Inductees
Gary Pederson
Year: 2016
Gender: Male
About Gary:
A three-time League Champion at Yuba High School, Gary was second in the San Joaquin Section as a senior. At San Jose State, he was coached by Bill Smith, Hugh Mumby and TJ Kerr. Pederson finished third twice in the Pacific Coast Athletic Association. Gary coached Yuba College to two Golden Valley Conference Championships while serving as their Head Wrestling Coach from 1971-78. His wrestlers included seven California Junior College State Placers and one NCAA Division 1 Placer, Robbie Wurm, 4th for Weber State after winning the Big Sky Conference. In 1975, Pederson coached the cultural exchange wrestling team that went to Japan.
He spent three years as Assistant Coach for the California Junior National Freestyle and Greco-Roman Teams sponsored by USA Wrestling. While coaching at Holtville High School from 1979-86, Gary’s teams won six Imperial Valley League Championships and placed fourth in the CIF-San Diego Section Championships.
The teams included seven State Qualifiers, with one State Placer, heavyweight LeRoy Ligons who took third in 1984. Pederson became the Head Wrestling Coach at Shafter High School (18 miles from Bakersfield) for 21 years from 1986-2007. He compiled a dual match record of 157-38-2 while winning eight South Sequoia League Championships and finishing second 10 times.
In 2002, his team was Valley runner-up, and in 2003, they were Valley Champions. He coached a high school All-American, Lucas Espircueta, who placed fifth. Gary coached 31 State Qualifiers including five State Placers while at Shafter High School. Gary was selected as the Bakersfield Californian’s 2003 All-Area Wrestling Coach of the Year. He has served for 21 years as the CIF-Central Section League Representative to help establish policies and rules for the state’s high school sports. He has been involved for decades with National High School Coaches Association, USA Wrestling, AAU, FILA International Wrestling Federation, the National Federation of State High School Associations, and numerous local wrestling clubs and organizations. He was inducted into the California Wrestling Hall of Fame in 2012 with a Lifetime Service Award.