Poly coach Wavie Gibson graduated from Mardela High School in 1982 as a 138-pound Class BC (2A-1A) state champion, pinning Fallston’s Frank Sicca in 3:14 to complete an undefeated senior season and become the first wrestling title-winner in the Cougars’ history.
As a Mardela High junior, Gibson was a district runner-up who placed fourth at the regional tournament before going 19-0 and winning his district, regional and states as a senior.
Gibson’s 36 coaching seasons comprise 10 at Walbrook and 26 at Poly, where he is also a chemistry teacher and science department chairman.
An excellent student, Gibson earned an academic scholarship to the University of Maryland on the Eastern Shore, graduating in 1986 as a biology major.
Gibson wrestled as a sophomore and senior at UMES, earning Most Valuable Player honors as a senior when he placed third in the Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference (MEAC) and became an Easter Regional qualifier for the NCAAs.
Gibson coached at Walbrook High as an assistant during the 1987-88 seasons before becoming the head coach from 1989-through-99.
Tyrell Gordon won a district title under Gibson in 1988, later became a Class 4A-3A state champion at Overlea in 1989, and, eventually, a MEAC titlist at Morgan State in 1994.
In addition, Gibson also coached former Poly wrestler Andy Posil, who became a Class 2A-1A state champion for Towson in 2002.
Gibson’s son, Wavie IV, graduated from Western Tech in 2010 as a regional runner-up and three-time state qualifier under coach Ishmail Smith, a two-time state champion for Mardela.
Hannah Breitmeyer (115 pounds) and Eva Bachman (140) won regional titles in 2022 under Gibson, becoming the first females from Baltimore City to do so.
Bachman also placed fifth and fourth at the states, the latter as a senior in 2023, becoming the city’s first girl to do that as well, according to Gibson.
Gibson also coached a pair of Maryland Scholastic Athletic Association B conference championship teams at Walbrook, where his teams also earned 15 district tournament titles, he coached 70 individual district champions, and “about 20 regional champions,” Gibson said.
Gibson was inducted into the Maryland Chapter of the National Wrestling Hall of Fame in 2014, serves as a National Wrestling Hall of Fame Maryland chapter Board member, and has been a District IX representative for the Maryland Public Secondary Schools’ Athletic Association since 1994.
Other honors for Gibson included being named Baltimore City’s Coach of the Year in 1992 and 2004 and being honored by the Maryland Wrestling Official’s Association for the Outstanding Contributions to Wrestling Award in 1992 and 2005, and The William T. Hasting Award for Contribution to Wrestling in 2016.
For the 2024-25 season, the “three-point takedown,” the “four-point nearfall,” and the “one point of contact” inbound directive have been implemented by the National Federation of State High School Associations (NFHS) Wrestling Rules Committee.
The changes mirror similar changes previously made in college wrestling, which increased the value of a takedown from two points to three, and rewarding more offensive action in the sport.
Legacy Wrestling sought Wavie Gibson’s perspective and his view of how the pair of changes have affected the sport.
Wavie Gibson on the three-point takedown and the four-point near-falls.
“The new three-point take-down is changing coaching strategies. Reversals are no longer as
important. You have to be great on your feet. Having a four-point lead with 30 seconds left is no
longer as secure anymore. A take-down and two-to-four back-points can kill you.
“The three-point take-down is a take-down artist's dream. My former wrestler, Tyrell Gordon, would have thrived even more with this format. He was a take-down guru. For me in high school, I was not a pinner.
“I was OK with a take-down or two and then riding you out. I didn’t try to get off the bottom unless I absolutely had to. I didn’t mind getting called for stalling, which hurt me in college at first where there was riding time.
“Now-a-days opponents would probably let me up because they couldn’t turn me. No lead is safe anymore. The new rules force the action and don’t let you play the edge anymore. The new rules also make you pay dearly for any mistakes that are made.
“I saw a match the other day where the wrestler was up by seven points in the last 40 seconds. He gave up a one-point escape, thought that he was still safe but got caught with a lateral drop. He fought off the pin but lost because of the three-point take-down and then the four-point near-fall.
“Before this year, he would have only given up five points on the big move. I like the way that the new rules create a sense of urgency throughout the entire match. It also makes the take-down tournament that I run even more important.”
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