Never one for the spotlight, Toms River East assistant wrestling coach Warren Reid took an outlier position.
That’s where he planned to be for the impromptu team photo after Toms River East won the NJSIAA South Jersey, Group 4 championship Wednesday night.
It took a minute before some of the Raiders’ wrestlers, most of whose parents were not even in grade school when Reid started the Toms River East program in 1979, noticed where the longtime coach was.
They took a break from reveling in the first sectional title in program history and escorted Reid to a new spot. He was right in the center of the group photo.
Grudgingly, the 81-year-old and Shore Conference wrestling legend took hold of the trophy as Toms River East wrestlers held up the No. 1 sign around him.
Then, something wonderful happened.
The man known for his gruff persona and grizzly bear demeanor let loose with an ear-to-ear smile — a rarity for Reid, who from a distance appears unapproachable.
“I know he comes off as this tough, mean, wrestling coach,” said Toms River East assistant Keith Smicklo. “But he has a soft center.”
Long retired as a physical education teacher at East, Reid is in the building daily as a substitute teacher, working with special needs students.
“He lives here,” said Reid’s son, Brett Taylor, who is a Toms River East assistant coach. “He always has.”
“He brings the kids cookies and buys them a cake on their birthdays,” added Smicklo, revealing a side of Reid few people have seen.
After the team photo, there came a wrestling family photo for the ages. Reid was surrounded by Taylor, who starred at East, his two grandsons – Coleton and Carson – and a cousin, Logan. All three kids are starters for Toms River East.
Again, there was a wide, prideful grin.
“I don’t know if he’d ever admit what it means to him,” Taylor said. “He’s not one of those guys. He never liked being interviewed, so I don’t think he’s going to start sharing how he feels at 81.
“Deep down, though, I think he’s super happy.”
Asked if the sectional championship was big for the program, Reid answered with one word: “yeah.”
“The kids work hard,” he said. “They deserve it.”
So, too, did Reid. He was an assistant under another Shore Conference coaching legend — John DeMarco at Toms River South — before accepting the East job when the school opened in 1979. East made its wrestling debut during the 1980-81 season.
DeMarco, still regarded as one of the top technicians in the sport, has said for decades, “Nobody knows more wrestling than Coach Reid.”
Reid was the head coach for 848 dual meets in a 44-year career. He has 448 victories.
His methods were tough. His practices brutal. There were stories Reid would padlock his wrestlers’ lockers and he had the only key.
“He was the New Jersey freestyle coach in 1979 and he took us to Fort Monmouth and absolutely killed us to get us ready,” said Jeff Gauthier, now an assistant at Toms River South.
Reid’s methods worked almost immediately. Toms River East won back-to-back Shore Conference Tournament titles in 1983 and 1984. In all, East reached the SCT finals six consecutive years from 1983 to 1988.
Under Reid, the Raiders won eight Shore Conference divisional championships and eight NJSIAA district titles.
Reid not only built good teams, he developed high-level wrestlers. Renowned for his ability to get wrestlers ready for the postseason, Reid coached five wrestlers who combined to win six state championships. Former Rutgers University standout and current Christian Brothers assistant coach Vinnie DelleFave won back-to-back state championships in 2008 and 2009.
East and Reid, however, never had championship-winning success in the sectional team tournament. As good as East was, it always ran into a team a little bit better. Back when there were only four groups, the Raiders came up short against Southern, Jackson, Brick Memorial and Highland, to name a few.
But good times were followed by lean years. From 2008 until Reid stepped down as head coach, Toms River East had only one winning season. The Raiders had a combined record of 120-191. Reid’s old-school ways, boot camp-type practices and growling instructions did not play well with modern wrestlers.
“Asking Warren to step down was one of the hardest things I’ve had to do in my nine years (as athletic director),” Ted Gillen said. “Wrestling for Warren is a 12-month vocation. This program is his baby.”
“I hesitated to make a change because I wanted to show respect for everything Warren did for so many people while never asking for anything in return,” Gillen added. “What was I going to do, kick him to the curb?”
Eventually, however, even Gillen concluded that the time had come for a change.
“I finally convinced him a younger coach would be able to teach the kids to wrestle the way he wanted them to wrestle,” Gillen explained.
When the change was made and Toms River East brought in Steve Giannios, who is now the head coach at Brick Memorial, Taylor said his father “wasn’t happy about it,” but he thinks it worked out for the best.
“He was grumpy when he was the head coach. Now, you see him in the room and he has a smile on his face,” Taylor said. “I can’t believe how well it’s worked out. Steve did a good job. Now Mark (Grey) has stepped in and has been phenomenal. We’re still a young team and there are more good kids on the way.”
There isn’t a head coach anywhere in New Jersey who isn’t happy for Reid, who has served as the New Jersey freestyle coach and run tournaments for young wrestlers for years.
“At 80 years old, he was still moving mats by himself,” Gillen said. “He’s given his time and taken money out of his own pocket for kids. Last year, he refused to cash the check for his assistant coaching stipend.”
Currently, Reid doesn’t get down on the mat to scrap with his wrestlers.
“My knee isn’t good,” he said. “I work with the kids on setups and positioning.”
Asked if he could still roll around, the ever-competitive Reid answered, “Sure, if I needed to.”
There are no plans for Reid to leave the sport he cherishes any time soon.
“He’s still in the room every day,” Grey said. “I respect him. I respect what he’s done.”
“He’s happy,” Taylor quipped.
Isn’t that all that really matters?
