Another Connecticut legend stepped away from his sport earlier this year. There were no pre-game gifts presented or opportunities for the crowd to offer a salute of applause.

And that was fine with Danbury High’s Hall of Fame head coach Ricky Shook, who retired at the end of the wresting season in March. Few outside of his family and his team were aware of the situation.

“I didn’t want to distract from the season,” Shook said. “I kinda snuck out. I thought I had kept it from the team. But they knew about it all year. We didn’t talk about it. We had stuff to accomplish as a team.”

It was another championship season for Danbury – as it has been throughout his coaching career. The Hatters erased a 31-point deficit to win a share of their 18th Class LL state championship.

Shook, who was inducted in the Connecticut Chapter of the National Wrestling Hall of Fame in 2013, was the assistant coach at Danbury for 11 years under Hall of Fame coach Mike Morris and John Nimock before taking over the head coaching job in December 1999. In 23 years, Danbury went 391-25 and had six undefeated seasons (2020, 2016, 2012, 2008, 2005, 2000).

The Hatters won 18 Class LL titles, 16 State Open championships, including 10 straight from 2001-10, and three New England championships (2017, 2019, 2020). Danbury finished in the top five at the New England meet 12 times.

Read more on Shook’s remarkable coaching career in Danbury

Posted August 4, 2022 by the Connecticut Chapter of the National Wrestling Hall of Fame