McGuffey’s Caffrey nails down 400th win, joins coaching elite
It’s quite appropriate that Mark Caffrey and Chuck Tursky were teammates, and even roommates, while attending Slippery Rock Teachers College in the mid1970s.
The two have come full circle and are now members of the WPIAL’s most elite group of wrestling coaches. Only four coaches in WPIAL history have reached the 400-winplateau.
Caffrey became the newest member of the 400-win club Wednesday with McGuffey’s 40-27 win against Beth-Center in a Class 2A Section 2A showdownfor first place.
“I want to congratulate Mark on winning his 400th match,” said Tursky, who nowserves as Chris Heater’s assistant at Kiski Area. “He’s had a long and successful career at McGuffey. He’s an honest coach who has worked very hard to build a winning program. I applaud his accomplishment.”
Caffrey, now in his third coaching stint and 27th year at McGuffey, improved his career record to 400-92 with the win against Beth-Center. He’s the fourth WPIAL coach and27th in Pennsylvania historyto reach 400 wins.
“WhenI began coaching, I never dreamed I would coach this long,” Caffrey said. “I figured I would coach five, maybe 10 seasons, then get out of coaching. I never thought I would be coaching this long, and certainly didn’t expect to win400 matches.”
In fact, Caffrey almost got out of coaching at the start of the 2000-01 season. He stepped down after McGuffey’s first match due tohealth concerns.
“I decided not to coach that season and I really missed it,” said Caffrey, who returned to McGuffey the following year after dealing with a minor blood-pressure concern. “Once you get wrestling in your blood, it’s toughto step away.”
Tursky, who coached 36 seasons at Burrell and Kiski Area, holds the WPIAL record for career victories as he compiled a 505-143-2 record. He’s the only coach in WPIAL history with 500 wins.
“I remember rooming with Chuck on a trip to Indiana,” Caffrey said. “We drove in three station wagons. Chuck was a freshman and I was a sophomore, and we had to ride in the same car with coach Fred Powell. It was the middle of winter, and coach Powell never turnedon the heat.”
Tursky also remembers the trip to Indiana.
“We stayed on the ninth floor of a hotel that didn’t have an elevator and the heat didn’t work,” Tursky said. “And Mark probably wasn’t too happy with me. He was a lightweight and I was a heavyweight, so I could eat whatever I wanted while he was cutting weight.”
Caffrey, now 62, graduated from Immaculate Conception High School in 1973. He was a three-time finalist and one-time champion in the Catholic League State Tournament. He continued his academic and athletic career at Slippery Rock and concluded both at California Universityof Pennsylvania.
He began coaching and teaching at McGuffey in 1983. The Highlanders had a 4-13 record that year, the only losing season of his 27-year career.From 1989 until 2000, the Highlanders made 11 consecutive appearances in the WPIALClass 3A semifinals.
“We wrestled in the WPIAL title match seven straight years,” said Caffrey, referring to a stretch from 1993-99. “That’s still a WPIALrecord in Class 3A.”
Caffrey led the Highlanders to WPIAL titles in 1996, 1998and 1999.
“I figured I would coach five, maybe 10 seasons then get out of coaching. I never thought I would be coaching this long ...” — Mark Caffrey, McGuffey wrestling coach