The Observer, April 14, 2006
Volume XXXVIII, Issue 24
After brilliant career, Ricklic enters hall of fame with legendary coach
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It isn't very often that a star athlete enters the hall of fame at the same time as his or her coach. On April 21, however, Case alum Chris Ricklic will be able to do just that, as he and wrestling coach Bob Del Rosa will be honored at the 27th annual Case Reserve Athletic Club Hall of Fame banquet.
Ricklic was very pleased that he would be inducted at the same time as Del Rosa. He remembered that during his playing days he would travel with Del Rosa, sitting next to him in the same van on road trips for wrestling events. Now, just as they traveled all those miles together, they will enter the hall of fame together.
Ricklic had nothing but great things to say about his hall of fame coach.
"Coach was a great planner," he said. "He's well-known in wrestling circles across the country. He has a lot of knowledge. He's a good man."
It is hard not to say great things about Ricklic's wrestling career at Case, too. In 1994, he became the first Spartan wrestler to win a national championship and finished his career with two national titles. Ricklic won a Case record 147 matches in his four years and finished with a career mark of 147-9-1. During his senior year, he set a school record by winning 49 consecutive matches, which spanned two seasons. After his streak was snapped, he won 23 more in a row. For all of these accomplishments and many more, Ricklic was named to the NCAA Division III wrestling hall of fame in 2000.
Del Rosa said that it was Ricklic's competitiveness that allowed him to separate himself from the rest of the competition.
"I've never had a fella who was as intense every day in the wrestling room," the coach said. "He would never let anybody get a point against him."
One moment of Ricklic's career that stood out for Del Rosa was what Ricklic told him at the 1993 national championships as a sophomore.
"He told me, 'I'm better than anybody down here. Next year, I'm going to be the national champion.' And the next year he was. He was very goal oriented. He always had goals and achieved them."
When asked whether or not he expected this much success of himself entering his collegiate career, Ricklic admitted that he initially did not.
"I really didn't," he said. "I thought I definitely could compete my first year, and I did. We had a really good team and it kind of transformed me. The older guys took me to a new level that I never expected to get to. They took me underneath their wings. Coach was a great manager and let us evolve. In the end, it made it that much more fulfilling when we achieved success."
Ricklic said he still stays in touch with many of his teammates.
"A couple of the guys were in my wedding," he said. "A lot of us stay in close touch. Sometimes I come up to visit. I have a lot of close friendships from my wrestling days."
Ricklic was originally from New Philadelphia, Ohio, located 20 miles south of Canton. He continues to make his home there now with his wife and two boys. He now works for Dover Chemical as a materials manager. Ricklic is one of many Case alumni who used his Case education to his advantage.
"There's a difference," Ricklic said of receiving a Case education compared to other schools. "When you graduate from Case, you're getting compared to the top kids around. I don't regret my decision."
Neither does Case or Del Rosa, as Ricklic is undoubtedly one of the greatest wrestlers to ever compete at the Division III level. When asked how he was able to achieve the success that he did, Ricklic simply stated that it was all about hard work.
"You get out of it what you put into it," he said. "Once you put in the work, you deserve the success after a point. Then you start believing that you can win tournaments and the conference. Success is contagious. You just have to put in the time and work to get there."
If the current and future Case wrestlers take that advice and follow Coach Del Rosa's guidance, there will surely be more hall of fame wrestlers to come.
