Gary then wrestled at Southeast Missouri State University from 1968-1972, furthering his knowledge of the sport such that he would be involved in coaching for the next 50 years. Gary was the captain of the team for three of his four years, a national qualifier all 4 years. When he was finished he held the school record for wins, pins and team points.

In his career Gary has helped boys learn and compete at many high schools, starting at Pine Forest (Fayetteville, NC) while serving in the United States Air Force at Fort Bragg. During his coach’s journey he has coached 20 years at Hazelwood Central, 2 years in the Granite City School district, 4 years at St. Charles West, 4 years at Herculaneum, 5 years at Hillsboro, 3 years at St. Genevieve and 6 years at Festus High School. During his vast career, his wrestlers and teams have attained enviable achievements including 9 teams with top 4 finishes in the state tourna-ment of which 2 were 1st place! Coach Oxford has been seated in the corner of the mat for 17 state champions. Even more astonishing Gary coached the first state champion in school district history at four separate schools.

Not only did Gary coach high school teams, in the summer he coached Freestyle and Greco teams including Missouri’s Cadet National Team and Junior National Teams.

Beyond coaching Gary served the sport by officiating summer freestyle and Greco tournaments across Illinois, Missouri and Indiana. He officiated Missouri State Freestyle, the Northern Plains Tournament, the Southern Plains Tournament and the National Championships at Fargo.

Gary’s impressive accolades go on and on, but where he truly leaves his mark is on the wrestlers and the culture of the sport. A very unique situation to note occurred at the 1992 Missouri State Championships. Coach Oxford challenged a referee’s call during a state match that did not benefit his wrestler but the opponent wrestler. Gary stood up for what was right and correct which resulted in the opponent winning the match. He displayed first-hand the character and sportsmanship of the greatest sport.