USMMA Picks Ilaria

1. Illaria is an excellent wrestler and will be a fine coach, but what the USMMA did to Tim Alger is plain wrong. The guy built the team into a winner, and they show him no loyalty when the job gets switched to a gov’t position. Alger never resigned, they just opened it up after he served nearly 10 years there. For an institution that prizes loyalty they treated Tim Alger with an absolute lack of loyalty. They should be ashamed of themselves at Kings Point. I wish those great kids there the best of luck, and hope Illaria does great things with the foundation Tim alger built there, but I hope they learn the difference between real loyalty and the kind the administration practices at USMMA.

2. Tim Alger will be an asset whatever program he goes to. He has over 20yrs of experience, one of the top 2007-2008 recruiting classes and was last seasons Centennial Conference champions. He coached 4 Nat’l qualifiers and was on the verge of something great at USMMA. He will be a valuable addition as a Head Coach at any program. It’s been a pleasure knowing Coach Tim Alger.

3. Greg Ilaria is a promising young coach with an excellent wrestling background and proven success as an individual on the mat. Ilaria’s time as and assistant coach up at Springfield can only instill a strong athletic coaching base. A top D-3 National Placer out of TCNJ are all positives the Merchant Marine Academy can feel good about.While Coach Tim Alger will be greatly missed, A new era begins this season at USMMA. We wish Greg Ilaria much success and Coach Ilaria will find the parents of the wrestlers at USMMA are an asset and very willing to help. The wrestlers I’ve spoken with have said Greg seems like a very nice guy. Good Luck Coach Ilaria. Also I hope Coach Alger finds a wonderful school to Coach at. He deserves it. (GO USMMA!!)

4. Coach Alger was dealt with less than honorably. Coach Alger was an excellent coach, motivator and recruiter. Just look at last years recruiting class Renault, Beshada, Twito all freshman NCAA qualifiers. USMMA loses not only Alger but his strong assistant staff of Shawn Swift and Charlie Hill. Any team who hires Coach Tim Alger will be making an investment that will pay huge dividends. It’s a shame how USMMA treated Coach Alger. I’d love to see him stay in conference and haunt the Merchant Marine for years to come.

5. Congrats to Coach Ilaria on his appointment. I am very confident that he will usher in a bright future in wrestling at Kings Point. I believe that Kings Point handled Coach Algers departure with considerable grace and dignity. I believe that Coach Alger can take the credit for recruting some outstanding wrestlers to Kings Point but those know are knowledgeable know that he had a lot of help to get it done. Nothing can be gained by being critical of anyone at this time. Let’s wish all parties the best and move forward. Gordon

6. Gordo, please elaborate on the considerable grace and dignity Coach Algers departure entailed. This sounds facinating.
   Also Coach Ilaria please take no offense to the debates of the release of the previous coach. It is not your fault and we support you 110%. Just know that if you were to be treated in what appeared an unfair manner we would want answers as to why you may have been treated badly also.
   Go Coach Ilaria Keep the Mariner Mat Success on a Roll!!!!!

7. Before I begin I would like to wish Coach Ilaria the best of luck as he takes over the helm of KP wrestling. He was put in a less then desirable situation and the alumni cannot blame Coach Ilaria for this. He does however have some big shoes to fill.
   As the captain of Coach Alger’s 2003 team I witnessed the transformation of KP wrestling from everyones doormat to its newfound success as a national contender. His resume speaks for itself so there is no need to mention his coaching ability. Coach Alger was the most influential person that I had when I was at the Academy. He was the reason I went, stayed, and excelled. I am a Naval Aviator now because of his guidance and mentorship. He truly was one of the great coaches and people that touched the lives of many MIDN (not just wrestlers). He had the highest respect and admiration for and from all MIDN, and demanded the most from them. Kings Point Athletics lost a great member of their team.
   Coach Alger’s wrestling knowledge, drive, intensity, and loyalty will be a great addition to any program. I look foward to following the career of this great individual.

   I am confident that this post will see many more responses of this nature.

   Very Respectuflly

   LT PJ Silva, USN

8. First I want to say, best wishes to Coach Ilaria. He comes to the USMMA wrestling program at a difficult time. Coach Alger has left you with a very good foundation.

   The way Coach Alger was treated was less than honorable. I’m not sure what Gordon meant by his remark that Coach Alger’s departure was “handled with considerable grace and dignity.” I’d love for him to expound on what he meant. Coach Alger did much to forward USMMA wrestling and he was treated poorly by the Athletic Director and USMMA after the Academy saw one of their best years in wrestling. I question the timing of his departure after the USMMA wrestling team won the Centennial Conference for the first time ever and Coach Alger was named Centennial Coach of the Year. During his tenure, Coach Alger turned the wrestling program around – just look at his first ever Coast Guard Academy shut out – 38-0 earlier this year. I know Coach Alger personally and I know some good will come of this – he will land on his feet and will grow another wrestling program that other schools will take seriously. Wrestlers came to USMMA because of Coach Alger. His drive, determination, reputation, and love of both the sport and his wrestlers will be missed at USMMA. I’ve witnessed his ability to encourage young men and boys. My son participated in one of the wrestling camps hosted by the Naval Academy during the summer, a camp in which Coach Alger was invited. Coach Alger left a favorable impression on my son and many of the young boys that attended these camps. Shame on USMMA for the way they treated Coach Alger. You should be ashamed of yourselves. USMMA has not lived up to its ideal of training leaders of honor and integrity, and high ethical standards with your recent actions toward Coach Alger.
   – Andie

9. I can only echo the truth in many of the sentiments already posted. Like PJ, I was lucky to have served as team captain, and cannot help but be heavily predisposed in Coach Alger’s favor. He epitomized everything that was good about Kings Point. My plebe (freshman) year at KP was Coach Alger’s inaugural year. I watched from the very beginning as he strove to transform the program from little more than a club into a cohesive, first-class winning team. To this day, he remains one of the most intense, dedicated, and honorable individuals that I have ever met, and any college should consider itself lucky to have him at the helm of its wrestling team. Tim’s straightforward manner and sheer enthusiasm ingratiated him to the entire regiment (student body). He earned universal respect amongst the midshipmen beyond any other coach or professor during my time there simply by being himself. Coach Alger is the kind of person who genuinely and unselfishly cares. His team members came from all across the country, many of us far from our homes, and he looked after us in a brotherly fashion. He made the team a family. In practice, I felt as if he were molding a squad of men for the rigors of combat rather than merely teaching technique to college kids. The lessons I learned under his tutelage serve me well to this day. On dark and stormy nights when flying rescue missions for the Coast Guard, I know that I can get my crew through because I’ve been thoroughly tried and tested under Alger.

   Like everyone else here, I’ve got nothing against the new coach. Indeed I wish him and the team nothing but the best. I’m a proud alumnus of KP, but the way the AD and the rest of the administration treated Coach Alger has left a bad taste in my mouth that won’t be going away anytime soon.

   -Dave KP’02

10. I am a HUGE USMMA fan! I live and die with their athletic success. Having said that, I was very diesheartend to learn of Coach Alger’s dismissal. It is hard to understand how someone who completely turned around a bottom feeding program would be replaced. How is it that Coach Alger is named conference Coach of the Year, has his team nationally ranked, brings in top notch wrestling recruits, beats the pants off of our arch rival on a regular basis and gets replaced? Is that really possible? Does that make sense to anyone? How come more questioins are not being asked by the leadership of this institution? This needs to be investigated. What else would they have liked Coach Alger to do? I can smell the stench from this move a mile away.

    It’s easy to give Coach Alger the credit for the huge success this program has enjoyed. Sure, there are others who have contributed to this success, but if we give all the blame to coaches when they fail, then Coach Alger deserves all the credit for his wrestling team’s success.

    Speaking of others involved in the program, Charlie Hill is a stooge. His qualification to be part of this school is that he has a fat check book. This is simply a man giving money to the school so he gets access to the wrestling program. He has zero wrestling knowledge. He doesn’t know the difference between a single leg and touchdown. He has the ear of the AD because of the jing he has dumped on the school. He would tell you that he is the direct reason why the wrestling program has flourished. That is laughable. What made him a genius after all of these years? I know the answer…it’s Coach Alger. He certainly wasn’t able to make anything happen prior to Coach ALger arriving. Chuckles’ problem is that he wasn’t hugged enough. He wasn’t given enough credit or asked to be more involved in the program. He suffers from Nepolian’s complex. He is a disease, but the bottom line is, well, the bottom line. As long as he sends in dollars, he gets a say. Shameful. This guy is NOT beneath lying if it benefits him.

    I also want to comment on Gordon’s remarks from an earlier post on this message board. He is the one that said, and I quote, “I believe that Kings Point handled Coach Algers (sic) departure with considerable grace and dignity.”. Gordon, what are you thinking? Where is the grace and where is the dignity? Let’s pretend for a second I buy off on your premiss and believe that grace and dignity was involved. Consider these: Was it a sign of grace and dignity that KP ADVERTISED Coach Alger’s position was available while Coach Alger was still under contract? Was it a sign of grace and dignity that KP INTERVIEWED candidates when Coach Alger left town to go on vacation during the summer? Was it a sign of grace and dignity that KP HIRED a new coach while Coach Alger was still their coach? Tell me where the grace and dignity was in that? Why didn’t the AD let Coach ALger know this was going on? How is it possible you treat anyone like that, let alone a person who worked tirelessly to turn KP’s program around. Seriously Gordon, who are you, Charlie Hill?

    It’s going to be hard to continue to cheer this program along, but the reality is that I will. I have heard tremendous things about Coach Ilaria. I wish him all the success in the world, but Coach Ilaria, I have a few words of advice: First, when the season ends, make sure you continuously monitor all of the wrestling trade-rags and websites for your job being advertised. Second, never, never go on vacation. Third, pat Charlie Hill on the butt every chance you get. He is slimy and will take you out if you don’t. I know this is hard to believe, but it’s true. Fourth, the AD is gutless. This is the worst type of person to deal with because she will tell you one thing and do the oposite, if it benefits her. Do not take your eyes off of her. Last, if you meet anyone named Gordon, duck if he begins to speak about grace and dignity, because you are about to get hammered.

    Coach Alger…thank you. It was an honor to watch your teams perform.

    Go Mariners!

11. Coach Tim Alger is a true professional in every sense of the word. His focus, vision and work ethic are second to none. His dedication to the sport and USMMA is unquestionable. His success at USMMA wrestling is unmatched in the school’s history. He leads by example and is a coach I would want my son to wrestle for.
    I find it appalling that an insitution such as USMMA has treated this great teacher, coach and mentor with such disrespect. I beleive it is outright criminal the way he was “let go” and the school, and more pointedly, it’s Athletic director should be ashamed of herself. I question her motives, professionalism and moral courage. Most of all I question the leadership, or lack thereof, which allowed Coach Alger to be replaced at the height of his game.
    If this is the way USMMA treats one of its best coaches…how does it treat its Midshipmen?

12. I’ve seen Coach Alger in action both at USMMA and his former stint at U of Iowa. On both occasions, he’s been nothing but a hard worker, professional to all he works with and coaches, and carries a passion for the sport and most importantly for each individual athlete that is second to none. He will land on his feet and take his passion and apply it to anything that he takes on next. I tip my hat to him and wish him good luck. Let’s hope the administration at USMMA can look themselves in the mirror and feel good about how things went down in this case. I’m sure the big bucks they pad their pockets with and the inflated egos they fill their heads with drowned out any feelings of remorse. Good luck to USMMA Wrestling and good luck to Tim Alger.

13. As a fan of wrestling I have had the opportunity to witness a small school such as the USMMA go from a struggling wrestling program to a well run contender with a coach who is not only knowledgeble about wrestling but knows how to bring the best out of his wrestlers. Tim Alger is not only a great coach (coach of the year) but also a fantastic person who dedicates himself his job. The USMMA unfairly and without reason got rid of him in a less than desirable way. While some programs in the country are known for shaddy methods, the United States Academies have always been a step about that…until now. I believe that not only USMMA cadets and alumni should be concerned but also anyone who believes in fairness and honesty should really look into what happened at the academy. This is truely a shameful situation for the USMMA. If no one speaks up more about this , than this type of thing will occur more often. Coach Alger be ware of wolves in sheeps clothing. Some people you just cant trust. Good luck. USMMA athletic director you need some ethics building real soon.

    GOOD LUCK USMMA Wrestlers. You deserve better than this.

14. While I do not have much unique to offer, I feel I would be extremely remiss in not affirming everything I see here as not only true but appalling. As the proud product of generations of service academy graduates, I have a deep respect for the academies, their staff, alumni, and Midshipmen/Cadets. Coincidently, my family has always loved wrestling, especially on the collegiate level. For a decade we have enjoyed watching and hearing about USMMA’s wrestling growth and success under Tim Alger. Upon recently hearing of the circumstances surrounding Coach Alger’s abrupt dismissal from the USMMA wrestling program I simply could not let the opportunity to share my thoughts pass.

    Coach Alger’s history at KP speaks for itself, and there is no need for me to repeat the litany of incredible recruiting, coaching, and mentoring he has provided. Mr. Alger, you truly embody what it means to be a coach and leader, as proven by the messages left here by former wrestlers. Wherever you go, may you be as appreciated by your future wrestlers as you were by the Midshipmen.

    With no discredit intended to the current wrestlers or incoming coach, I do not feel words can adequately explain my deep disappointment and disgust in the administration at KP. Service academies are supposed to be places of honor and integrity; these are lessons in fact that are critical to teach the Midshipmen in their years there. How can the academy expect these young men and women to uphold standards that the administration chooses to ignore? Or am I to assume that it is now acceptable for those who serve our country to be deceitful, disloyal, and downright shady?

    I am not so naïve as to believe that politics and under-the-table deals do not exist, but perhaps I was a bit optimistic to think this would be kept to a minimum at the United States Merchant Marine Academy. Shame on the Athletic Director, Mr. Hill, and all others who either contributed to the situation or simply sat idly by. I am not sure which is worse – being a key player or just allowing it to happen, thankful that it is not you being tossed aside. In my opinion, USMMA and our service academies in general have been heavily discredited.

    Coach Illaria, you have much to worry about. Not your team per say – KP wrestling will be fine for a while thanks to the excellent recruiting and teaching of Coach Alger. However, you would be smart to protect yourself and never trust. The next time a posting like this pops up it could unfortunately be about you.

    Best wishes on a successful season to the KP wrestlers and Coach Alger as he searches for his next position – whoever they are they will be very lucky to have you.

    Respectfully,
    Meghan Magee

15. Coach Alger was one of the most positive influences on me during my time at Kings Point. What was done to him is a disgrace. Whether or not his replacement can continue the team’s success on the mat remains to be seen. I wonder if he will influence the wrestlers off the mat and school community at large the way Coach Alger did. Coach Alger is an extraordinary person and most coaches and instructors don’t have his level of concern for students’ lives. Good luck to Coach Alger in your next job, I hope they treat you better there. As for the Kings Point Wrestlers, good luck to you guys also. That place is not easy, the last thing you needed was this.

16. I had not responded immediately to the various comments made to the “USMMA hires Ilaria” announcement as I did not want to divert attention from the team. However, now that the season is over it is time to correct the record. But before I start let me be clear that I am not, and have never been, an Academy employee; and the following statements and observations are solely my own. Let me also say that I am stunned by the use of this web-site to pronounce reckless, if not libelous, judgments on the honor and integrity of the USMMA and its AD with no apparent effort to determine the facts; and the clearly libelous and profoundly ignorant comments and name calling by the so called Mr. James Dukes. Everyone is free to debate policy—but not facts. And the facts are:

    I can find no one at Kings Point who has any knowledge of a “James Dukes”, despite his claims to being a “HUGE USMMA fan”; nor have I ever met anyone by that name, despite his inference that he knows me well. If he has ever attended any USMMA athletic event, much less a wrestling match, he has remained invisible. Unless he is prepared to introduce himself at some athletic event, it is reasonable for me to speculate that “James Dukes” is probably not a real person. Despite my effort to draw him out, Coach Tim Alger has declined to confirm or deny that he authored the “James Dukes” comments; although the name could be a pseudonym for the “James” Madison “Dukes”, the nickname for school for whom Coach Alger formerly coached.

    As an alumnus of Kings Point, I worked with Coach Alger for 10 years; and, during that time, the members of my family and I were arguably his greatest supporters and advocates. My son captained the 2000 wrestling team, then, forgoing the lucrative salary available to all graduating seniors, remained for one year after graduation to support him as an assistant coach with the pay of an intern—and echoes the sentiments expressed by PJ, Dave and Matt with respect to Coach Alger’s interest in the lives of his team members. The personal ties were so close that Coach Alger was invited to (and attended) the weddings of my son in March 2006 and then his twin sister to another Kings Point graduate in June 2007.

    I began my financial support of the wrestling team in 1996 because of talk that the program would be shut down for lack of funds. In 1998 the Academy was then able to upgrade the coaching position from part to full time and offered the job to Mr. Alger. I occasionally came to practices to assist Coach Alger. However, this came to an end in 1999 when I dislocated my shoulder while drilling takedowns with one of the wrestlers (so “James”, I guess I might “know the difference between a single leg and a touchdown” after all).

    The team finished 6th in its conference qualifier in each of the three seasons preceding Coach Alger’s arrival. For the next nine seasons the team was never nationally ranked in the top 30 and never finished higher than 5th in its conference tournament—finishing 5th, 6th, 6th, 7th and 8th in the five years prior to 2008 when it finished 1st and attained its first national ranking. I, therefore, do not understand the “turn around” comments.

    For the last three years of Coach Alger’s tenure, at his specific request and against the wishes of the AD and others (who felt that Coach Alger should have done the recruiting himself), I worked virtually full time as the unpaid volunteer recruiting coordinator. I not only donated my time but absorbed most of the expenses of the effort. I agreed to take this on as I could not understand why Kings Point could not perform at the Division III level in almost any sport with the same success that Army, Navy and Air Force achieved at the Division I level. So, rather than simply throwing money at a program, I rolled up my sleeves and determined to make a difference.

    Accordingly, I introduced the program’s first pro-active national recruiting effort (employing many of the marketing techniques I had learned at Harvard Business School and over 30 years in business), which resulted in the dramatic improvement in the talent pool on the team; and in two short years demonstrated that Kings Point could attract the talent to compete at the highest levels. At a meeting of all Kings Point coaches in September 2007 (to which I had been invited to explain my recruiting methods), Coach Alger pronounced that the smartest thing he ever did was “hire” me as his recruiting coordinator—a pronouncement he often publicly repeated.

    Most of the coaches at Kings Point over his 10 year period were NAFI (i.e. paid with donated and non-appropriated funds) rather than full government employees, with different requirements. The AD had an ongoing program to obtain approval to move each coaching position into government; and to provide that coaches holding a government teaching position would have a Masters Degree—a degree that Coach Alger did not have. This came to a head after the 2006 season when the AD obtained approval to move the wrestling position into government; and Coach Alger was advised that, absent a Masters Degree, he would not get the job.

    I learned of this when Coach Alger called and asked for my help. My wife and I then appealed to the AD and the Superintendent to keep Coach Alger at Kings Point. The only way to accomplish that was to move a different sport into government—a course of action that was at odds with the long term interests of the wrestling program. Nevertheless, to preserve Coach Alger’s position, this is precisely what the AD did. However, the handwriting was on the wall—the wrestling job would eventually be moved to government and Coach Alger would not qualify. I, thus, advised him that he needed to embark on a masters program ASAP. Unfortunately, he did not accept that advice.

    On several occasions during this time period Coach Alger informed me that he had applied for coaching positions with other schools (my recollection is that Princeton and The Citadel were two of them) and had even advised the AD of this fact (who pointed this out when we appealed for his retention and cited his loyalty). He even tried to recruit me away from Kings Point in the event he was successful in his job search. I declined, as my first loyalty was to Kings Point. It is, therefore, incongruous to have expected Kings Point to retain Coach Alger out of “loyalty” when he made it clear that he would leave when he found a better position.

    Then, following the 2007 season, Coach Alger abruptly resigned following a meeting with the AD in which profanities were exchanged, calling me to let me know that he had already informed the team. I advised him that if he wanted to leave he ought to do so after the next season, given the outstanding recruiting class about to enter. After thinking about this he reversed course but did not think that the AD would take him back. I then called the AD to see if it was possible for him to be reinstated. It was and he returned to the team, subject to a two week suspension (which I opposed). This incident is evidenced in a letter of suspension, agreed to by Coach Alger, for “inappropriate and insubordinate actions”. Had the AD accepted his resignation, as could have been expected under the circumstances, this discussion would not be taking place.

    As a condition of his reinstatement Coach Alger was required to prepare a formal plan to correct his “inefficiencies”. This plan was found to be unacceptable by both the AD and the Superintendent; and Coach Alger wrote to me stating: “I caused the problem and now I’ll deal with the consequences”. He also asked me not to call the AD or the Superintendent; but the latter called me and, once again, I had to defend Coach Alger and plead for his retention.

    In November 2007 Coach Alger informed Shawn Swift and me that he would leave at the end of the season; an intention that was totally consistent with my earlier conversations with him. It was also consistent with the sentiments he expressed in an e-mail he sent to an Academy official (“a toe to toe knock down drag out between Sue Peterson Lubow and myself…I don’t want to work with Sue anymore”).

    In the spring of 2008 the Maritime Administration ruled that all coaches had to be moved from NAFI to government employment. The AD was required by law (and not by any duplicity or disloyalty) to advertise each of these positions, including wrestling; and to select the most qualified according to the long established criteria, which included a preference for a Masters Degree. Coach Alger was well aware of the procedure to be followed and was advised that he would have to submit an application to be considered. Whether he did so I do not know.

    My experience with the AD is that she is not influenced by the interests of alumni or donors in making decisions. If I ever did have any influence with the AD it was exhausted (some would say wasted) years ago in defending Coach Alger against charges that he: a) would not recruit, b) would not return phone calls (even to the Superintendent), c) would always be late for meetings, d) would not manage his budget, e) would never meet a deadline, f) would be late for, or miss, classes he was teaching, g) would not fund-raise beyond my donation, etc. Since I could find no defense on those issues, I always defended Coach Alger with the argument that his excellent relationships with the Midshipmen outweighed the deficiencies found by the administration; and for years this argument proved persuasive.

    However, during the 2007-8 season I was troubled by a series of events and issues that I could not support or defend. Unfortunately, it had become clear that Coach Alger had come to expect my support as an entitlement; so I withdrew from the program in April, 2008 after sending out 6,000 recruiting letters to junior prospects. I subsequently advised the Superintendent of my decision.

    Included in my concerns was the management of funds; and specifically money raised to help finance a trip to the Citrus Tournament in Florida. Coach Alger, through Sports Dreams, solicited donations from the friends and relatives of the team members. However, rather than depositing these donations into an Academy or Foundation account, Coach Alger deposited the funds in a personal account, thus eliminating the tax deductibility of the donations. As far as I know, an accounting of the donations and uses of the funds or reconciliation of any remaining balance was never made for the benefit of the donors or the Academy. I thought this to be highly irregular and did not wish to associate myself with it.

    It is a credit to Coach Alger that many of his former wrestlers have remained intensely loyal to him. However, that loyalty never translated into financial support for his teams (e.g. only two of his ex wrestlers were listed on the last, 2007, fund raising report); and only added to his problems. Their support for him now is too little and too late, as they forgot that they got to wrestle because of the generosity of graduates who preceded them.

    Throughout Coach Alger’s tenure the majority of donations to the program came from my family. Coach Alger never expressed any annoyance with our donations, made no effort to displace them and did not significantly add to them. Our funding permitted Coach Alger to do a wide range of things from refurbishing the wrestling room to buying Kings Point Wrestling sweatshirts for all of the wrestlers.

    I have never made any pronouncements that I am responsible for the fact that the team has “flourished” (again, with one excellent year out of 10, “flourished” is hardly a word I would use). I always tried to give Coach Alger as much credit as possible in my effort to support him. This is evidenced by the fact that most of you readers have never heard of me or my role in the program. I agree that the head coach should get the credit for the overall success of a program—a point I argued often and at great length with the AD. However, I do not agree that the head coach should be presumed to have performed the specific work done by others, specifically Coach Swift and me.

    However, since “James Dukes” has made this an issue we can no longer run away from facts. And the fact is that, although Coach Alger eventually spoke with most (but not all) recruits, and bonded well with those with whom he spoke, I am hard pressed to identify any wrestler currently on the team whose recruitment was initiated by Coach Alger (that is not a criticism—Shawn Swift and I simply did what Coach Alger was not comfortable doing). This is evidenced by the reams of paper I generated over the past four years to identify prospective recruits, the call reports (for the 2007 class encompassing 84 single spaced typed pages) and tracking tables that I routinely submitted to Coach Alger for his follow up and the letters that I drafted and sent to recruits. So it’s a bit of a stretch for “James Dukes” to claim that Coach Alger “brings in top notch wrestling recruits” while I simply “send in dollars”.

    It also appears that as soon as I left last April the recruiting program that I had installed was shut down. When Coach Ilaria replaced Coach Alger in September I volunteered to help him with the transition: but found that virtually none of the questionnaires that had been returned between April and September in response to the 6000 letters had been answered.

    The comment by “James Dukes” that Coach Alger “beats the pants off of our arch rival on a regular basis” is also inaccurate and an unfair representation of the competitiveness of that rivalry. Coach Alger was 4-6 overall against Coast Guard and 1-2 over his last three years.

    Whether Coach Alger would have been retained had he obtained a Masters Degree (or had the equivalent) I can make no comment, as I was not part of the selection process. However, the lack of that degree would presumably have made it extremely difficult for the AD to retain him in the face of other qualified applicants who did have the degree. I do understand that there were other issues between Coach Alger and the administration. However, I do not believe that these issues were raised and Coach Alger left on a “technicality”; thus, with the “considerable grace and dignity” expressed by Gordon (who is not Charlie Hill).

    Since some of you who submitted comments are apparently unaware of the facts behind Coach Alger’s departure, it indicates that you have either not spoken with him; or you have misunderstood him; or he has not shared the above facts with you and you have acted as a surrogate to express his unhappiness (a position with which I have considerable experience).

    Now that you have the facts–several of you can take the honorable course and send a public letter of apology to Kings Point (and “James” you would find it in your best interests to issue a public letter of apology to me); or you can continue this public dig for more information—and there is more. However, if your purpose is to cast Coach Alger as a victim and enhance his standing, I am certain that course will achieve neither and result in no happy ending.

    As for me, I am proud to have had the privilege to serve the USMMA and the broader wrestling community. But my greatest satisfaction comes from the assurances of the many parents, that without my involvement their sons would not have had the opportunity that is Kings Point.

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