Jimmy Rollins returns to South Jersey wrestling, named Clearview's new head coach
Jimmy Rollins knew it was time to get back in the show.
After a health scare ended his highly successful coaching career at Division II Lindenwood University in 2021, Rollins is returning to his South Jersey roots as he embarks on running another wrestling program.
Rollins, 40, was recently named the head wrestling coach at Clearview High School, taking over a team just down the road from West Deptford, where he graduated in 2001.
“There’s a good level of excitement going on around here right now, some really good vibes,” said Rollins, who was inducted into the South Jersey Wrestling Hall of Fame in 2019. “There’s a diamond here at Clearview and it can really grow. I’m excited to be a part of it.
“You have to make sure the kids fall in love with the sport. That’s one of our roles as coaches. Different kids have different reasons why they love it. Some love it for the competition, some for the camaraderie with their teammates and others love performing for the crowd.”
Rollins loved wrestling for all of those reasons, especially when he was a punishing pinner during his scholastic days at West Deptford, where he was a two-time state place winner and a Region 8 champ.
Rollins always felt he was going to return to South Jersey at some point.
However, after earning All-American status four times at Gloucester County and Dana colleges along with a national title at each school, Rollins embarked on a coaching career that would eventually lead him to Lindenwood in St. Charles, Missouri.
After six years as an assistant coach, Rollins landed the top job and led the Lions to a third-place finish at the Division II National Championships in 2021. He also coached two wrestlers – Carlos Jacquez (2019) Abner Romero (2021) – to national titles.
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Even at the collegiate level, thoughts of home seemed to appear around every corner.
“You’d always see a familiar face around even at a random gym in Iowa,” Rollins said. “You’ll see (Kingsway grad) Brandon Becker over there, and (Winslow Township grad) Vince Jones over there.
“Home is always home, nothing changes. There’s a special brand of people around (South Jersey).”
After leaving Lindenwood, Rollins moved his family to Pitman, a town where the high school wrestling facility is named after his grandfather Henry Rollins.
What should Clearview expect under Jimmy Rollins?
Since a 22-3 record and a berth in the South Jersey Group 4 final in 2019, the Pioneers went 42-37 over the last four seasons combined.
Clearview athletic director Michael Vicente said, “Coach Rollins brings a great deal of knowledge of the sport of wrestling, especially from the collegiate level … where he has coached for 16 years. We look forward to Coach Rollins bringing these experiences to the Clearview wrestling program.”
Billy Gibbs, who is a volunteer coach in the program, believes Rollins is the man to put Clearview back on top.
"Jimmy is successful because he has the drive to win and make the kids great on and off the mat," said Gibbs, who won a state title as a Pioneer in 2000. "His college career speaks for itself and hopefully his high school coaching career will be the same.
"We feel like we could have a couple (wrestlers) make it to states and even place if the kids buy into what he's doing and put the hard work in. I'm happy to see what comes in the future."
Rollins wants his wrestlers to make a difference on the mat, but also wants to get more people involved.
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“We need to put on a show,” he said. “The sport of wrestling isn’t growing like we want it right now. We got to find ways to get people in the seats. We want to use all the resources we can to make that happen.”
Rollins, who works for a medical staffing agency, brings plenty of experiences from his high school days where one of his mentors, Ralph Ross Jr., was the coach on the Eagles’ state championship team in 2000.
Rollins was a self-proclaim yeller when he first got into coaching, but says he has mellowed over the years. That will come in handy with a high school program.
“Getting back to the fundamentals, that’s the biggest part,” Rollins said. “I think we got some yet-to-be-released potential in this program.”
Jimmy Rollins isn’t that J-Roll
Yes, the wrestling coach shares a name with one of the most beloved professional athletes to play in the Philadelphia region.
And it has created some interesting situations, like the time a contractor showed up to the coach’s home to do some work and had a baseball in hand for a signature; or any restaurant hostess who realizes it's a different Rollins waiting to be seated.
“The look of disappointment on their faces is pretty funny,” the coach said. “I tell them, 'Listen, I did not play for the Phillies. I was born here. I was here long before he was.'"
Tom McGurk is a regional sports editor for the Courier-Post, The Daily Journal and Burlington County Times, covering South Jersey sports for over 30 years. If you have a sports story that needs to be told, contact him at (856) 486-2420 or email tmcgurk@gannett.com. Follow him on Twitter at @McGurkSports. Help support local journalism with a digital subscription.
This article originally appeared on Cherry Hill Courier-Post: Jimmy Rollins is coaching wrestling in South Jersey again
