'A very deep history': Retired wrestling coach reacts to Geary gymnasium fire

Geary High School students returned to class Wednesday after a devastating fire destroyed parts of the school’s main building. The fire started late Saturday night and burned into Sunday morning, destroying the band room, wood shop, one classroom and the old gymnasium.

The entire main building was also damaged, but it’s the loss of the old gymnasium that is garnering attention from retired Oklahoma wrestlers across the state.

To the wrestling community, it's a place that housed decades of history that will never be forgotten.

Geary High School is famous for hosting the oldest high school invitational tournament in the nation, and it’s also one of the toughest.

It began in 1944 and has seen some of the biggest names in wrestling take the mat, including Olympic champions like Wayne Wells, Danny Hodge, John Smith and Kendall Cross.

Another name notable to the world of Oklahoma wrestling is William E. “Butch” Jacobsen. He may not be an Olympic champion, but his ties to the Geary Invitational run deep.

“It just has a very deep history in the sport. It was the early '60s, and I would go with Dad to the Geary tournament as a spectator,” Jacobsen said.

He went on to compete in the tournament for Midwest City High School but suffered a career-ending injury. At 18, he became a wrestling referee and later a wrestling coach.

He did a four-year coaching stint at Geary High School, where he led the team to win the 1979 state title.

“That’s probably why I got that,” he said, gesturing to his Geary Invitational Hall of Fame trophy, which signifies his place in its history.

But Jacobsen says wrestling taught him more through losing than winning.

“You need to handle the loss as well as the win. The win is easy. The loss, now that takes a little effort,” Jacobsen said.

Geary High School is facing its biggest loss yet.

“The gym wasn’t really being used anymore. It was all memories,” he said.

The old gym where Jacobsen and so many others wrestled was reduced to ash in the weekend fire, sparking an outpouring of support on social media.

“That’s the thing about wrestling. It bonds you together. And the town of Geary and the Geary tournament does an outstanding job of making that happen,” Jacobsen said.

He believes the fire is a loss that Geary will overcome, and wrestlers will continue to be part of the historic tournament.

“They will get through it. I have no doubt about that,” Jacobsen said.

Meanwhile, administrators in Geary plan to finish the school year without the use of the main building. The cause of the fire is still under investigation.