Reg Wicks, who spent nearly three decades as a coach with the Navy wrestling program, passed away peacefully on April 24 at his home in Crownsville. Wicks, who was 79 years old, died from complications of Parkinson’s and Lyme’s disease.
Wicks was an assistant under legendary Navy wrestling coach Ed Peery from 1974 to 1987. When Peery was promoted to deputy director of the Naval Academy physical education department, Wicks was elevated to head coach and enjoyed tremendous success from 1988 through 2000.
Wicks compiled a career record of 175-60-5 and led Navy to the Eastern Intercollegiate Wrestling Association championship in 1990, the last time the Midshipmen captured the team title at the tournament.
Navy was runner-up at the EIWA Championships four times (1988, 1991, 1992 and 1994) during the Wicks era. Pete Schuyler, who spent nine seasons as an assistant under Wicks, said it speaks volumes that his former boss was the last coach to lead Navy to an EIWA crown.
“Navy wrestling shone very brightly under the direction of Reg Wicks,” Schuyler said. “He always had [Navy] in the mix to win Easterns and I don’t think there were too many times when the team finished lower than third during his tenure.”
Schuyler described Wicks as a “real hustler” on the recruiting trail and noted that he landed many extremely talented wrestlers. He brought a family approach to the program and wrestlers that came from all over the country appreciated that.
“Reg really connected with the young men and they knew he cared about them. He always had a very strong rapport with all the wrestlers,” said Schuyler, who left Navy to become coach at Franklin & Marshall. “I remember that Reg would have an annual picnic at his house for the members of the wrestling team so he could get to know them on a more personal level.”
Wicks, who was named EIWA Coach of the Year in 1990, compiled a sterling 10-1-2 dual meet record against archrival Army.
Reginald Paul Wicks, who was born and raised in Decorah, Iowa, was introduced to wrestling as a young boy. He was a four-year letterman at Decorah High and was a state runner-up as a senior.
Wicks went on to wrestle at Iowa State and was a three-time Big Eight Conference place-winner and three-time NCAA qualifier. In 1968, Wicks captured the NCAA championship at 160 pounds.
Wicks began his coaching career as an assistant at Mankato State in Minnesota, from which he earned a master’s degree in physical education. Peery was seeking an assistant coach with a master’s degree and reached out to longtime Iowa State coach Harold Nichols, who recommended Wicks.
Wicks had big shoes to fill in replacing Peery, who compiled a 311-90-13 record during a 27-year tenure (1961-1987) as Navy head coach. Peery led the Midshipmen to eight EIWA championships and 27 appearances in the NCAA Tournament.
“I think Reg felt a little pressure to live up to the legacy established by Ed Peery and that motivated and drove him,” Schuyler said.
Wayne Hicks, a 1966 Naval Academy graduate, wrestled under Peery and later served as his volunteer assistant. Hicks worked alongside Wicks for almost the entire time the latter was with Navy wrestling and said he always focused on the basics.
“Reg did not teach a bunch of snazzy moves, but made sure all the wrestlers were well-schooled in the fundamentals,” Hicks said. “Reg was an intense competitor as a wrestler and that was reflected in his coaching style.”
Hicks said Wicks was very adept at teaching defensive wrestling and noted his favorite move was the butt drag, which was a counter to a leg attack.
“Reg had a way of making things fun for the wrestlers. He had a bunch of old Iowa farm boy sayings that always made the kids laugh,” Hicks said.
During the 12 years Wicks was head coach, Navy had 11 EIWA individual champions and five All-Americans. He mentored some of the greatest wrestlers in Navy history, including two-time All-American Scott Schleicher and three-time EIWA champion Dan Hicks.
Dan Hicks, who was a three-time Oklahoma high school state champion, was headed to Air Force until being denied a medical waiver due to having asthma as a child. He had already declined offers from Oklahoma and many other major programs and desperately needed a landing spot.
Wicks welcomed Hicks with open arms despite the fact the wrestler had previously spurned Navy in favor of a service academy rival and sent him to the prep school. Hicks, a four-time NCAA qualifier who earned All-American honors in 1994, credits his success to Wicks.
“Reg wasn’t going to teach you a thousand moves, but he made darn sure you were fundamentally sound and mentally prepared,” Hicks said. “His approach was that we’re going to do what we do and we’re going to do it properly and at a high level.”
Hicks always appreciated that Wicks did not try to change any wrestler’s style, but rather would nurture whatever style you brought to the program. Hicks also remembers the folk stories and anecdotes that traced to Wicks’ upbringing in rural Iowa.
Wicks once used a breakfast analogy when discussing the commitment required to succeed as a college wrestler — noting the eggs came from a chicken that only had to lay them. However, he noted that the pig has to die in order to put sausage or bacon on the plate.
Wicks then told the Navy wrestlers they needed to be totally committed like the pig.
“Coach Wicks was like a second father and taught me a lot about life. I love that man and his family,” Hicks said. “It seemed like Coach Wicks never had a bad day. He was always upbeat and positive whenever we showed up in his office or the wrestling room.”
Wicks was a major reason why Greg Gingeleskie chose to wrestle at the Naval Academy, noting the coach commanding immediate respect as a former Division I national champion. He said Wicks was “very passionate” about the sport of wrestling and that showed through on a daily basis.
Gingeleskie, who was an EIWA champ in 1999 and All-American in ‘98, still ranks third in Navy wrestling history with 127 career wins.
“I knew I would get great guidance and training under Coach Wicks and the type of wrestling room he ran, which certainly proved to be the case,” Gingeleskie said. “Coach Wicks brought a tremendous amount of hands-on experience in terms of mental approach, grit and level of intensity you had to bring to the mat in order to be successful. His approach was to figure out a handful of things you do well and focus on those.”
Wicks was inducted into the Iowa Wrestling Hall of Fame in 1998 and the Iowa State University Hall of Fame in 2016. He received a distinguished lifetime service award from the National Wrestling Hall of Fame in 2001.
Wicks was also a tenured physical education professor at the Naval Academy teaching wrestling, judo and hand-to-hand combat until his retirement in 2010. He applied the same personal approach to instruction ordinary midshipmen as he did coaching varsity wrestlers.
Wicks married his high school sweetheart, the former Linda Grinna, on August 3, 1968 and they were together for 55 years. The couple resided in Arnold then Crownsville and spent their retirement years traveling with Naval Academy graduates recognizing and saying hello to Wicks in countries all over the world.
In addition to his wife, Wicks is survived by three children — Michelle (John) Kapral of Port Orange, Florida; Paul (Melissa) Wicks of Brookeville, Maryland and Russell (Trine) Wicks of Odenton — along with six grandchildren.
Wicks is also survived by six siblings, including twin brother Ray who wrestled collegiately at Winona State. He has three other surviving siblings — brothers Wes and Wayne Wicks along with sister Charlotte Ball. He was predeceased by sister Joan and brother Allan.
