San Diego Wrestling Association

USA Wrestling Tournament Archive

2005 Spring Freestyle Wrestling
2005 SDWA Spring Schedule
Report: 2005 Body Bar U.S. National Women's Freestyle Championships
Men's FILA Cadet and FILA Junior Freestyle & Greco-Roman State Championships

2004 USA Wrestling Report

2004 Fall Folkstyle Tournaments

Vista High School - 09/18/2004

2003 USA Wrestling Report

2003 Fall Folkstyle results

SDWA spring freestyle tournament results (all tournaments click here)

San Diego Wrestling Association tournament schedule

Ohio-San Diego All-Star dual meet report

2003 USA Wrestling spring season

2003 Junior State freestyle championship results (No Mercy wins state title by one point)

2003 Cadet State, FILA men & women results

2003 California State Games/National Wrestling Hall of Fame

Wrestling Honor Roll

Western States Kids Folkstyle Championships at Clovis High School 

San Diego area place place-winners:  Alex Trueblood -Vista, 1st at 195 pounds (Schoolboy Division); Justin Clifford - Valley Center, 3rd at 135 pounds (Schoolboy Division)

San Diego-Ohio All-Star dual meet:

Aug. 2 at Hilltop High School

Ohio All-Stars 49, San Diego All-Stars 9

Click here for complete story and dual summary

2002 USA Wrestling Report

2002 SDWA Folkstyle Season

10/26: 2002 Halloween Open (Carlsbad High School)

10/12: Helix High School tournament results

10/05: Escondido High School tournament results

09/28: Vista High School tournament results

09/21: Carlsbad High School tournament results

09/14: El Camino High School tournament results

2002 Junior and Cadet Nationals

USA Wrestling Western Regional results

Greco-Roman Finals (Midget, Novice, Schoolboy and Cadets)

2002 Spring Freestyle Season

San Diego Wrestling Assn. 2002 Spring Schedule

FILA and USA Wrestling weight classes

03/16: SDWA El Camino freestyle tournament results (and photo gallery)

03/23: College Wrestling Report (San Diego Section alumni)

Derrell Galloway - 2002 SDWA MVP

2001 USA Wrestling Report

2001 SDWA Spring Freestyle Season

2001 Spring SDWA Freestyle Schedule 

Cadet Freestyle & Junior FILA State Championship results

Junior/Open/Women Freestyle State Championship results

Kids Folkstyle State Championship results

SDWA 05/19/2001 Naval Station San Diego Freestyle Tournament results  

SDWA 05/12/2001 Hilltop High School Freestyle Tournament results

SDWA 05/05/2001 La Jolla High School Freestyle Tournament results

SDWA 04/28/2001 Escondido High School Freestyle Tournament results

SDWA 04/21/2001 Kearny High School Freestyle Tournament results

SDWA 04/14/2001 Vista High School Freestyle Tournament results

SDWA 03/31/2001 Vista High School Freestyle Tournament results

SDWA 03/24/2001 Carlsbad High School Freestyle Tournament results

SDWA 03/17/2001 El Camino High School Freestyle Tournament results

2000 USA Wrestling Cadet & Junior National  results (click here)

2001 SDWA Fall Folkstyle Schedule

9/15 El Camino High School (click here for results)
9/22 Vista High School (click here for results)
9/29 Carlsbad High School (click here for results)
10/6 Carlsbad High School (click here for results) 
10/13 Escondido High School (click here for story)  
11/3 Vista High School (click here for results)

Ohio All-Star/San Diego dual meet

Dual meet results

Ohio All-Star team preview

Junior Greco-Roman National Duals

California comes from behind to defeat Utah for title (click here)

Cadet Greco-Roman National Duals

Team California places 2nd (click here for results)

Junior National Team Training Sites (click here for workout sites)

Cadet Freestyle National Duals

Team California places 3rd (click here for results)

Cadet Western Regionals (click here for results

San Diego Wrestling Association 

In memory: Al Gruber (1937-2005)

A friend to amateur wrestlingAl Gruber lived for every Saturday when amateur wrestling tournaments would take center stage in high school gymnasiums across San Diego County. He enjoyed the camaraderie of the competitors and also the opportunity to show off one of his latest mathematical inventions for tabulating scores. He especially liked to call attention to one's  birthday, even if he hadn't seen that individual in a decade. A brilliant mathematician and gentlemanly scholar, Alan Jeffrey Gruber was a particular friend to amateur sports, and even professional sports. He once received the blessing of Don Coryell, then with the San Diego Chargers, about a new way to keep track of scoring in a football game. Al's method was passed up the ladder to the NFL. Al also devised ways to keep track of scoring in soccer and water polo matches, and also served in an official capacity as a basketball scorekeeper at Balboa Park's fabled Municipal Gym.  His love affair of sports and statistics began at an early age -- as a teen-ager in 1955 -- as a scorer for the local Little League in his native Ohio. His ability to crunch numbers like a computer and his sometimes unorthodox scoring methods touched thousands over a period of more than five decades. He even devised a game in 1975 to help teach players the rules of baseball: Ump-rite. It has become a sought-after collector's item today.But perhaps Al's biggest contribution was made on the mat as a pairing official. Invaluable at local tournaments, Al became involved in the 1970s and his devotion to the sport continued through this summer. He died Aug. 17, 2005, at Scripps Mercy Hospital in San Diego after a short bout with colon cancer.Shy and slightly built, Al attacked the life by solving its mathematical complexities, often in dramatic, spontaneous fashion, often on the spot in his head. Born Sept. 19, 1937 in Tiffin, Ohio, he grew up in Cuyahoga Falls, Ohio, and attended Kent State before coming to California to earn a Master's Degree in Mathematics from San Diego State College (now SDSU) in 1962. He taught there several years while obtaining his degree, and served as a tutor at several area high schools in recent years. He resided for many years, starting in 1959, at the Armed Services YMCA in downtown San Diego and made extensive use of public transportation to get to various tournaments, often in the wee hours of the morning in order to get a tournament started. His dedication and devotion were unparalleled.He was affectionately known by many wrestling coaches simply as "Big Al."

Al was a linguist, poet, journalist and musician as well as a mathematician. He published his own family newspaper, starting on March 10, 1950, when he was 12 years old. He was the paper's editor, editor in chief, owner, president, publisher, reporter and journalist. He  appeared on television in 1955 (WAKR) and was later interviewed on radio to explain one of his sports scoring inventions (a very rapid method of calculating percents).While a student at Kent State University, he gave a 15-minute dissertation during a 1957 meeting of the Mathematical Association of America/Ohio Chapter at the University of Ohio on a serial numbering system for permutations. If he had lived during the Renaissance, he would no doubt have been one of its leading minds. Al delighted in the study of history and traveled abroad on occasion, once visiting his family's original homeland in Germany. He also made trips back to Ohio to visit relatives every summer. He visited Canada on at least one occasion. His uncanny ability to retain information and his flair for statistics endeared him to many. His years of dedication were recognized by both the San Diego County Wrestling Officials Association and the San Diego Wrestling Association. A private man, tears were brought to his eyes when he received an award from the latter organization. He was unmistakable standing at a table, pencil in hand, wearing his trademark "Official No. 41" sweatshirt.The "Star Spangled Banner" will just not sound the same without him at the piano keyboard.

Al kept a daily record of his life beginning in his teen-age years, in later years jotting down the experience of making new friends at tournaments and of his mathematical inventions. The number of pages, at last count in 1982, totaled more than 30,000. His last entry was made two days before his death. Al lived a modest life but his life touched many others, perhaps more than he could have even counted.Al, you were a good guy and we will miss you.    

In remembrance
Jerry Matsumoto, wrestling official"I remember Al for appearing at the most unlikely of times and places.
        I remember Al for always ready and willing to help.
        I remember Al for his quiet demeanor.
        I remember Al for his ability to remember small details.
        I remember Al for his refusal of rides.
        I remember Al for his ability to get any where in the county.
        I remember Al for his lack of an ego.
        I remember Al for his ability to never talk mean about anyone.
        I will remember something will be missing at a wrestling tournament and
        remember he will no longer be there.

I think Al's greatest contribution to our community was his desire to help no matter who
it was or what the job entailed."   Tim Tyler, wrestling coach, Hilltop High School
"We have lost a person who was so dedicated to wrestling. The extended wrestling community in Southern California was his family. He was welcomed by all and his services were appreciated."Gary Sauer, All-Navy coach, former official San Diego Wrestling Association
"He was wrestling official 41. He would never miss a tournament whether it was in El Camino or San Ysidro. If there was going to be a wrestling tournament, he would do his share of the pairing. He just enjoyed meeting people. This was one person who totally gave his life to the service of others -- whether it was Little League, wrestling or basketball. He could spew out a batter's batting average if you told him the number of hits and at-bats. He had a mechanical mind like a computer. Another big thing about Al was that he could remember birthdays."      

Joe Gelormini, head coach, Escondido High School
"Clay Clifford and I always enjoyed having Al at our tournaments and Clay always "made" Al regale us with his incomparable version of "The Star

Spangled Banner when he came to a dual at EHS. Al will be missed, and be remembered, by the San Diego wrestling community."

Ron Pietila, girls soccer coach, Otay Ranch High School

"He was truly a character. The "Gruber Scoring System" was used as far back as my Granger Jr. High School days (in P.E.). It was simple, 

but never caught on. The first contest in a schedule had a value of 1, the 2nd contest a value of 2 ... and so on. Thus, games at the end of the 

schedule had more value than games at the beginning of the schedule.

When I played high school basketball (at Sweetwater), Al was the stats guy at Muni Gym in Balboa Park.  More recently he was involved in

tournament wrestling. I know he didn't bother with vehicles. I gave him a lift a couple of years near Eastlake High School where he had been 

involved with a large wrestling tournament.  I asked if he remembered me and he quietly recounted my days at Sweetwater (as an athlete), 

coaching, and even my Over-The-Line championships. The world will be less colorful without Al."

Where were you on May 8, 1984?
Photo by James Brammer

Four Horsemen lead Chula Vista Badgers' wrestling apocalypse

Olympic dreams start in Mustangs gym

Hilltop's Scambler can finally call himself a state champion

FILA Cadet Boys and Girls Freestyle Championships @ Otay Ranch High School

Updated: Tournament results (Girls Freestyle/Boys Greco-Roman/Boys Freestyle)