The "Bear" (by Chuck Coryea)
You have heard the idiom, “Legend in their own time”. In pop
culture, most everyone (of a certain age) recognizes Ali, Cher
or Madonna. No full names are needed. In the early days of
Reynolds wrestling, we had our own one-name icon. The “Bear”.
That was all that was needed, and the entire community knew
exactly who the Bear is.
Sadly, Raider Nation lost that legend on January 23 when Bob
“Bear” Loveless unexpectedly passed away. A 1969
graduate, he was a great leader to us younger football players
and wrestlers. Unlike some of his peers that liked to haze
younger students, Bear was never a bully and respected all the
team members.
And teammates held Bob in high regard too. Lon Dawes, a Raider
star from the 1968 team, shared,
“Bear was Heavyweight on my senior year team, as you know all
the stories. Being 1 year behind me I had a really close
relationship with him. All through intramural (before junior
high or JO) I would have to defend king of mat even against him.
He would win of course. He made me better.”.
In football, he was a key lineman on the first Reynolds football
team to win a county title in the fall of 1968. He never lost a
dual match as a three-year starter and won sections twice and
districts once, back in the one-and-done times.
His nick name came from his short and muscular stature, of
course. His powerful legs were like oak trees. I can guarantee
from firsthand experience that trying to blast-double leg him
was a waste of energy. Single leg takedown attempts were just as
futile.
A quiet, introspective person, Bear didn’t really like that
spotlight. A lot of his reputation was thrust on him because of
the events of the 1968 Greenville match when he had to pin his
cousin --and close friend-- in the first period for Reynolds to
win the match. All of Raider Nation from that time, can remember
details of that moment just like people can tell you what they
were doing for world events like the JFK assassination, Neil
Armstrong’s walk on the moon or the 9/11 attacks.
But while everyone else was celebrating, Bear was coming to
terms with having to beat his cousin and the effect on both. Art
Williams has posted a poignant article that Bear wrote several
years later, reflecting the emotional impact he endured that
night and after.
Please read
that article at https://www.reynoldswrestling.com/Bear.pdf.
You will understand there was a lot of depth to the man.
One anecdote I want to share is an example of both his humility
and his athletic abilities.
The summer before my freshman year, about 30 of us Raiders went
to the then popular Russ Houk Wrestling Camp near Bloomsburg.
When Russ Houk introduced his staff the first day, he said one
of the camp counselors was the best in the state, a big
muscle-bound kid from Wyalusing.
The younger Reynolds kids took offense to that claim and tried
to get Bear to challenge the guy to a match. He told us he would
never do it. It just wasn’t his style. So, we changed tack and
hounded the counselor until his anger and ego demanded that he
challenge Bear.
Bob reluctantly accepted. The entire camp of 200 wrestlers
showed up to watch. And Bear kicked his butt, 12-4 (the score
still has a place in my memories). Bear, on the other hand, was
upset with us younger kids for putting him in that situation.
Five years later, that counselor, Floyd “Shorty” Hitchcock, won
the NCAA’s and was named the Most Outstanding Wrestler!
You younger Raiders and fans may not have heard of Bob because
he lived far away and wrestled a long time ago, so his stories
are rarely shared. And his records seem OK but not great when
comparing it to current records. But records from the 60s are
very deceiving due the nature of wrestling with a one-and-done
post season setup, there was just one class of teams (no AA and
AAA) and Mercer County was one of top counties in PA with many
state finalists and qualifiers (which amplified the one and done
dilemma).
Beyond wins and losses, his reputation motivated many kids to
join the wrestling team so they could be like Bob. The Bear’s
legacy and impact on Reynolds wrestling should alway be shared
and celebrated. |