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Saint Vincent College to honor former wrestling coach Tom Harbert with mat dedication at Nov. 12 season-opening dual meet

Saint Vincent College to honor former wrestling coach Tom Harbert with mat dedication at Nov. 12 season-opening dual meet

by Public Relations | November 05, 2024

LATROBE, PA – Tom “Legs” Harbert was a mainstay of Saint Vincent College athletics for more than three decades as head coach of the wrestling, lacrosse and cross country teams. After retiring from coaching, Harbert remained close to the College and recently spearheaded an effort to resurrect the wrestling program.

On Nov. 12, Saint Vincent will celebrate Harbert’s lasting impact by naming a mat in his honor before the wrestling team’s season-opening dual meet against Shippensburg University. There will be a reception from 5:30 p.m. to 6:45 p.m. in the Robert S. Carey Center lounge, followed by the mat dedication at 6:50 p.m. and the dual meet at 7 p.m.

“I am overwhelmed and honored,” said Harbert, who coached Saint Vincent’s wrestling team from 1963 to 1971. “I put a lot of time into getting the program back, and this is a great way for Saint Vincent to say ‘thank you.’ It’s awesome.”

Harbert is an inductee of the Saint Vincent College Athletics Hall of Fame, the National Wrestling Hall of Fame, the Southwestern Pennsylvania Wrestling Hall of Fame and the Pennsylvania Sports Hall of Fame. A1963 graduate of Shippensburg, Harbert was a four-year letter winner on the wrestling team and won a Pennsylvania State Athletic Conference title at 115 pounds.

A native of Wilkinsburg, Harbert, 82, coached various sports teams at Saint Vincent for 52 years before retiring from the College in 2015. After Saint Vincent’s wrestling program was dissolved in the mid-1970s, Harbert coached the Greater Latrobe High School wrestling team and racked up 202 dual-meet victories over 20 seasons.

“Coach Tom Harbert has been a constant force at Saint Vincent College and Latrobe High School over the past 50 years,” said John Lally, C’77, a member of the Saint Vincent College Board of Directors. “He has coached hundreds of athletes and his impact on their lives is evidenced by the outpouring of affection for the man.”

About 10 years ago, Harbert began lobbying for Saint Vincent to reinstate wrestling and wrote hundreds of letters to alumni, friends, fans and former wrestlers to raise money for mats and equipment. Dr. Jeff Mallory, C’06, G’13, Saint Vincent’s executive vice president and chief operating officer, said Harbert’s efforts brought in more than $150,000.

This past spring, Saint Vincent capped its first season of NCAA Division III competition in more than 50 years by winning the Presidents’ Athletic Conference tournament. “The program is back, and it is solid,” Harbert said.

As he guided the Bearcats through the 2023-24 season, head coach Dom Nania often turned to Harbert for advice. “Tom’s been a great mentor to me,” Nania said. “When I told him we’re going to dedicate a mat to him, he broke down in tears. This program means a lot to him, and I know how proud he is to see it come full circle.”

 

Black and white photo of Tom Harbert

Tom Harbert

 

 

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