Pete Schroeder Posted May 17, 2011 Share Posted May 17, 2011 Doug Blugaugh was killed in a hit and run accident yesterday in Oklahoma. Wrestling was his life and and at the drop of a hat Doug would travel to give clinics all over the country. He was a strong ambassador for the sport for decades.... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MattM Posted May 17, 2011 Share Posted May 17, 2011 He was one of the original great of our sport and continued to be an ambasedor of wrestling way past his competitive days. Coach Blubaugh will be missed. http://themat.com/article.php?ArticleID=23600 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Y2CJ41 Posted May 17, 2011 Share Posted May 17, 2011 That is horrible, FloWrestling just did a series with him earlier this spring, it was very good. http://www.flowrestling.org/coverage/238477-Doug-Blubaugh-Series Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jimtown 138 Posted May 17, 2011 Share Posted May 17, 2011 Hit and run seems to be a popular thing these days... Unbelievable! I did a week at the Top of the World Wrestling Camp and Coach was great... Godspeed Blu... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
indyt Posted May 17, 2011 Share Posted May 17, 2011 One of my first camps and lots of wisdom from this great wrestler and coach. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Scott Miller Posted May 17, 2011 Share Posted May 17, 2011 Blue was a great coach to wrestle for. Unfortunately most of us did not win enough matches for him to keep his job at IU. He had a ton of time, hard work, and money invested in his Top Of The World Wrestling Camp a few miles outside of Bloomington that because it sat at the top of a big hill and you could see for miles had been one of John Dillinger's hideouts. Blue had some hardships in his life but he cared for everybody and would give you the shirt off his back. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Brey Posted May 17, 2011 Share Posted May 17, 2011 Sad day! I spent my whole summer at Top of the World during high school. He was very instrumental in my success as a wrestler. Blu you will be truely missed! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
grecoref Posted May 17, 2011 Share Posted May 17, 2011 I refereed a dual meet with the then Soviet National Team and a USA team comprised of mostly guys with Ohio connections at St John's Arena on the campus of The Ohio State University. The Soviet team was very good having just won the World Cup in Toledo, Oh the weekend prior. Members of that USA team were current Congressman Jim Jordan, Mark "The Hammer" Coleman and Kenny Monday among others. Doug Blubaugh was an assistant coach at Ohio State at the time and was named one of the USA coaches for the dual. As I recall there were about 9 or 10,000 people in attendance. This was around 1990 or 91 probably my first "big" international event. As we were lined up in the tunnel for the Opening Ceremonies Doug reached in his pocket and pulled out a bottle of some kind of pills and said "Here, it looks like you need these". I said "What are they?"....Blubaugh replied "Smart Pills". Doug's comment made me laugh and it relaxed me...which I think was his intention as I am sure I looked a bit nervous. RIP Blu! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bharmon01 Posted May 17, 2011 Share Posted May 17, 2011 I attended the first ever Top of the World wrestling camp - there was no roof over the mats, the showers didn't work right, the eggs were green and we went swimming in a pond. It was the best wrestling camp I ever attended! Learned alot of good hardnosed wrestling at that camp. He also came to our school at the begining of the season and did a clinic each year when I was at North Central. This is a big loss for wrestling I hope they catch that hit and run driver. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cbarnett Posted May 17, 2011 Share Posted May 17, 2011 R.I.P .... Coach B Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Coach Peck Posted May 17, 2011 Share Posted May 17, 2011 Coach Blubaugh was a true American legend. He was all about wrestling and kids. He used to just pop in from time toi time. He would used to ask if it would be okay if he "helped out". I was always smart enough to say...."help out??...Just take over" He was awesome. The kids loved him because he was as genuine and honest as they come. I will miss not getting to see him from time to time. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Little Blu Posted May 18, 2011 Share Posted May 18, 2011 Doug was my cousin, and he was extremely proud of Indiana Univ and the kids he taught. He loved the kids that came to his camp and was always a little taken back by his "star" factor. His family is extremely proud of Doug, not just as a wrestler and coach, but as a genuine, honest person. He never let his disability be an excuse and turned it to his advantage. He said once he got hold of someone, he would not let them go, because he couldn't see them. When IU came to OSU when I was a student we had a nice talk, I always hoped he would come back to O State, but things work out funny. It was erroneously printed he was hit by a hit and run driver, not so, just an accident. Gosh, 76 yo and still riding his motorcycle, not bad. Love ya man, RIP Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Numberz Posted May 18, 2011 Share Posted May 18, 2011 I remember in the early 1990's dropping our oldest son off at Coach Blubaugh's camp. When we approached the camp, after fording a creek, there was Coach playing with a pet racoon. I wasn't sure my wife was going to allow son to stay. He learned so much that week, both wrestling and work ethic. Coach, you will sorely missed. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Numberz Posted May 18, 2011 Share Posted May 18, 2011 The following link is to an article on Coach Blubaugh's tragic accident in today's electronic version of The Oklahoman: http://www.newsok.com/olympian-former-osu-wrestler-doug-blubaugh-killed-in-accident/article/3568879?custom_click=headlines_widget Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kurt Boyer Posted May 18, 2011 Share Posted May 18, 2011 Mr. Blubaugh was certainly in the same elite category as other American wrestling iconic names like Gable, the Petersons, Hodge, & Cliff Keen. It was always impressive to me how positive and eager to help others he was while it seemed life constantly dealt him a bad hand of cards. I always enjoyed talking with him and picking his brain at clinics. He was a Front Headlock Machine! Huge loss for wrestling. KBoyer Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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