CLARION – Former Clearfield High School state champions Paul Swales, Dean Seese and the late William Thomson were among the six men officially inducted into the District 9 Wrestling Hall of Fame prior to the finals of the 2009 tournaments in Clarion University\’s Tippin Gymnasium Saturday evening.
All three qualified for the PIAA Tournament in the era when Districts 6 and 9 combined for one tourney.
Thomson wrestled only one full season and was undefeated and unscored on as a Bison sophomore in 1943 when he won the PIAA 95-pound title. A heart condition that was discovered when he became ill after the first bout of his junior year ended his career. Rita Thomson accepted for her husband, who passed away in 1979.
Swales was a two-time District 6-9 champ who earned state laurels at 127 pounds in 1946 via a referee\’s decision after the bout ended 1-1, 0-0 in overtime. He had lost in the finals at 120 as a junior and finished his career with a 30-7-1 record.
Seese also claimed a pair of District 6-9 and Central Northwest Region crowns, losing in the state finals at 103 as a sophomore in 1951, then returning as a 120-pound senior and winning the championship. His victory over Shaler Township\’s Ed Peery was the most-talked about bout of the finals, for Peery had never lost a match and already was a two-time state champ. The referee\’s decision went to Seese after they had battled to a 2-2 tie through regulation and overtime.
Seese was an all-service champion for the U.S. Navy and beat Peery again during the 1956 U.S. Olympic Freestyle Team Trials. He suffered a broken foot while practicing and was unable to compete for chance to go to the Olympics. Peery wound up as an alternate.
Both Swales and Seese wore their CHS lettermen sweaters during the presentation ceremonies.
The three members of the eighth class of inductees raise to 24 the number of ex-Bisons who have been honored. All but three were PIAA champions. Seven former Clearfield coaches, three of whom wrestled for the Bisons, also have been inducted.
Others in the District 9 Hall of Fame Class of 2009 are Bob Bader, a two-time District 6-9 champ and DuBois High School\’s first PIAA champion as a 165-pounder in 1939; James Gilligan, a four-time District 9 champion and two-time PIAA bronze medal winner before earning the gold at 145 in 1999 for Brookville; and Gil Mauiro, a PIAA referee for more than 25 years while residing in Coudersport.
