” Monseau said. “But the program didn’t have much money to provide scholarships. I recruited valley kids by convincing them they would get a great education, it was close to home and that West Liberty was affordable.

“Most of our kids didn’t get a nickel in financial aid. We then used good kids to recruit other good kids,” he continued. “Eventually some of my wrestlers went on to become coaches and they sent me some of their kids. We also needed to change the mindset with the program. When I arrived they didn’t believe in being competitive on the national level. We had to convince them they can be successful on the national stage.”

Monseau’s dogged determination and passion elevated the Hilltoppers to becoming a major player on the national scene.

“Rick Link (St. John Central) became our first All-American at West Liberty. Then more followed as we worked hard to turn the corner. We worked hard to get a national team trophy,” Monseau said. “Our final year as an NAIA member, we finished as national runnersup.

“Once we got into NCAA Division II we were successful right off the bat,” he noted. “We placed sixth as a team and had quite a few All-Americans.”

Monseau has won a truckload of awards, including the OVAC ‘Mr. Mat’ award in 1983; NAIA Hall of Fame in 1987; USA Wrestling Bronze Level Member Coach in 1987; West Liberty State College Athletic Hall of Fame in 1997; NCAA Division II Southwest Regional Coach of the Year in 1996 and 1997; National Wrestling Hall of Fame in 2002; NCAA Division II Wrestling Hall of Fame in 2003; and National Wrestling Coaches Association Lifetime Member in 2004.

Monseau, however, focuses on the relationships he cultivated over the years, not his honors.

“George Kovalik was a great teacher. He taught me the importance of a practice schedule. He stressed the need to be organized. I never went into a practice without a schedule,” Monseau said. “I learned from Bill Hinegardner and Paul Crago from Moundsville. We had great camaraderie along with Ron Mauck, John Craig and John Stephenson. We had some outstanding coaches.

“I coached a lot of great kids. Dave LaMotte from Bridgeport won a national title at WesBanco Arena,” he continued. “I also got to coaach my two sons and they became All-Americans. Wrestling is a great fraternity in the Ohio Valley. Anyone will help anyone. I trace it back to George Kovalyk.”

Monseau also had praise for his assistant coaches along the way, including Rick Price, who was his first state champion at Oak Glen and became his last assistant coach at West Liberty, as well as Eric McKeever and Danny Doyle, his assistants at Magnolia.

Monseau coached at Oak Glen, Charleston and Weir high schools. He guided the 1967 Golden Bears’ squad to the West Virginia state title.

As an athlete, Monseau participated in football, wrestling and track at both Weir High and West Liberty State College, and later participated in many distance races, including the Boston Marathon and Wheeling distance race.

Monseau attained his B.A. degree from West Liberty State College as well as both an M.A. and Doctorate of Education from West Virginia University.

“I always stressed to my wrestlers to give maximum effort in everything, be it athletics, academics or personal life,” Monseau said. “I emphasized that God is number one, academics was second and wrestling third.”

While officially retiring as a coach, he said he would offer assistance to the Magnolia program if need be, while also offering help to anyone who sought it. He remains on the Wetzel County teaching sub list.

Otherwise, it is all family for Monseau, a family he is very proud of – and rightly so.

“I have been blessed with a wonderful and successful family. My wife (Kay) and I have been married for 48 years,” Monseau said. “Our two sons are both doctors and our daughter is an orthodontist. They are very hard workers. My wife is as sharp, if not sharper, than all of us. She grew up when women were not encouraged to attend college.

“We also have seven grandchildren,” he added. “I will now have more time to pamper them.”

LAKEN GIBSON

FORMER SHADYSIDE High basketball and track great Laken Gibson has entered the business world of professional sports.

Gibson has accepted a position with the Detriot Tigers and Detriot Red Wings. She will be an inside sales account executive.

In her role, Laken is responsible for driving sales of ticket packages for the Red Wings and Tigers through cold calling to generate new business. She is also responsible for developing new customer relationships and strengthening relationships with existing customers.

Laken is a recent graduate from West Liberty University with a Bachelor’s of Science degree in exercise physiology. She was also Shadyside High valedictorian.

BUBBA’S BITS

THE OHIO Valley Athletic Conference is holding its annual Football Officials Academy on Wednesdays, starting on May 25 and running through July 20 at Martins Ferry High School. The class will run from 6-8:30 p.m. each week. There will be classroom sessions focused on rules and development, as well as on-field lessons, working on mechanics and techniques. There is no charge to attend the academy. Successful candidates will be eligible to officiate football this fall. Instructions will include OVAC personnel and veteran, varsity officials from throughout the conference who have years of experience developing new officials at the high school and college level. For information, contact OVAC Football Commissioner Dave Clutter at (304) 280-6670 or via email at dlclutter@frontier.com.

WHEELING JESUIT University scored a touchdown Monday – thanks to the Fitzsimmons Foundation – with the breaking of ground for a new press box at Bishop Schmitt Field. The venue is an ideal spot for football games, with an inadequate press box being the only fly in the ointment last season. I attended Wheeling Central’s first-round playoff game this past season and it was an ideal setting, except for the lack of proper room for media and coaches. The new 600-foot press box will eliminate that issue. Kudos to Wheeling attorney Bob Fitzsimmons and his family for a generous monetary gift to help make the new building a much-needed reality.