“When Life throws you a curve, swing early and hard.”

These words have served Terry Waters through the hard times to a roll call of brilliant successes in 45 years of coaching from youth to high school and freestyle to collegiate.

Waters earned over 400 team victories, two state team titles, numerous conference championships, more than 100 state place-winners, 16 individual state champs and two collegiate All-Americans.

From the beginning, Waters pursued excellence. Growing up in the projects of Harrisburg, Pennsylvania, he says that he was “poor and not knowing it” and “wanted more in life.”

After his mom died when he was 11 years old, he faced the challenge of breaking down the color barrier at Milton Hershey School in Hershey, Pennsylvania. Then came his break, getting the opportunity to wrestle for Hall of Fame coach Carl Rhodes and becoming co-captain of the wrestling team as a senior. “Coach, and wrestling, changed and saved my life.”

After earning his degree from Lincoln University in Philadelphia, Waters was thrown the worse curveball of his life when he became deaf in both years at 24 years old. It did not slow him down and a colleague said that he "improvised, adapted and overcame," including teaching, coaching and officiating.

Waters continued to overcome obstacles, becoming the first Black wrestling coach at Robert E. Lee High School, Riverheads High School and Fishburne Military School, and the first Black coach in any sport at Fort Defiance High School.

After a stint at Washington and Lee University, Waters moved to Fishburne in 2015 and led the Caissons to their first Virginia Independent Conference Championship in 37 years.

Waters worked as an official for 30 years, operated a youth wrestling club for 28 years, and was owner and director of summer wrestling camps bearing his name for over 30 years.

The profound respect is evident, including an annual award created in his name, 17 coach of the year awards, and the parade of high-profile Olympic and World champions, NCAA champions and big-time college coaches who work as clinicians at his camps.

A youth director for the Basic United Methodist Church, he and his wife of 45 years, Sonja, are blessed with four children (Tony, Shaun, Julian, and Charles), 12 grandchildren and four great-grandchildren.