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#64977 12/15/04 01:54 PM
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Just saw in the hutch paper where Coach Rocky Welton will be among the 2005 inductees to the KSHSAA Hall of Fame.

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Former Garden City Coach Headed for Hall of Fame!

Former Garden City Coach Headed for Hall of Fame

Former Garden City High School wrestling coach Rocky Welton is along five individuals selected for induction into the KSHSAA Hall of Fame class of 2005.

Welton, in his 39 years as a head wrestling coach, won nine state titles. He won three at Goodland in the 1970s and six in Garden City in the 1990s. He had 30 individual state champions and 166 state medalists. His dual record was 268-91-12 .

Welton also is one of the founding members of the Kansas Wrestling Coaches Association.

Besides Welton, other inductees will be John Albertson, an administrator from Basehor; Bill Freeman, a coach from LeRoy; Bruce Harper, an official from Pryor, Okla.; and Blake Mulvany, an administrator from Kansas City.


Richard D. Salyer
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don't know the other guys but Rocky is due the honor, when he had the Goodland team in the late 60's he always put a great team on the mat, and when he went to Garden he just got better at a time in his life that most coaches/teachers are winding down. good for him!

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Coach Welton is a class act. Congratulations to him and the other inductees. This is just a small payback for all they have put into the sport.

Gary Ulmer

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Mr. Salyer or anyone else for that matter could please develop a list of coaches or wrestlers who Coach Welton has mentored over the years that has carried on the “Welton legacy” I know that Coach Woodford is on this list. In three decades I’m sure the pedigree is endless. Coach Welton is truly one of the Godfather’s of Kansas Wrestling. Congrat's on a feat that is long over due.

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Off the top of my head, here are some names:
Martin Segovia- Garden City Head Coach
Rick Rivera- Andale Head Coach
Steve Mesa- Olathe South Head Coach

all three wrestled at Garden in the early 90's

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Doug duell at Burlington, Colo. would be another, he was Kansas' first four time champ from Goodland in the seventies, and the only one that won any titles before 4a was split from 321.

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Coach Gonzales at Shawnee Heights is another who wrestled under Coach Welton at Garden City!

Randy Bahe of Goodland may be another who wrestled for Coach Welton at Goodland!


Richard D. Salyer
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A few years back that Colby Dual Tournament Hoxie, Garden City and Concordia finished 1st-3rd. Rocky was in attendance and was recognized for having been the high school coach for each of those three head coaches - Baker, Segovia and Moore.

Also had overheard some Clay Center folks talking at a 4A Regional. They seemed to think Rocky had spent some time there too. Any one know?

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Congrats to Rocky! He truly is a symbol of what being an educator is all about.

Kit Harris
Baldwin HS

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Coach Welton spent time as the Head Coach at Oakley as well. As a wrestler from the NWKL in the 80's, I can tell you that Rocky influenced kids not only from his school, but from opposing schools as well.
P.S. Gonzo (Shawnee Heights)may have wrestled for Rocky, but not at Garden City (Rock was there way after Gonzales would have graduated).
John Steiger
(Oakley H.S. '85)

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Correct Ogre--Bob G. graduated from Garden City HS in the early 70's and the Rock came to GC in the fall of 1984.

Bob may have been coaching at one of the Middle Schools in GC at the time of Rock's arrival, not sure. Bob had come back home and coached and taught there before going to Topeka. Bob G's coach at GCHS would have been Lee Albert--who had coached GCHS to their first state wrestling championship in 1971.

The Rock also started Liberal's wrestling program. He used to tell a hilarious story about the uniforms not arriving in time for their first dual, so he went down town and bought long underwear and his wife dyed them red (came out pink) and the boys wore black swim truncks over the pink long underwear. Ahh--from humble beginnings!


Greg Mann
Manhattan, KS

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