2009 Medal of Courage Larry Gibson
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by Roger Moore
Gibson still climbing mountains
Larry Gibson knows that life sometimes includes sudden and dramatic changes.
An active 12-year old, Gibson was hit by a drunk driver while walking along the side of a Portland, Ore., road. After complications and many operations, his left leg was amputated seven inches below his knee.
Three years after graduating from George Fox College in Oregon, Gibson was hit again with adversity, this time it was an airplane crash in Washington. Dressed in a suit coat, slacks and street shoes, Gibson, along with four others, worked their way through chest-deep snow at times to reach safety. During the ordeal, Gibson made up his mind that he wanted to return to school and become a full-time educator.
The National Wrestling Hall of Fame & Museum will honor Gibson with the 2009 Medal of Courage during Honors Weekend in Stillwater, Okla., June 4-5. The award is presented annually to a wrestler or former wrestler who has overcome what appear to be insurmountable challenges, which may be physical, mental or other handicaps that make their achievements all the more uplifting.
Gibson is one-such individual.
"A lot of things shape a person's life," said Gibson in 1987. "Shortly after the (plane) crash, I read about a young man in Seattle who loved climbing mountains. He summed up how I feel.
"He said a person needs to take advantage of all the opportunities in life so that if at some premature moment he should face death, he'll have the satisfaction of knowing that he lived until his death."
Over a three-year period during recovery from his first accident, doctors told a young Gibson that he wouldn't wrestle and all the things he couldn't do as an amputee.
He ended up playing defensive end and kicked for Wilson High School in Portland, Ore.
"It was a combination of things that influenced me," said Gibson from his home on Jan. 6. "Number one I had a mom and dad that never said no. I had coaches that didn't say no. Al Gray (Wilson HS coach) was an inspiration to me.
"Kids are told no 148,000 times and all the reasons they can't do something. You can't let anybody destroy your dreams."
At George Fox College in Newburg, Ore., Gibson earned a letter in track - throwing the javelin for a year - and football and was a four-year letterman for the wrestling team.
After graduating with a B.S. in psychology and sociology in 1970, he worked for the Department of Social and Health Services in Omak (Wash.) and Spokane, volunteering as a wrestling coach.
The plane crash in 1973 sent him on a different path. Engine failure sent a plane down on Copper Butte, the tallest peak (7,140 feet) in eastern Washington.
"I discovered in the airplane crash that life is to be lived, and it's not always as long as we wish. It made me really appreciate friends, the things I had in life."
He quit his job and headed back to school where, in 1976, he received his B.A. in education from Central Washington University.
He then returned to take a teaching position at Omak High School, first in special education and then for most of his career in history. He helped start the wrestling program at Okanogan High School, and then started a similar program at Omak High School in 1976.
He compiled a dual meet record of 173-70-1 at Omak and was also the Middle School coach from 1984-90 and 1991-92 where his teams lost one dual in 81 starts and captured eight district championships.
In 1995, Gibson was inducted into the Washington State Chapter of the National Wrestling Hall of Fame.
"I'm in my 49th year of being involved with wrestling," Gibson said. "I never really think about it, it's just what I do.
"This is truly a great honor."
Gibson's travels have also taken him to Hungary, Japan and Russia for cultural exchange programs and Germany, France, Mongolia and China as Tour de Monde coach. In 1989, Gibson was a clinician for the Dominican Republic's senior team.
He received a gold level coach's certificate from USA Wrestling in 1997.
A club coach since 1972, Gibson was voted Washington's Coach of the Year in 1991.
"I've kind of become known for goal-setting," he said. "But during a camp in Colorado Springs I worked with some kids from the School for the Blind. Some of them were having good practices but couldn't translate that into matches under the stress of the lights.
"I really started to focus on performance, taking wrestling into life and into the classroom. I consider myself a kind of dream-maker. Everybody needs to know that they have the ability to make their dreams come true if they work hard enough."
Since 1997, Gibson has become an internationally-known motivational speaker with his "Road to Success" dealing in the areas of self-image, performance, goals and goal-setting, and dealing with stress.
He is currently working in the Nespelem School District in Washington as a K-8 instructor and tutor.
Larry Gibson knows that life sometimes includes sudden and dramatic changes.
An active 12-year old, Gibson was hit by a drunk driver while walking along the side of a Portland, Ore., road. After complications and many operations, his left leg was amputated seven inches below his knee.
Three years after graduating from George Fox College in Oregon, Gibson was hit again with adversity, this time it was an airplane crash in Washington. Dressed in a suit coat, slacks and street shoes, Gibson, along with four others, worked their way through chest-deep snow at times to reach safety. During the ordeal, Gibson made up his mind that he wanted to return to school and become a full-time educator.
The National Wrestling Hall of Fame & Museum will honor Gibson with the 2009 Medal of Courage during Honors Weekend in Stillwater, Okla., June 4-5. The award is presented annually to a wrestler or former wrestler who has overcome what appear to be insurmountable challenges, which may be physical, mental or other handicaps that make their achievements all the more uplifting.
Gibson is one-such individual.
"A lot of things shape a person's life," said Gibson in 1987. "Shortly after the (plane) crash, I read about a young man in Seattle who loved climbing mountains. He summed up how I feel.
"He said a person needs to take advantage of all the opportunities in life so that if at some premature moment he should face death, he'll have the satisfaction of knowing that he lived until his death."
Over a three-year period during recovery from his first accident, doctors told a young Gibson that he wouldn't wrestle and all the things he couldn't do as an amputee.
He ended up playing defensive end and kicked for Wilson High School in Portland, Ore.
"It was a combination of things that influenced me," said Gibson from his home on Jan. 6. "Number one I had a mom and dad that never said no. I had coaches that didn't say no. Al Gray (Wilson HS coach) was an inspiration to me.
"Kids are told no 148,000 times and all the reasons they can't do something. You can't let anybody destroy your dreams."
At George Fox College in Newburg, Ore., Gibson earned a letter in track - throwing the javelin for a year - and football and was a four-year letterman for the wrestling team.
After graduating with a B.S. in psychology and sociology in 1970, he worked for the Department of Social and Health Services in Omak (Wash.) and Spokane, volunteering as a wrestling coach.
The plane crash in 1973 sent him on a different path. Engine failure sent a plane down on Copper Butte, the tallest peak (7,140 feet) in eastern Washington.
"I discovered in the airplane crash that life is to be lived, and it's not always as long as we wish. It made me really appreciate friends, the things I had in life."
He quit his job and headed back to school where, in 1976, he received his B.A. in education from Central Washington University.
He then returned to take a teaching position at Omak High School, first in special education and then for most of his career in history. He helped start the wrestling program at Okanogan High School, and then started a similar program at Omak High School in 1976.
He compiled a dual meet record of 173-70-1 at Omak and was also the Middle School coach from 1984-90 and 1991-92 where his teams lost one dual in 81 starts and captured eight district championships.
In 1995, Gibson was inducted into the Washington State Chapter of the National Wrestling Hall of Fame.
"I'm in my 49th year of being involved with wrestling," Gibson said. "I never really think about it, it's just what I do.
"This is truly a great honor."
Gibson's travels have also taken him to Hungary, Japan and Russia for cultural exchange programs and Germany, France, Mongolia and China as Tour de Monde coach. In 1989, Gibson was a clinician for the Dominican Republic's senior team.
He received a gold level coach's certificate from USA Wrestling in 1997.
A club coach since 1972, Gibson was voted Washington's Coach of the Year in 1991.
"I've kind of become known for goal-setting," he said. "But during a camp in Colorado Springs I worked with some kids from the School for the Blind. Some of them were having good practices but couldn't translate that into matches under the stress of the lights.
"I really started to focus on performance, taking wrestling into life and into the classroom. I consider myself a kind of dream-maker. Everybody needs to know that they have the ability to make their dreams come true if they work hard enough."
Since 1997, Gibson has become an internationally-known motivational speaker with his "Road to Success" dealing in the areas of self-image, performance, goals and goal-setting, and dealing with stress.
He is currently working in the Nespelem School District in Washington as a K-8 instructor and tutor.
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