Jeff Blatnick, ca. 1978

A portrait photograph of Jeff Blatnick, a Springfield College Wrestler. He is wearing his SC uniform and is crouched low with his arms stretched out ready to grapple someone.Jeff Blatnick (July 26, 1957 – October 24, 2012) was an American super heavyweight Greco-Roman wrestler and sports commentator. While at Springfield College he won the NCAA Division II heavyweight wrestling championships in 1978 and 1979. Eventually he went on to win the Olympic gold medal in Greco-Roman wrestling in 1984 after battling back from cancer. Doug Parker coached Springfield College wrestling teams for 35 seasons (1956-1990). He finished his career at Springfield with an incredible .750 win percentage, recording 485 wins, 159 losses, and 11 ties. As a coach at Springfield College from 1951 to 1990, Douglas E. Parker compiled a career record of 518-169-11. This total includes his stint as Freshman and Junior Varsity head coach from 1951 to 1955. From 1955 to 1990 he served as Varsity Head Coach with a record of 485-159-11. In his thirty-five years as head coach at Springfield College, he never had a losing season and was named New England “Coach of the Year” three times