Remembering the legacy and kindness of GJ wrestling coach Gene Wilder

He led the Tigers back to glory by winning the 1994 state championship and acted as a father to everyone on the team. His on-the-mat prowess and off-the-mat kindheartedness made him a community pillar.

Grand Junction lost that pillar when Wilder died at his home on Feb. 24 at the age of 68.

“He didn’t throw people away. He opened his heart to you,” said Jerry Blackmore, who wrestled for Wilder through 1995 and remained close friends with him after. “He took his time getting to know you. He didn’t judge you, he saw you for who you were.”

It’s clear that the loss of Wilder and Dick Mantlo, a former GJHS baseball, golf, and softball coach who died on October 12, 2021, has left the community in mourning.

Wilder is survived by his wife, Carol Wilder, who coaches tennis at Grand Junction and children Morgen, Logan and Payton.

Wilder was born in Grand Junction on February 20, 1954, and graduated from Grand Junction in 1972 as a three-sport athlete. He wrestled at the University of Northern Colorado before returning to the Grand Valley.

He coached wrestling and taught for about 20 years in School District 51 before working for Suncor for 12 years.

As a coach, Wilder was cool and reserved. He rarely yelled but that doesn’t mean he was a pushover. If you messed up, he’d let you know it. But he also sought to build you.

Larry Trujillo also wrestled on that 1994 team.

At one point, Trujillo was ranked sixth in his weight class before losing a wrestle-off match in practice that sent him down to junior varsity for the week.

“I was crushed,” said Trujillo. “I ran into the bathroom and Gene told me that I had gotten that far on natural ability and that I didn’t believe in myself. But he believed in me. He pushed me and I got back to varsity and ended up finishing fourth that year.”

Wilder’s belief in, and love for, the team unlocked something special in them. In 1994, the Tigers wrestled well for the whole season but it wasn’t until the final month or so when the wrestlers and coaches knew just how good they were.

“We were at regionals and we crushed everyone. And I mean crushed them,” Blackmore recalled. “I looked over to coach and said, ‘Gene, I think we can win state’ and he said, ‘Yeah Jer, I think we can, too.’ ”

Grand Junction, relatively new to Class 5A in 1994, surprised the other teams at the state tournament and took home the title over stalwarts such as Cherry Creek.

On the drive back, Wilder had an idea that something big may be awaiting them. The bus pulled into the Burger King parking lot on Horizon Drive and police cars pulled up alongside them.

“I thought we were being pulled over,” Trujillo said.

Instead, it was a police escort and awaiting them was a full-on championship parade, with the community lining the sidewalks to celebrate the Tigers’ win.

“It was the wildest thing I’ve seen and it was Gene’s 40th birthday,” Blackmore said. “I know it meant a lot to him.”

Wilder is most known for wrestling, he was much ore than a high school coach who took home some hardware nearly 30 years ago. He was a father to many.

Blackmore first met Wilder as a seventh grader. Blackmore, by his own admission, was poor and felt unloved by most of the adults he met. He had no car and no direction in life, he said.

But Wilder took Blackmore under his wing and taught him important life lessons. He pushed Blackmore to pursue wrestling. Blackmore now owns hotels and properties throughout the world, and he owes it all to Wilder.

“I don’t know where I would be without him. Everything I have is because of him,” Blackmore said. “His kids call me uncle Jerry. He wasn’t my coach, he was my best friend. My life changed when I met him because I saw someone who put time into me instead of throwing me away.

“I came out as gay to him and I was terrified of losing everything and he showed me love.”

When not coaching, Wilder loved hunting, fishing and taking his boat Lil Miss Morgen, named for his daughter, to Lake Powell.

“That’s where he wasn’t dad, he wasn’t coach, he was just Gene Wilder. He was at peace there,” Blackmore said. “And Gene Wilder was a funny, complex and intriguing man.”

Laurence Gurule coached Central wrestling for nearly 40 years and knew Wilder well.

Although Gurule dreaded going against Wilder’s teams, he relished the time they spent together.

“I loved playing softball with him and going to Las Vegas together to have some fun,” Gurule said. “His loss is sad for wrestling and the world.”

In line with Wilder’s humility, his family will hold a small, private ceremony at a later date. Wilder’s family asks that in lieu of flowers, people donate to local wrestling teams.

Wilder’s memory continues in the lives he touched. Trujillo moved to Arizona after 1994 where he won two state titles, but he wishes he could have won at least one under Wilder.

Gurule said Wilder “is Grand Junction wrestling.”

And Blackmore will never forget his best friend for making him the man he is today.

But of course, Wilder would deflect praise thrown his way.

“He never took any credit, he was a very modest and remarkable man,” Blackmore said. “This dude was just cool … These kinds of people don’t come around too often.”