Frank Sprig Gardner

Gardner grew up in southern Pennsylvania[1] and attended Franklin and Marshall College, graduating in 1930. He did not wrestle in college; his knowledge of the sport came from an F&M roommate who wrestled.[2]

His first job out of college was as a football coach in 1930 at East Hampton High School, East Hampton, Long Island. His short tenure there was successful, turning a losing program around.[3] He briefly coached wrestling; under his leadership Long Island wrestling began at East Hampton in 1933.[4] In 1936 Gardner accepted the position of Director of Athletics and head wrestling coach at the Mepham School District in the second year of its existence.[5][6] His first team at Mepham was a junior varsity team of 9th and 10th graders in 1936–37. Mepham High School, Bellmore, Long Island, opened in 1937;[7] and, in 1937–38 the wrestling team entered varsity rank. Mepham would not know defeat in a meet or tournament until January 31, 1946 when Baldwin High School defeated Mepham 21-15 after an undefeated string of 100 meets and tournaments. After that defeat, Mepham would not lose again until January 14, 1955 when Amityville ended the undefeated streak of 130 by one point. During this unprecedented span Mepham won 18 consecutive South Shore titles and 17 Sectional Championships. In 1958, his last season as the wrestling coach, Coach Gardner's undefeated team (20-0) won 9 of 12 individual sectional titles, scoring 186 points, which totaled more than the combined score of the next ten schools.[8] Gardner and his Mepham wrestlers were featured in a five-page article in Life Magazine during the early 1950s.[6]

His success was felt to be due to his personal philosophy, coaching acumen and innovation.[5] Gardner created the concept of chain moves and drilling in practice sessions;[1] this drill system revolutionized the sport,[9] and he shared his concepts with books and articles.[6]

When he started coaching wrestling in New York there were crudely run programs at just a few schools. He was a major factor in the expansion of high school wrestling in New York,[8] particularly Long Island, booming with growth and new high schools after World War ll. Gardner would visit every new school, bringing his team to an assembly and going through the values of wrestling. As of 2010, there were 110 high schools on Long Island, and 105 having wrestling teams.[6] He has been called the "Father of New York State Wrestling."[5] Gardner was involved in devising regulations concerning weight classifications, match scoring procedures, and tournament procedures at local, state, and national levels.[8]

His 21 year coaching career was interrupted for three years by World War ll; within six months of Pearl Harbor he signed up for a naval commission.[10] He served as a lieutenant commander in the Pacific aboard an aircraft carrier.[2]

After leaving Mepham in 1958, he spent two years restoring the wrestling program at Gettysburg College in the early 1960s.[2][11]

In 1963 he authored The Young Sportsman's Guide to Wrestling (Thomas Nelson).

When he started the Mepham wrestling program in 1936, he simply wanted to teach skills and sportsmanship to young athletes.[2] Gardner felt he coached not wrestling but life, and imparted a concern for academic, athletic, and civic pride and responsibility. He stressed humility in victory and quiet acceptance of defeat.[8]

The longstanding annual Long Island invitational Sprig Gardner Wrestling Tournament is named for him.[12]

He is a member of the National Wrestling Hall of Fame; other Halls of Fame (HOF) include the New York State Wrestling HOF, the Franklin and Marshall Athletic HOF, the Nasssau High School Athletics HOF,[13] and the Long Island Sports HOF.[14] On the granite stone commemorating him for the National HOF is imprinted the following:

In recognition of his fabulous coaching career, and a lifetime of leadership in the development of wrestling, Frank “Sprig” Gardner is honored as a Distinguished Member of the National Wrestling Hall of Fame.[6]