Inductees
Jack Schwartz
Year: 2022
Gender: Male
About Jack:
At California State University-Los Angeles, Jack was a captain and the Most Outstanding Wrestler from 1973-75. He was first both seasons at the Biola Tournament which hosted all California colleges, so a State Championship.
In the 1980-81 season, Jack coached South Hills High School of West Covina to the CIF State Championship while setting a new team scoring record. It is the only team from Los Angeles County to ever win the CIF State title, and the team won every dual meet and tournament. They followed up in sixth-place at CIF State in 1982.
Schwartz became the first coach at the University of Southern California in 2013 when the Trojans were officially recognized by the National Collegiate Wrestling Association. Six wrestlers went to the West Coast Conference Championships where the team placed fourth with their first four qualifiers for national competition. Jack guided Nick Cegelski to 6th place and All-American status at the NCWA Championships in Texas.
How many of California’s successful wrestling coaches still compete? Jack won the Seniors Over 30 Nationals in 1980, 1981 and 1983, then seven national Masters Championships from 2017-22. The three-time Senior World Champion claimed two titles in the Veteran World Championships in Poland during the 2019 event. He won the Greco-Roman championship at 100kg by pinning the European champion in less than a minute. Jack didn’t allow any points scored against him during the event.
In the Freestyle division, Schwartz beat competitors from Russia, Ukraine, Croatia and England to win his second championship. A seven-time Masters National Champion, he has won the Senior National Olympics three times, and he placed second in the Pan-Am Games in Mexico in 1975 and third in the Junior World Olympics.
Jack founded the East L.A. Wrestling Club in 1970, helping eventual Olympic medalist and three-time World Cup champion Joe Gonzales to high school and JC titles. Schwartz founded the West Covina Wrestling Club in 1974, coaching over 30 California high school placers including two-time Olympian Dan Henderson.
Jack has been a California Police Champion ten times, and he has won five National and International Police Championships. Schwartz continues to coach for the Butcher Shop Boyz Wrestling Club in Lakewood, and he volunteers for clinics year-round, donating one day per week to Orange County Grappling