The Conard wrestling team will honor Hall of Fame Coach George Beaudry on Saturday, Feb. 7.
Former Conard wrestling coach George Beaudry (right) will be honored on Saturday, Feb. 7. Submitted photo
By Ronni Newton
Conard wrestling coach Chris Glowacki is hoping that as many former Conard wrestlers as possible will be able to participate in a ceremony Saturday morning both honoring George Beaudry and establishing a scholarship in his name.
Beaudry was Conard’s head wrestling’s coach from 1968-1986, and during those 18 years guided the team to an amazing 235-30-2 record – a .880 winning percentage.
“He’s in the state record books for his winning percentage, but he was so much more than that. He was an amazing man who taught us so much about life and everything else,” said Glowacki, who graduated from Conard in 1984 and wrestled for Beaudry.
Glowacki said beginning this year a scholarship will be established in Beaudry’s name. “I hope that it will not only bring attention to the sport, but also help a kid with getting through college,” he said. The scholarship will be awarded to a senior college-bound wrestler.
Clippings, photos, and other memorabilia will be on display at Saturday’s ceremony, which will take place at 10 a.m. in the gym, right before Conard’s match with East Hartford.
George Beaudry (left) with Rob Cersosimo, who succeeded him as head wrestling coach and recently retired as Conard’s head football coach. Submitted photo
Beaudry taught in West Hartford for 35 years, 20 of them at Conard. He also coached boys track for eight years.
Coach Beaudry’s honors include: 1982 National High School Athletic Coaches Association District I Coach of the Year for Wrestling, 1975 Connecticut High School Coaches Association Wrestling Coach of the Year, one of two wrestling coaches named Hartford Courant Best of the Century (December, 1999), and coach of five state championships teams, five runner-up teams, and eight undefeated teams. Twenty-seven of his wrestlers won individual state titles and nine were State Open champions.
Glowacki said that George Beaudry’s son, Brad Beaudry, will participate in Saturday’s ceremony. Brad will be bringing the jacket and plaque received when George Beaudry was posthumously inducted into the National Wrestling Hall of Fame in 2004. George Beaudry passed away in June 1999. The jacket and plaque will be donated to Conard.
Brad Beaudry is not only George Beaudry’s son, but is a former captain of the Conard wrestling team(1974), and a two-time state champion who had a 75-1-1 career record.
I wish I could be there. I wrestled for Coach Beaudry ’75-’78 and he was one of the most influential teachers or men, outside of my father, in my early life and I still remember and practice his lessons on life philosophy. His then-unorthodox wrestling philosophy still works for me: Preparation and character is everything. His four-point philosophy was 1. knowledge (know your moves or your job as thoroughly as possible), 2. speed (execute as quickly and efficiently as possible), 3. endurance (keep executing longer than your opponent) and 4. strength (if you have mastered the first three, you can beat an opponent who relies on strength every time).
Coach was a great man, a man I will always remember. It’s great that he’s still being honored by the school and team that meant so much to him.
[…] Conard wrestling coach George Beaudry was honored Saturday morning in a ceremony attended by nearly 100 alumni, friends, and family, who were also on hand to witness […]