Charlie Jacobs stepped away from coaching 30 years ago. Here's why he's back at age 75

When Charlie Jacobs left coaching in 1992, he wasn't just worried about giving up his passion.

He was worried about giving up his identity.

He was in his mid 40s but had been the head wrestling coach at Dover Area High School for 16 years. He would run and lift weights and then grapple with his wrestlers at practice. Then he would come home to play with his 2-year-old son and immediately fall asleep.

Something had to change. But he couldn't help ask himself: "Who am I?"

"When you coach long enough, that's how you think everybody sees you," Jacobs said. "If I walk away from that ... nobody is going to know who I am."

While Jacobs eventually learned there was "life beyond coaching," he never lost his passion for wrestling or mentoring kids. Thirty years later, he's back by the mat as an assistant coach for Central York.

And he's learned plenty of people still know who he is.

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Already a member of the Pennsylvania and District 3 Wrestling Hall of Fames, Jacobs will be inducted into the Pa. chapter of the National Wrestling Hall of Fame this upcoming April. Central York celebrated his accomplishment before last Wednesday's dual meet against Spring Grove. More than 30 of his former wrestlers attended with some flying in for the event.

1988 Dover graduate Mark Smith flew from Dallas to Baltimore late Tuesday night to see his old coach. A teacher and wrestling coach in Texas, Smith had to get permission from his principal since his school was holding final exams last week.

"It was an easy decision," Smith said. "Beyond my parents, he's the person I see every time I'm home. He instilled love, respect, integrity and generosity in you. If I ever need coaching advice he's the one I call."

After the match, Jacobs tried to grab a copy of his resume for a reporter but couldn't walk more than a few feet without being stopped by a throng of fans. A 10-minute interview was interrupted four times by a former wrestler or acquaintance who wanted to shake his hand one more time.

Friendly with a welcoming smile, Jacobs said the attention was the product of "having great kids" during his coaching career. But he admitted the warm reception was gratifying.

"I'm not surprised. Coach always had a good draw," said Central York assistant Mark Eckenrode, who won a state bronze medal under Jacobs in 1989. "He's not a bit different. He's always had the highest morals, ethics and standards. Win, loss or draw he shook your hand and said, 'Get 'em next time.' He was never demeaning.

"People just genuinely love the guy."

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Now 75 years old, Jacobs loves wrestling as much as he did in the 1970s and 80s. He talks excitedly about the "different qualities" someone needs to succeed in the sport.

And he discovered last year he still enjoys helping kids discover those qualities in themselves. That's one reason he got back into coaching after such a three-decade layoff.

"I just enjoy being around everyone," he said. "At 75, I've got to do all I can to stay young.

"It's just fun."

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Jacobs says wrestling isn't much different today

When he resigned at Dover in 1992, Jacobs spent the ensuing years following the sport mostly as a fan. Also a PIAA official for 23 years, he stopped officiating matches the same time he stopped coaching.

But he did give some pointers to the son of his childhood friends. Eric Albright was beginning his high school career at West York in 2001, and Jacobs would come over his parents' house to watch film and grapple with him on the carpet.

Albright would go on to became a District 3 champion for Red Lion before winning over 100 matches and qualifying twice for the NCAA Championships during a career split between Virginia and Pitt.

"I've always just really respected and looked up to him," Albright said. "What he brings is that same old wisdom.

"But he still has that intensity in him where he doesn't like to lose."

Jacobs never got rid of the "library" of books and films about wrestling that he acquired during his coaching career. When Albright was hired as Central York's head coach in 2020 and brought his younger brother, Chris, along as his top assistant, Jacobs decided the pair could use his old materials better than he could.

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That led to him attending three Central York practices and speaking at the team banquet last season. He enjoyed being around the "respectful" kids so much that he asked Eric this summer if he could be a volunteer assistant.

"A little bit," Albright said when asked if the request surprised him. "I think he missed it and got a little bit of the itch back. But we were excited. It's cool to see him back doing what he loves."

Jacobs believes wrestling isn't much different today than it was over 50 years ago when he began coaching. As he put it: "You've got arm bars, you've got double-leg (moves) and you've got single-leg (moves). It doesn't change."

That has made his transition back to coaching fairly easy. The only difference is his arthritis prevents him from getting on the mat with the wrestlers, though Albright said Jacobs will occasionally demonstrate moves.

Instead, Jacobs has taken the role of "mental coach." Albright said his former mentor will scout opposing teams and come back with a stack of papers detailing every wrestler's tendencies.

"He has everything down to what foot a wrestler will lead with," Albright said. "He very meticulous. He remembers every practice he used to run and shows us how he used to do things. It's crazy."

Even at 75, Jacobs doesn't appear to be slowing down. He enthusiastically stood up and clapped his hands after every Central York win during an eventual 39-33 loss to Spring Grove last week. Ask him about Shaun Smith winning a state title for Dover in 1983, and he'll recount every opponent Smith beat and where they went to college and eventually started careers.

He's not putting a timeline on how long he'll stay at Central York, but he thinks he can keep coaching beyond this season. While he noted participation numbers have dropped since his days at Dover, he said there "were great kids in '76 and there are great kids today."

Prior to the Spring Grove match, he gave Central York's wrestlers a speech about how "tonight only happens one time." He's trying to coach with that same mindset.

"As long as they want me here, I'll help them out," he said. "I really do enjoy it and look forward to it. If they want me to keep coming on by, I'll hang in there."

Charlie Jacobs at a glance

• 1965 graduate of Dover Area High School
• Started coaching in 1969 as an assistant at Tussey Mountain. Came to Dover as an elementary wrestling coach in 1972.
• Head coach at Dover from 1976 to 1992. His teams went 194-56-2 and never had a losing season.
• Coached seven wrestlers to nine District 3 individual titles. Coached Dover to 1983 District 3 team title
• Coached Shaun Smith to 1983 PIAA title.
• District 3 Wrestling Coach of the Year 1983. York Daily Record Wrestling Coach of the Year in 1980 and 1984.

Matt Allibone is a sports reporter for GameTimePA. He can be reached at 717-881-8221, mallibone@ydr.com or on Twitter at @bad2theallibone.