As many of you already know, last March my father's NCAA trophy, along with some his Olympic memorabilia, was stolen from our house by a number youths during a break and enter. The youths were caught, however they denied any involvement in the crime, even though they got caught red-handed with my father's stolen laptop.
The trophy that they stole bears the inscription, "1972 NCAA Wrestling Championships Unlimited Weight Four Place", referring to my father's fourth place finish at the 1972 NCAA Champions. This trophy can't belong to anyone else, but my father, Harry Geris. My fear is that it was discarded once they realized that it could be easily traced back to the owner. It is one of the things taken from the break-in that I will truly miss. It stood for my father's dominance in wrestling in his early years, he was a Canadian National Champion and an All-American wrestler in 1972; dare I say - one of the toughest heavyweights in North America.
I contacted the NCAA and they quickly replaced the trophy with an up-dated version of the current trophy that they award their wrestlers today. The original manufacturer isn't licensed by the NCAA to reproduce a replica of the 1972 trophy. The new trophy is made of wood and is dated with my father's fourth place accomplishment listed. It will never replace the original trophy, but it stands in my TV room as a reminder to dad's wrestling journey.
As for the youths that stole dad's stuff; I have offered them all a lifetime membership at the Harry Geris Wrestling Club with private lessons from any of dad's former wrestlers.
http://www.lfpress.com/news/london/2011/03/18/17674546.html
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