The Redwood Wrestling Club has a strong history in California wrestling. Redwood is the largest school in the league with over 1,500 students.
A wrestling match in progress.
Key Figures and Achievements
Redwood Head Boys’ Wrestling Coach, and former wrestler, David Watts was nominated and elected to the California Wrestling Hall of Fame for Lifetime Achievement. The ceremony is set to occur in June 2024.
Since the seventh grade, Watts had indulged in the realm of wrestling, continuing until graduating college at California State University, Chico. It was then that he initiated his career in coaching and continues to inspire deep admiration for the sport through everyday encounters.
Watts and his family have immersed themselves in the game and wrestling community. Being on the mat, the experience that has accumulated from playing is immense.
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Watts sums up the sport in one word: “Intense. If you’re not intense in practice, and you’re not intense in a match or a tournament, then you’re probably not going to win. You have to reach the intensity with your skills so that you can get to that next level.
Having wrestled at Chico, Watts says he enjoyed the additional time he spent around the wrestling environment. “When I was finished, I kind of helped with the college team, my old team, and just liked it. A buddy of mine said, ‘Hey, there’s a job across town. They need two coaches and I don’t really want to be the head coach, but we could be co-head coaches.
Transitioning from player to coach came with a newfound understanding of the game. Although Watts understood the technicalities on the mat, he had to navigate and perceive the game from a distance.
Luckily, with the aid of his prior coaches and leadership figures, he developed a personalized coaching style, saying, “All of my coaches that I’ve had over the years, I’ve taken something from every single one of them.
When coaching, Watts says, “I tend to, in the corner, I don’t like to get excited. I like to feel comfortable and not everything is. We just need to do the things that we’ve been doing, practice the things we’ve been practicing. If I get excited, then they get excited, then they do the wrong thing, then it’s my fault.
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Considering the variation of experience that Watts has had with different teammates, teams, and players, he’s come to adapt to situational circumstances. For the past two to three years, his role as a coach has acted more as a mentor and overseer, rather than a technical demonstrator.
“I step back a little bit now because I don’t do as much, actually any, teaching in the room anymore. I used to do it all, and your knees and your back just don’t work as good anymore.
Before coming to Redwood High School, Watts had relayed his expertise and emitted his passion at six high schools. For the past fifteen years, Watts has been a teacher at Redwood High School, though he’s coached at RHS since 2010.
Dabbling in football himself, he says that football and wrestling coincide. His fondest memory from coaching at the high school division is the year Redwood beat Lemoore. Since 1993, Lemoore has been the school to win the wrestling championship consecutively.
That was until Redwood took the title in 2014. Accomplishing a victory as such, and sharing similar triumphs with his players, is the key incentive for Watts’ continuation and involvement with the sport.
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Approximately eight years ago, Watts was nominated for the title, though it wasn’t until this year that he was officially recognized. Watts reveals that throughout the years he has been nominated on numerous occasions.
You have to have an open-mind. You can’t say this is the only way. Coach David Watts relaying his takeaway when approaching wrestling. Watts had numerous mentors throughout his career.
Creason’s beaming excitement for Watts is infectious. She says, “It’s incredible that he’s getting this award. He’s such a great coach, not only on the mat, but also off the mat. He’s always an outlet for athletes and students to go to if they need. If you invest the time into something, it will radiate and show in time.
In addition to the impact Watts has on the wrestling community, Creason says that this recognition resembles “…all the hard work that he’s put in over the year.s He’s been a coach for a very long time.
Former Redwood boys’ wrestling coach Marcus Garcia coached alongside Watts for thirteen years. The two coached at El Diamante, and then the two ventured to Redwood. Not only did he know Watts as a colleague, he knew him personally.
Thats right! He played for Watts from the age of ten, coached Watts’ sons, and was exposed to aspiring leadership qualities from his time with Watts.
After graduating from college, Garcia began coaching with Watts. His fondest memories shared with Watts are a compilation of moments as a player and coach.
“When I was probably twelve years old or so, I remember we went to Iowa. I went with [Watts] and some other coaches, but he was my adult that took me out of state to a big national tournament. We coached his son in the finals at state his senior year, that was awesome. Coaching his other son Aaron- I remember when Aaron was born. Lots of good memories.”
Similar to Watts, Garcia reminisces over “beating Lemoore for the first time. Although he has not been an active wrestling coach for the past five years, Garcia has taken what Watts taught him and implemented it while pursuing other undertakings.
As a baseball coach for his son, he says Watts instilled in him the key principles of “always showing up, always being on time, [and] being reliable for the kids. As a retired athlete, the athletic mentality is second nature to Garcia.
He says, “Always being there everyday, working hard--that’s something [Watts] always pushed and that’s what I push. Like coaching, entering the workforce elsewhere has prompted Garcia to keep that mindset.
Garcia is the maintenance manager at a creamery in Tulare, which requires crafting a cohesive crew and determining the appropriate attributes of a leader. Receiving the news of Watts’ accumulated title was an unforgettable moment in Garcia’s books, saying, “I don’t even know how to explain it. Something he’s deserved.
As soon as he found out, he let me know that he got it and we were just excited. I think it’s awesome. I actually put a nomination for him maybe eight years ago or so. He’s done a lot of work to get where he’s at right now and to be nominated here. He definitely deserves it. He’s been doing the high school thing, and freestyle thing on the offseason, since I met him. I’m thirty-seven years old now.
Dennis Bardsley began his first year as a high school head coach when Watts was a senior. Given his outlook on Watts from a coach-player perspective, Bardsley says, “He played multiple sports, he was a great athlete. He could’ve been successful in almost anything he wanted to.
He was one of those guys, whether he played football, or he could’ve played basketball even though that’s our nemesis, track, and baseball, but his main emphasis was wrestling. The work ethic integrated into Watts’ daily endeavors cannot be equated to one word.
Watts’ history with the sport reflects the time he devoted: a successful high school career, two-time state junior college placer, and conference placer during his time at Chico. Bardsley says, “Wrestling is the excellence, but also the commitment to wrestling throughout his life.
He got out of school, and then started teaching, started coaching. He does a great job. Not only is he coaching during the season, he coaches a club team and he also coaches a national team. He’s been a national coach for, I don’t know how many years-you start losing track. I’m going to say at least twenty. His commitment to wrestling, it takes a lot time from your family.
While coaching Watts, one of Bardsley’s favorite memories occurred at the Doc Buchanan [Doc B] tournament. “Dave’s wrestling the guy that won the state that year, and back then there were smaller mats, but Dave throws him and put shim on his back, but its out of bounds and he had him flat; it could’ve been a pin.
“Wrestling’s a different sport. It takes a different kind of a person because it’s one-on-one, it takes numerous skills, and to be successful you got to be quick, you got to be strong, you got to have the technique, and you got to have the mental attitude. David was blessed with all those. He was a very hard worker…I call him a kid still and I’m only ten years older than him. I see him all over the place.
“Once you’ve wrestled, everything else in life is easy.” This saying is known to everyone who’s hit the mat and wrestled at one point or time.
For Virgil Moorehead (‘83, Education), Craig Vejvoda (‘80, Business Administration), and Dan Phillips (‘91, Business and Computer Information Systems), who were members of the Humboldt wrestling community, it’s true.
Now, each alumni has committed a gift of $50,000 to help build upon Cal Poly Humboldt's wrestling legacy, supporting an NCAA Division II men’s wrestling program that starts next year. The program will be one of four Division II programs in California, including San Francisco State University and newly accepted Division II schools Menlo College and Vanguard University.
“I made the gift so that someone has the same opportunity to be a part of what I was a part of and what we were a part of with our teammates because we all know how wrestling changed our lives. I just want to give back what was so freely given to me,” Virgil says.
Cal Poly Humboldt launched its original wrestling program in 1952, and it thrived under the late Frank Cheek, the most successful coach in Lumberjack history. In his 20 years as head wrestling coach, the team won more than 250 matches, 46 of which were achieved at NCAA All-American status.
“Some of the most successful wrestlers at Humboldt were my teammates on the 1981 team. We defeated the University of Oregon, a well-established Division I team. We were the underdogs. It was hard work, but it was a great team to be a part of, and we want to create that again for more students,” Virgil says.
“It is one of my priorities to give local high school students a chance to continue wrestling at Cal Poly Humboldt.” Virgil and Craig say they cherish their time wrestling for the Cal Poly Humboldt team under Coach Cheek. Cheek became a positive male figure and mentor in their lives.
He taught them how to be resilient, work as a team, and achieve their goals when times were challenging. They appreciate Coach Cheek’s commitment to making the team work hard toward their goals.
“Coach Cheek was a phenomenal storyteller. When he told a story, he’d make you laugh while making a point, but in the mat room, he was a drill sergeant. He was tough, but he was fair.” Craig says.
“At first, our relationship wasn’t very loving. It took me a little time to appreciate Coach Cheek, but once I did, he became a father figure to me.” For Dan, who wrestled at Fortuna High School and College of the Redwoods before transferring to Humboldt, wrestling taught him the discipline he needed to graduate with two majors successfully.
Dan says wrestling, and sports in general, teaches students discipline-to set big goals and devise a plan to achieve them.Today, Virgil is the Tribal General Manager and Tribal Chairperson of Big Lagoon Rancheria. The Rancheria owns the Hotel Arcata and recently developed the two Health Clubs in McKinleyville.
Craig is partly retired and has been a Principal Services Financial Advisor at Principal Financial Group, an American global financial investment management and insurance company, since 1983. Dan Phillips is the former Chief Technology Officer at Hulu, the popular online streaming service. He is now the executive vice president and CTO at Chamberlain Group, where he leads the product development functions.
Beyond giving them the drive to be successful, wrestling also gave each of them the space to build camaraderie and long-lasting friendships with their teammates. Many of Virgil and Dan’s friends are wrestlers, and when Craig was hospitalized for a health condition a few years ago, friends from the Humboldt wrestling team visited him in recovery.
“The best thing about wrestling is the friendships that I made, the brotherhood. Sports will create that. It’s like you’re going into battle, and you know someone has your back, and those friendships stay with you,” Craig says.
Now, all three alumni are working to build a strong wrestling community and allow students to join a team and learn to grow.“In wrestling, you're part of the team, but when you step on the mat, it's just you. That's the beauty of it. It's just you. There’s no one to blame or get the credit except you. That’s one of the greatest things about wrestling,” Craig says.
Dan says wrestling and sports are an integral part of the educational experience for many people. With a robust athletic program, he believes the University can provide opportunities for students to aspire to greatness and foster a sense of community.
“The idea of returning the program is a driving force for me,” Dan says. “With the right funding and support, we can create a great program that offers athletic opportunities and creates scholarships and other opportunities for students.”