Vic Blue
Vic Blue (1924-2008) was an important early figure in the establishment and growth of high school wrestling in Virginia, particularly in the Northern Region. As a coach, he built a championship program at Wakefield High School in the 1960s, won recognition as an elite official in the 1970s, and then cemented his legacy for wrestling as Rules Interpreter for Virginia officials into the 1980s. Victor Blue, Jr., grew up fast. During WWII, he enlisted in the Navy while still a senior at Western (now Duke Ellington) HS in Washington, DC. After service in that war as a hospital corpsman, he joined the Army as a medical services officer in the Korean War. He would remain an active reservist until 1980. Between the wars, he got on with his life, finishing his education at the University of North Carolina and Emory University, choosing his calling as an educator for Arlington County public schools in 1949, and beginning in 1950 a 58-year marriage to Elizabeth that would be blessed with two sons (Neill and Stuart) and two daughters (Laura and Carla). His long career as a teacher and an administrator included notable contributions to wrestling, which was just getting started in Northern Virginia in the late '50s and early '60s. As Wakefield High School's head wrestling coach, he gave the Warriors early success, guiding his teams to regional championships in 1963, '64, and '65. Succeeded by fellow Hall-of-Famer John Epperly in 1967, he moved on to officiating, where his elite status was confirmed by his selection to officiate the 1978 NCAA Championship Tournament (held that year at the University of Maryland). In his final leadership role, he took on the position of Rules Interpreter in the '70s and '80s, where his pre-season tour of Virginia, explaining the new rules and areas of emphasis, made him a familiar figure to coaches throughout the state. He was also known and respected throughout the state well beyond the wrestling community, because he was during this period the principal of Wakefield ('72 to '82), before earning a well-deserved retirement in 1982.
Awards:
Year
2018
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Award
Lifetime Service to Wrestling
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Chapter/Region
Virginia
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