Kennedy wrestling suffers big loss

CEDAR RAPIDS - Jeff Clark made an impression with his students and the athletes he coached at Cedar Rapids Kennedy High School and Vernon Middle School.

Now they face the impact of his unexpected death. Clark, 34, died Sunday night at St. Luke's Hospital.  Clark had suffered some medical issues in recent weeks, according to his brother, Kyle Clark, but no immediate cause of death has been reported. An autopsy had been scheduled for Monday.

A visitation is scheduled from 3 to 7 p.m. Thursday at Cedar Memorial Park Funeral Home. Funeral services are set for Friday at 10:30 a.m.

Jeff Clark, a 1996 Kennedy graduate, served as an assistant wrestling coach for the Cougars since 2001, starting as a volunteer and becoming the top assistant when head coach Brent Paulson took over eight years ago. Clark was also a wrestling coach at Harding Middle School. He coached football and track at Vernon Middle School, where he taught mathematics since 2003.

"It's a big loss," Paulson said. "He was a great person once you got to know him pretty well. He was tough on the outside but he had a great heart and wanted to do what was best for the kids."

Wrestling was his passion and dedicated his time during the entire year, including freestyle in the summer months, to wrestlers. He practiced what he preached, stressing kids to give their best and never accepting anything less.

"Wrestling was his favorite sport by far," said Kyle Clark, also a Kennedy assistant wrestling coach. "The biggest thing he enjoyed with kids is getting them to compete and push themselves."

Jeff Clark, a native of Omaha, moved to Cedar Rapids with his family during the seventh grade when he attended Roosevelt Middle School. He played football and wrestled heavyweight at Kennedy, qualifying for the state tournament in 1996. He then wrestled at Wartburg College, compiling a career record of 56-35 winning Wartburg's Dick Walker Invitational in 1999 and the All-Lutheran tournament in 1998.

"He was the type of coach who wanted the best out of kids," Paulson said. "He worked hard and expected that out of the kids."

Paulson said many of those kids were shocked by the news. Paulson addressed the team at 8 a.m. Monday. The message didn't include dedicating the season to their late coach, something Paulson said Jeff Clark would not want. A better way to honor him, however, would be by giving the effort he often demanded from them.

"When they take the mat during the season just wrestle the way Jeff would want them to wrestle, which is through toughness and hustle," Paulson said. "Those two things he really wanted to see from the kids."

Kennedy Athletics Director Aaron Stecker said Jeff Clark truly loved coaching the sport of wrestling and always went the "extra mile" for those he coached. Stecker said he was already on his way to being a "fantastic" coach and had a promising future.

"He just loved what wrestling offered young people in terms of teaching life through sports," Stecker said. "He loved the competitiveness, the discipline, the camaraderie of it with the kids and other coaches."

Stecker said Jeff Clark would be the first one to be tough with an athlete but would also be the first to celebrate with them as well. He said Clark demonstrated admirable traits as a leader.

"They never left without him making sure they knew how much he cared about them," Stecker said. "That's just one of those qualities in coaches I love."

Kyle Clark said the Kennedy staff is like a family with both Clarks and Paulson owning more than 50 combined years around the Cougar program as wrestlers and coaches. He has fond memories of sitting in the corner of a mat, coaching along side his older brother during tournaments.

"We're pretty much alike," Kyle Clark said. "We share a lot of the same views, beliefs and philosophies about the sport.

"The best thing was when we did disagree we could hammer it out. ... We could argue and come to an agreement right away and that was that."

Jeff Clark was a member of Paulson's wedding party and was a close friend. Paulson regularly sought his input, bouncing lineup or technique ideas off him. He respected Jeff Clark's perspective and knowledge. He also played a key role for Paulson with wrestlers, taking some under his wing and training with them.

"We complemented each other very well," Paulson said. "Kind of the good guy, bad guy kind of thing. He would take the lead making sure kids were doing what they were supposed to be doing and if they weren't he'd be the one that gotten after them."

Paulson said the wrestling team will attend the memorials together, but continued to have practice Monday and Tuesday, attempting to provide some normalcy. Thursday's opening dual vs. Cedar Rapids Prairie and Waterloo East in Waterloo is postponed until Tuesday, Dec. 20, but he plans for the team to compete Saturday at the Keith Young Invitational at Cedar Falls.

Stecker said the week's schedule could be altered for visitation and funeral services. He said counselors are aware of the situation and are available for the students and athletes dealing with the loss.

"Hopefully, this will bring us closer," Paulson said. "We all have to deal with it together."