College wrestling is her family’s tradition
Peery Ritter excited NCAA tournament is being staged here
What: NCAA Division I wrestling championship.
When: Thursday-Saturday. Gates open at 11 a.m. on Day 1 and 10 a.m. on Days 2 and 3.
Where: PPG Paints Arena. TV: ESPN and ESPNU.
Ann Peery Ritter doesn’t remember her first NCAA Division I wrestling tournament.
“I was eight weeks old when I attended my first NCAA tournament, but I don’t remember it,” said Peery Ritter, who is now 73 years old. “My dad was coaching at the time, and my mom tried to attend all of his matches and tournaments.”
She does, however, vividly remember the 1957 tournament, which was at Fitzgerald Field House. That event was the last time the Division I tournament was in Pittsburgh. More than 60 years later, PPG Paints Arena will play host to this year’s tournament starting Thursday.
Peery Ritter grew up in a well-known wrestling family. Her father, Rex, and brothers Hugh and Ed, are all three-time NCAA Division I champions and distinguished members of the National Wrestling Hall of Fame. No other family has combined to win nine NCAA titles in nine attempts.
Rex Peery was the most successful coach in Pitt history. During a stretch from 1952-63, the Panthers never finished lower than ninth at the NCAA tournament and placed second in 1954 and 1957. Peery coached 13 individual national champions at Pitt, including three by son Ed.
“The first NCAA tournament I remember was the year Hugh won his first title,” said Peery Ritter, referring to 1952. “It was so exciting. I got to see Hugh win three titles, then watch Ed win three titles.”
Ed Peery’s third title came in 1957.
“I was 12 years old when the NCAA tournament came to Pittsburgh,” said Peery
Ritter, who still resides in Glenshaw. “I remember it well, because my brother Ed was going for his third title. My dad and brother Hugh had already won three titles, so there was a lot of pressure on Ed to win his third. The match ended in a tie and required a referee’s decision. He was awarded the title because he had two more seconds of riding time.”
Peery was one of three champions for Pitt in 1957. The Panthers were the only team to win three titles but had to settle for second best in the team standings. Ron Schirf, a Latrobe graduate, and Tom Alberts, a Waynesburg graduate, also won NCAA titles for the Panthers that year.
“The Pitt Field House is very small compared to some of the big venues they have today,” Peery Ritter said.
“It was no surprise that tickets sold out quickly. It was a small, but vocal crowd.
“The tournament has changed so much over the years. They used five mats and had one referee on each mat when it was held at Pitt. Now they have eight mats and two referees on each mat.”
The number of All-Americans has also changed.
“Only the top four wrestlers were recognized as AllAmericans,” Peery Ritter said. “Now the top eight finishers are recognized as AllAmericans.”
Schirf also has vivid memories of his title match.
“I placed third in the country as a junior, so I felt pretty good about myself going into my senior year,” Schirf said. “I went undefeated, then wrestled my worst match of the year in the finals. It came down to a split referees decision. Two refs voted for me and the third voted for my opponent.”
Schirf and his wife still reside in Latrobe, but spend half of the year in Florida. They attended almost every NCAA tournament from 1997, the year he retired, to 2010.
“It’s something my wife and I would do every year,” Schirf said. “When my wife started having health issues in 2010, we stopped going. It’s a lot different now than when I wrestled. The venues are much bigger.”
Schirf will be attending this year’s NCAA tournament.
“It was very hard to get tickets. They sold out in a few minutes,” he said.
“I could only get four tickets. I will be going with my son, son-in-law, and grandson. All are former wrestlers. Our daughter will be with my wife while I’m away.”
Schirf, now 83, recently learned that he will be a medal presenter during the finals.
“I will be one of 10 medal presenters,” Schirf said. “They asked if I had a preference on which weight class. I requested the 133-pound weight class because two of top wrestlers at that weight class are Latrobe graduate Luke Pletcher and Derry graduate Micky Phillippi.
“It would be great if they both appeared in the finals.”
Peery Ritter also will be a medal presenter.
“I’ve been to almost every NCAA tournament since I graduated from Slippery Rock,” Peery Ritter said. “I just love it. I’m really looking forward to this year tournament since it’s being held in our backyard.”
She is expecting another Penn State team title.
“I would be very surprised to see anybody beat Penn State,” she said. “They have four wrestlers in their lineup who have won NCAA titles.”
Peery Ritter has continued the family tradition as an advocate of the sport of wrestling.
In 1999 she was elected to the first board of directors of the Pennsylvania Chapter of the National Wrestling Hall of Fame. Their leadership helped guide a fledgling chapter through its infancy. Today, the Pennsylvania Chapter serves as a model for other state programs.
“Ann has kept the family tradition going,” said Tom Elling, who serves as vice president of the Pennsylvania Chapter.
“She didn’t wrestle, but has been involved in every other way.”
Peery Ritter represents the Pennsylvania Chapter in national meetings in Stillwater, Okla., and also serves on the National Advisory Board for the National Hall of Fame and Museum.
She is a member of the Veterans Selection Committee, responsible for reviewing and recommending worthy candidates for induction into the hall of fame.
“One of my greatest pleasures in life is the sport of wrestling, supporting its activities and helping make it grow,” Peery Ritter said.