Everett Thorpe didn’t plan to be a coach. But he sure seemed destined to be one.

After graduating from the University of Northern Colorado in 1958, Thorpe soon found himself in the mountains at Battle Mountain School in Edwards, Colorado. At that point, they didn’t hire coaches based on experience or accolades. Instead, it was much simpler than that. “They didn’t seek out coaches, they just asked what you did in high school,” Thorpe said. “I said wrestling, so I got to be the coach. It was purely accidental. At that time, the only winning program (at Battle Mountain) was wrestling, so I guess I picked the right sport…I’m glad I was forced into coaching.”

Thorpe started as an assistant coach at Battle Mountain, eventually taking the reins when the head coach left the program. Soon enough, he had a handful of state placers and a pair of league championships under his belt. It seemed like the coaching thing was going to stick after all.

But eventually, though he enjoyed living in the mountains, he got tired of shoveling snow. So, it was off to Merino, where Thorpe and his wife, Joanne, would settle in and become pillars in the community. Thorpe became the principal and wrestling coach at Merino, helping athletes from a small-town program find big-time success.

Among his most notable athletes during his time at Merino was Lari Mertens, a state champion who went on to win a national championship at Mesa College (now Colorado Mesa University) in Grand Junction.

“We had a lot of lean years, but when I had good teams, I had good support,” Thorpe said. “I wasn’t a great coach, but I was a good coach. I always thoroughly enjoyed it, and I always wrestled with the kids. That’s why I have bad knees now.”

Among the other highlights for Thorpe was seeing his grandson, Ross Brunkhardt, go through the program that he helped to shape for more than 20 years. Brunkhardt won three state titles and went on to earn All-American status at Nebraska Kearney.

More former athletes have gone through the program, only to return and take on coaching duties of their own. Even now, Thorpe will attend wrestling matches when he can- including a recent trip to his former stomping grounds at Merino. Though the knees are achy and he’s no longer sitting in the corner, he still can’t help himself from getting involved in the match. “I was there with the Merino coach and the junior high coach, and we were all fidgeting around trying to help the wrestlers from the stands,”

Thorpe said. “Of course, it doesn’t work that way. But you know how it is.”

(Presenter- Bob Smith)