I knew John from the time we were schoolmates at Jackson. He was a remarkable young man. He was a great athlete, a great musician, and the coolest guy I ever knew around the ladies. My favorite memory of John was the day he wrestled Bullet at the West gym in a match with cross-town rival Central. John was our heavyweight wrestler. He weighed somewhere around 150 pounds if my memory is correct. John was stout, but Bullet weighed twice as much! I couldn’t see any way that John could overcome the weight advantage. I should have known better than to ever doubt John. I sat next to John’s dad in the stands. Out of all my friends’ dads, Dr. Ryan was the greatest! When it was time for John’s match, he and Bullet walked out to the center of the mat. I looked at Dr. Ryan, expecting to see serious parental concern on his face as he sized up his son’s adversary. Instead, he burst out laughing! I’ll never forget it. I think he knew what was about to happen. I don’t remember the details of the match, but when it was over...John pinned Bullet! The crowd went nuts. Bullet got up with a stunned look on his face. He could not believe what had just happened to him. John walked over to him and shook his hand. John was always a gentleman and a great sport. I will always remember him as a winner at whatever he did.
~Steve Holliday~
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