Pavlovich another stud wrestler from German Township

Francis “Bibby” Pavlovich is another in a long line of wrestlers produced by the German Township wrestling program.
Pavlovich was a solid wrestler for the Uhlans in the 1960s, who parlayed his wrestling skill into a college education, and ultimately a teaching and coaching career.
He was a part of some top-notch German teams until his graduation in 1962.
“We were very competitive,” Pavlovich recalled. “The only team that we had a problem with all of the time was Waynesburg. At that time, they had more state champions then any other school. Our 1961 team finished 12-1 in dual meets. The lone loss was in the second match of the season when Waynesburg nipped us, 24-21.”
Pavlovich finished with a regular season dual-meet mark of 5-2-2 in 1961 at 127 pounds.
“I started out my first two years at German wrestling at 103,” Pavlovich stated. “My last two years I wrestled at 127 pounds.”
Pavlovich was surrounded by some talented teammates at German.
“We had Bob Dugan, and he placed second in the state in 1961,” Pavlovich said. “The kid that beat him was a four-time state champion, Mike Johnson, from Lock Haven. During my period at German, we also had the two Simon boys, Joe and Jerry. We had Tom Karpency, Joe Tindal, the two Checks, Don and Paul. We had Lefty Radosevich and Bob Gary. We also had a very good heavyweight in Melio Sulipek.”
Pavlovich reflected on the German program and the differences in training methods in those days.
“Back then, weight loss to make weight was different,” Pavlovich opined. “They didn’t have a doctor who would certify you where you couldn’t lose so much weight. Back then, you just lost weight and a lot of times it was just starvation and dehydration.
“It was tough for me to make weight. My senior year in high school I can’t remember what I started, but I struggled. My last two years in college I started at around 177, and I would get down to 145. You did it for the team. If there was a hole someplace in the lineup, you sacrificed a little bit.”
As good as German Township wrestling was, the Uhlans only produced one state champion in George Dugan. They were close quite a few times.
“The bad thing is a lot of our kids didn’t go to college,” Pavlovich lamented. “They could have, and I’m sure they had offers, but they just weren’t interested. They would rather get a job and go to work to help their families.”
Pavlovich has great respect for his former coach at German, Ray Rifenburg.
“He was a good coach,” Pavlovich said. “He was a tremendous disciplinarian, and when he talked, you listened. Behind his back we called him high pockets because he was a big man. When you stood there you were almost at eyeball level with his pockets, but he was a good guy.”
Pavlovich never was able capture a sectional title, as Waynesburg wrestlers were usually the fly in the ointment.
“As a matter of fact, my senior year, the first time I wrestled Bob Shriver from Waynesburg, we tied 2-2, and then he beat me in the Section 4 finals, 7-2,” Pavlovich said. “He won the state championship the next year in 1963 at 133 pounds.”
Pavlovich wasn’t headed to college when he graduated from German Township in 1962.
“When I graduated, I wasn’t going to go to college,” Pavlovich explained. “I went to Columbus, Ohio, and I got a job, and whenever I’d come home, Don Check, my buddy kept telling me to come down to West Virginia.
“He said you can make the team, and get a scholarship. He finally talked me into it and that’s how I wound up at West Virginia.”
Pavlovich did not wrestle as a freshman, posted a 3-8 record as a sophomore and was 5-4-2 in the 145-pound weight class as a junior. Pavlovich and Bill Zimmerman were co-captains in 1966-67.
Pavlovich wrestled for the late Steve Harrick at WVU, and had great respect for his former mentor.
“He was a character,” Pavlovich stated. “He set an example for you, because he wouldn’t wrestle with us, but he would exercise while we were there. He was a great guy, fair, honest, just a great guy.”
WVU won four Southern Conference wrestling titles in a row while Pavlovich was in Morgantown.
“My sophomore year, I placed fourth in the Southern Conference championships, my junior I placed third and my senior year, I placed second,” Pavlovich said. “I was glad that I went to WVU. I got a great education and that led into coaching.”
Pavlovich earned his degree in education and taught health and physical education and general science. When he graduated from WVU in 1967, he taught one year at Fairchance-Georges, and then went to Waynesboro, Pennsylvania, and taught and was the head wrestling coach for four years.
Waynesboro posted three 9-5 records, and was 5-9 one season. He captured one Tri-State Conference Championship.
He came back to Fairchance-Georges in 1972, and was the first wrestling coach for the Runners in the 1974-75 season. He coached elementary, junior high and at the senior high. He coached from 1967-68 until 1997-98.
“I really enjoyed coaching,” Pavlovich said. “I loved working with the kids.”
Pavlovich, 73, resides in Uniontown and retired from teaching in 2002. He was married to his wife, Barbara, for 36 years, who passed away in 2005. They had three children, a daughter, Beth Ann, and two sons, Michael and Mathew. Pavlovich has seven grandchildren.
George Von Benko’s “Memory Lane” column appears in the Monday editions of the Herald-Standard. He also hosts a sports talk show on WMBS-AM radio from 10 a.m. to noon on Saturdays.