The Rod Stough Page




 

8/11/10 West York Wrestling Alumni Get Together...in Tennessee!        8/11/10 - (L-R) Dr. Kim Lehman, Carol Stough, Rod Stough '78 & Eric Lehman '96.     ∙ Eric Lehman '96 and wife, Army Major Dr. Kim Lehman...    have been transferred to Fort Campbell and Clarksville, TN from Fort Sam Houston in    San Antonio, TX.  Carol and Rod Stough '78 met Eric and Kim recently to have some    dinner @ the Blackhorse Saloon/Brew House and at the Lodge!  Eric and Kim found a    great home this week in Clarksville, TN.  Carol and Rod Stough live in Clarksville, TN...    and have been very helpful to Eric and Kim per the military transfer.  Kim just returned    from service in Baghdad, Iraq and after a short leave of duty, started at Fort Campbell    in October.  Thanks Rod and Carol!!  Wrestlers always come through for their brothers!                                  Feature...Interview                                                                                                               "Q&A" w/West York '78 Alumnus                          Rod Stough Rod Stough ▪ Photo by Kevin Drawbaugh of JK Images     9/18/09 Interview w/Rod Stough - BIO 9/18/09 - westyorkwrestlingalumni.com - Rod Stough Bio   1978 West York High School graduate, Rod Stough, was a premier lightweight wrestler for the Bulldogs in the late seventies.  Rod won a YCIAA Sectional Title in 1977, and was also 14-0 that '77 season in dual meets at 95lbs.  Rod was a member of two YCIAA League Championship Wrestling Teams!  Rod graduated from West Virginia University, Morgantown in 1982 with a BS in Industrial Engineering.  Rod also earned a MBA from Tulane University in 1983. Rod is currently the Director of Operations for Spear Corp.  Rod has been married for 22 years to his beautiful wife, Carol... and they have a border collie. Rod enjoys bass fishing, motorcycling and following his West Virginia University Mountaineers!  Rod and Carol currently live in Clarksville, TN, one of eight states that Rod has lived in as he progressed towards his manufacturing career goals!   ▪ Don Lehman '73, webmaster and owner of westyorkwrestlingalumni.com,  asked Rod Stough some questions about life and wrestling! Don Lehman Webmaster, Archivist & Owner of westyorkwrestlingalumni.com ROD STOUGH INTERVIEW by Don Lehman DL - Rod, it's been eight months since the 1978 West York Wrestling Championship Team Reunion (1/10/09) at West York High School - what have you been doing with yourself since that great weekend? RS - The 1978 Team Reunion was great!  It was nice to catch up with many of my fellow teammates and coaches.  This year I have been consumed with transitioning the label plant I work at from a large corporate identity, to a small family owned and operated company.  It has been a lot of work, but at the same time, a very rewarding task.  My wife and I also took a week of vacation to the Caribbean Island of Antigua.                                                                 ▪ ▪ ▪ ▪ ▪ ▪ ▪ ▪ DL - That year (1978) was special with the West York Wrestling Team going 14-0 and winning the YCIAA title... what are some of the memories you cherish from that period of time in your life? RS - The expectations of the coaches and the team going into the 1977-78 season was to win the YCIAA title.  We all worked hard in the pre-season with the goal of winning the championship.  The team "chemistry" was good and the bonds we formed during that wrestling season have lasted a lifetime.  I remember the team carrying both Coach Toggas and Coach Sprenkle to the showers after the final match of the season.  That was no small feat!                                                                 ▪ ▪ ▪ ▪ ▪ ▪ ▪ ▪ DL - Do you keep in touch with any of your teammates from that 1978 championship team? RS - I have kept in touch with Randy Blasdell over the years. It seems like we get together for some activity every 3-5 years.                                                                 ▪ ▪ ▪ ▪ ▪ ▪ ▪ ▪ DL - All wrestlers have stories that stand out concerning teammates... what is the story you tell among friends when you see the old crew? RS - The story that makes me laugh the most is the trip a group of us made one summer to the Granby School of Wrestling in Virginia.  On the way, we had to make a pit stop.  Bob Brown and I were using the women's rest room at a gas station because the men's room was full.  As I was leaving the women's rest room, John Reiber's mother, (a chaperone) entered the women's rest room and got a clear view of Bob Brown.  She screamed, Bob screamed... and the rest of us broke out in hysterical laughter!                                                                 ▪ ▪ ▪ ▪ ▪ ▪ ▪ ▪ DL - Rod, you were a YCIAA Sectional Champion in 1977.  Looking back at your years in the YCIAA Wrestling League, what stands out with regard to the toughest matches you had, and also, the toughest dual meets for the team? RS - My toughest match was in 1977 against Bill Koon from Hanover.  We were both undefeated at the time and the dual meet was in Hanover.  I was the first to wrestle that day and it set the tome for the match.  I won 3-0 and I feel it was the best match (mistake free) I ever wrestled at West York.  Dallastown and Hanover were always our biggest rivals.  Those dual meets always decided the YCIAA championship and the intensity was always "sky high" for those matches!                                                                 ▪ ▪ ▪ ▪ ▪ ▪ ▪ ▪ DL - What was it like to walk out of the locker room and stand at the mat with your teammates before that important Dallastown match?  What were you thinking about? RS - We were always focused with one goal in mind, beat Dallastown.  Coach Toggas had us really pumped up with his pre-match speech.  I remember the gym was so full - and I said to myself, there is no way we are going to lose this match.                                                                 ▪ ▪ ▪ ▪ ▪ ▪ ▪ ▪ DL - You had some great fans at West York that supported you along the way... I'm betting seeing those "full houses" geared you up for your dual meets?! RS - Yes, the fans at West York supported our team at both the home and away meets.  The "Bulldog Platoon" made sure we were never drowned out by the opposing fans with regard to the noise level!                                                                 ▪ ▪ ▪ ▪ ▪ ▪ ▪ ▪ DL -  I know that cutting weight was a big deal "back in the day!"  Are there any weight loss stories that you would like to share? RS - I tried to forget all of the weight-cutting stories... but, I do have one I will share.  In 1977 and 1978, I spent so much time in Sam Toggas's sauna in his basement, that he once joked to me that he saw me more during those two years than his own son, Steve!                                                                 ▪ ▪ ▪ ▪ ▪ ▪ ▪ ▪ DL - I'm sure you have watched a high school wrestling match or two since your graduation from West York in 1978 - one being the 2009 West York and Dallastown dual meet - what has changed in your mind... or, has anything changed? RS - Nothing significant has changed in the sport.  It comes down to preparation, technique and heart!  The sport of wrestling is just as much mental as it is physical.                                                                 ▪ ▪ ▪ ▪ ▪ ▪ ▪ ▪ DL - Do you follow the sport, either at the high school or college level? RS - I do follow wrestling at the college level each year when the NCAA Division I tournament comes around.  Those guys are animals!                                                                 ▪ ▪ ▪ ▪ ▪ ▪ ▪ ▪ DL - Did you try wrestling at the Division I level at West Virginia? RS - I did try out my freshman year and quickly learned that if I was going to succeed at getting my degree, the wrestling shoes would have to be put away.  It was a huge time commitment to wrestle at that level, so I focused on academics and enjoying the college scene.                                                                 ▪ ▪ ▪ ▪ ▪ ▪ ▪ ▪ DL - How often do you get back to York, PA - and do you see any changes? RS - I get back to York, PA every couple of years to visit with my parents and see old friends.  Like most cities, York continues to grow, but I will always remember it as "cruising" the Market Street circuit on a Friday night, and shooting ring-necked pheasants in the corn field below my parent's house in Shiloh.                                                                 ▪ ▪ ▪ ▪ ▪ ▪ ▪ ▪ DL - I know you worked at Anheuser-Busch for a period of time, what are you doing these days? RS - I am in charge of a manufacturing plant that makes labels for beverage companies like Anheuser-Busch.  We do over $70 million in annual sales and have over 300 employees. Wrestling has taught me personal accountability, hard work, dedication, teamwork and most importantly, leadership traits.  I might be biased, but the sport of wrestling is the best sport in the world to prepare you for life.                                                                 ▪ ▪ ▪ ▪ ▪ ▪ ▪ ▪ DL - What does Rod Stough like to do in his off-time? RS - My favorite off-time activity is bass fishing.  However, I do like competition, so I enter an occasional bass fishing tournament... and have had some success.                                                                 ▪ ▪ ▪ ▪ ▪ ▪ ▪ ▪ DL - Your friend, Randy Blasdell, likes to talk about a nickname that seemed to have followed you since West Virginia - the "white rat."  Please tell us the real story behind the name. RS - Actually, Coach JT Toggas gave me that nickname during a wrestling practice one day.  I do have a "white rat" story from my college days which involves releasing a pet white rat at half-time of a WVU/Pitt football game... and watching the Pitt band run and get out of their marching pattern!  Silly huh?                                                                 ▪ ▪ ▪ ▪ ▪ ▪ ▪ ▪ DL - When is the next visit to York planned? RS - Carol and I might visit York over the Christmas holidays.                                                                 ▪ ▪ ▪ ▪ ▪ ▪ ▪ ▪ DL - Do you follow West York Wrestling?  I know you met some of the wrestlers and coaches during the reunion dual meet.  What would you like to see implemented to enhance the program, if anything? RS - I follow West York Wrestling by looking at the www.westyorkwrestlingalumni.com website.  It is very informative.  I would like to see the wrestling program have the necessary facilities and administrative support to again field a championship caliber program.  The West York Wrestling program has such a storied history.  It would be a shame if the student athletes didn't have the same opportunities in the sport as we, the past alumni had.                                                                 ▪ ▪ ▪ ▪ ▪ ▪ ▪ ▪ DL - Rod, what was it like to see your old coaches and teachers, John T. Toggas and John Sprenkle in January? RS - It was tremendous to see Coach Toggas and Coach Sprenkle.  I think the world of both of them.  There were times when they could have easily given up on me, but they did not.  Because of them, I am a much better person today and I thank them both.                                                                 ▪ ▪ ▪ ▪ ▪ ▪ ▪ ▪ DL - Lastly,  are there any changes or additions you want to see per your Alumni Wrestling Website? RS - No.  We, the alumni, are lucky to have the WY Wrestling Alumni website.  You should be congratulated on being the administrator of such a benchmark website!                                                                 ▪ ▪ ▪ ▪ ▪ ▪ ▪ ▪ DL - Rod, thank you very much for your time and your financial support of the West York Wrestling Alumni website.  I'm looking forward to seeing you soon. ALUMNUS                ALUMNUS 1977 YCIAA Sectional Wrestling Champions ▪ Kneeling (L-R) Rod Stough (West York), Mike Beckler (Central), Ted McWilliams (Dallastown), Chuck Nace (West York), Bob Roberts (Dallastown), Steve Toggas (West York). ▪ Standing (L-R) John Morton (Dallastown), Mike Ruth (Dallastown), Eric Myers (Red Lion), Jerry Mathison (Vo-Tech), Dan Folkenroth (Dallastown), Harry Jennings (Vo-Tech). 1977-78 West York Wrestling YCIAA Championship Team (14-0) ▪ Front (L-R) Joel Pugh, Rodney Stough, Van Emig, Kenneth Shorts, John Silar, Clyde Poe, Dennis Heath, Don Botterbusch. ▪ Back (L-R) Larry Gay, Barry Gay, Lynn Martin, Bruce Stambaugh, Dave Stram, Randy Blasdell, Perry Tallman. 1/10/09 West York 1977-78 Championship Team Reunion ▪ Front Row (L-R) Don Botterbusch, Bruce Stambaugh, Rod Stough, John Silar. ▪ Back Row (L-R) Larry Gay, Barry Gay, Asst. Coach Don Lehman, Randy Blasdell, Dave Stram, Head Coach John T. Toggas, Asst. Coach John Sprenkle. ▪ Photo by Kevin Drawbaugh of JK Images LARGER PHOTO     "Like most cities, York continues to grow, but I will always remember it as cruising the Market Street circuit on a Friday night, and shooting ring-necked pheasants in the corn field below my parent's house in Shiloh."   Rod Stough 1977 YCIAA Sectional Champs from West York HS ▪ (L-R) Rod Stough, Chuck Nace, Steve Toggas w/coaches... John T. Toggas and John W. Sprenkle.

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