Hall of Famer Bankowski learned love of wrestling at Bedford

TEMPERANCE — One can never tell how the seeds we plant throughout life – little nudges, suggestions and influences on others – will turn out.

Long-time Bedford Public Schools teacher and wrestling coach Edd Bankowski’s senior year at Bedford High School was Bill Regnier’s first year as head wrestling coach, and Edd was a co-captain. Bankowski said it was Regnier – who also taught physical education – who “planted a seed as a role model” that led to Bankowski’s path as a teacher and being so involved in wrestling.

In talking about what he saw in Bankowski, Regnier said, “Edd stood out because of his love for the sport of wrestling, his ability to teach technique and his competitive spirit.”

That seed was nurtured in college.

Bankowski said, “Then, when I got to student teaching at Otsego High School (Ohio), both of my supervising teachers were wrestling coaches (Dick Simmons and Bruce Panse) and they welcomed me into the room and that was the beginning right there.”

From that beginning, Bankowski taught for 40 years and coached for more than 30 at various levels in Ohio and Michigan.

For his service to wrestling and his positive impact, Bankowski was inducted into the Michigan Wrestling Association Hall of Fame in late October, representing Bedford High School and the University of Michigan.

When he found out about the honor in May, Bankowski was, as usual, serving the wrestling community. He was organizing the induction ceremony for the Michigan Chapter of the National Wrestling Hall of Fame, when Denny Brighton was among those honored.

“I was so wrapped up in the banquet with 300 people that I couldn’t get too excited until it was over,” Bankowski said. “I am excited about the honor. It’s neat because it lets me reflect on my career from the beginning until now … that’s a long time.”

More: Bedford's Brighton garners another Hall of Fame induction

Bankowski started wrestling in 1962 as a freshman at Bedford. He was coached his first three years by Clayton Kelley, who started the program. Following graduation in 1966, he earned his health, physical education and recreation undergrad degree from Western Michigan and then a master's degree from Eastern Michigan.

Bankowski’s first coaching stint was at Otsego High School in Ohio, where he was assistant wrestling coach, in 1969. Then he returned to Michigan as a teacher and coach at South Haven and at Bedford for three stints, retiring in 2000. He also had coaching stops at Cardinal Stritch High School in Ohio for one year as head coach and was assistant wrestling coach at the University of Michigan, 1986-1992.

In addition, Bankowski co-founded the Great Lakes Wrestling Club in 1972, with Regnier and Tom Swan, and has been a coach to more than 100 individual all-state wrestlers, nearly 20 state champions and 11 state championship teams, including the only one in the Cardinal Stritch program.

He’s also active in the wrestling community outside of coaching, including currently serving as president of the Michigan Chapter of the National  Wrestling Hall of Fame.

“It has kind of become my life,” Bankowski said. “It is my passion.

“With all the friends I’ve made, especially when I got to the University of Michigan – friends throughout the country. Really good wrestlers and really good coaches at the highest level. It’s just been my life,” he said.

“A lot of it has to do with the kids I’ve coached,” he added. “As they’ve grown up, we’ve become friends.”

As a young coach, Bankowski started a wrestling video library that the National Wrestling Hall of Fame says “may be one of the best in the country.”

“I became a student of the sport early and I still study the sport, livestreaming FLO Wrestling," Bankowski said.

As a coach, Bankowski said he “tried to get as many students out for wrestling as I could. I coached them all the same because I wanted them to be the best they could be. Even during Christmas vacation, I expected them to be there. From the junior high to high school, there’s going to be attrition so it needs to be the next man up, and he needs to be good, too.

“I just tried to make every kid as good as they can be and the rest takes care of itself for the team,"

Throughout his career, Bankowski said he has countless highlights and memories that have stayed with him.

Two include his match as Cardinal Stritch head coach against Bedford in 1984. That was Stritch’s only loss that year against what Bankowski said is possibly Bedford’s best team.

Another was the following season when he was back at Bedford, and the Mules had a home match against Hazel Park.

“Those two matches were the two largest crowds to ever watch a Bedford match. It was standing room only; I want to say 2,500 people were there at each one,” he said.

Another of Bankowski's favorite memories is when he was talked into joining the Big Brothers program during his first year of teaching and coaching at South Haven. He was teamed up with a youth named Willy Eckols. Bankowski said he would take Willy to practices and meets, and even a Western Michigan football game, often also bringing along one of Willy’s friends.

“At the end of the year, I left and thought, ‘Man, I’ll never see Willy again,’” Bankowski said.

Later, Bankowski said he did meet up with him around Christmas time in the Chicago area. But then, he thought, that’s it.

However, about five years ago, Bankowski received a Facebook message from someone he didn’t know. That person was a friend of Willy who was asked to try to look up Bankowski. Willy and Bankowski later reconnected in a phone call.

“He said, ‘Mr. Bankowski, I’ve been trying to find you all these years and thank you for everything you did for me,’” Bankowski said, who added that Willy told him he works for Boeing and is a part-time minister.

And, just like that seed that Bill Regnier planted in Edd Bankowski so many years ago, Bankowski has been doing his own sowing throughout his life, making a positive impact on the kids he’s coached and taught.

“There’s a lot of stories like that,” Bankowski said.

This article originally appeared on The Monroe News: Seeds planted at Bedford started Hall of Fame career for Bankowski