“Where did they practice?” asks Finkbeiner, the second-year Viking coach, his interest piqued by having just part of the story.

This upcoming season marks the 50th anniversary for the North wrestling program, and
Finkbeiner wants to mark it by unveiling a “Wall of Champions” that will be on display in the
Vikings’ new wrestling room, the refurbished auto garage on the north end of campus. He also
aspires to create a “Wall of Records” with as much statistical information as he can gather.

“I was just wanting to recreate the legend,” says Finkbeiner, a Wall of Champions member at the National Wrestling Hall of Fame. “There’s a huge legacy of wrestling there. The history is lost, and I just want to bring it back. ... Otherwise everything is lost, and it’s a shame.”

Finkbeiner has been digging through North yearbooks and trying to piece together the past. He’svlearned that the first coach in program history was Bryce Hurd, who was also an assistant principalvand athletic director at the time. In 1969, a young Viking named Allen Barnett was named the mostvoutstanding wrestler of the state tournament. And in 1984, coach Chris Rust, later known for hisvfootball coaching at Hopewell, started the North Meck Invitational, a tournament that Finkbeiner has on the schedule for Nov. 26.

Along with honoring the history, Finkbeiner is hopeful the tributes on the walls will inspire the
next generation of Vikings.

“The experiences, the messages and the stories are what inspires all who step foot into our
wrestling room to set their academic/athletic goals and then work harder than they have ever
worked in their life to accomplish them,” he says.

Finkbeiner is already encouraged by the promise of this year’s team. Last year, the Vikings
struggled to fill a lineup, but he is expecting close to 30 athletes to try out this winter.

Share your memories

North Meck High wrestling coach Sean Finkbeiner is collecting information from the 50 years
of Viking wrestling. If you have photos, statistics or other information that could be of
assistance, contact him at This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it , 704-576-7925 or by dropping off the materials at North, to his attention, during regular school hours.