By Colin McEwen
Record-Courier staff writer
Ravenna High School art teacher Tadaaki Hatta has pinned down just about every dream he could imagine during his 50-year career in wrestling.
As a coach of the USA Wrestling national women’s team, he was unable to bring home the success he wanted last summer in the Beijing Olympics, however he was recognized recently as USA Wrestling’s coach of the year.
While attending the national wrestling conference in Council Bluffs, Iowa, Hatta was presented the award much to his surprise.
“When I got there, I didn’t know,” said Hatta, who has been an art teacher in Ravenna since 1978. “I was pleased, because it’s my peers voting. I feel the time and effort and paid off.”
After his father revolutionized the sport in Japan nearly 80 years ago, Hatta has spent most of his life around wrestling.
He began wrestling in the 10th grade, and won the Japanese national championship in high school.
In college in 1965, he was a NCAA champion, and placed third in 1966.
Then he began coaching.
Hatta’s wrestling career is stocked with credentials that include being a member of coaching staff with the U.S. women’s team in Athens in 2004; U.S. Olympic men’s freestyle wrestling team in 1988, 1992 and 1996; the Japanese Olympic team in 1968 and 1984; and the 1972 Mexican Olympic team.
At next year’s World Championships, he said he will probably take a seat in the stands as a spectator.
“I feel like all the time I’ve spent, I feel like I’ve been rewarded,” Hatta said.
His Olympic team last summer took an overall third place — however, there are no team medals at the Olympics for women’s wrestling. And coaches never receive medals.
Nonetheless, Hatta said the most recent distinction as a coach felt rewarding.
“It was my first one and will probably be my last one, too,” he said. “I feel very happy to accept this award. It’s like someone is telling me I’ve done well — a job well done.”
“If you stick around long enough, you’ll get something.”