Jerry Hartman arrived in Buies Creek in 1979 as a sophomore transfer in the Campbell University wrestling program.
Little did he know that two years later, he would be leading that same team as head coach – while still an undergraduate.
Campbell started its wrestling team in the 1960s and was guided by Gerald Brown, Ike Sherlock, and PJ Smith to national recognition during the NAIA era.
As the team transitioned to NCAA Division I, a native of Illinois, by way of UCF, would lay the foundation of a program that now ranks among the nation's best.
In the next installment of Tales from the Creek, Stan Cole talks with Jerry Hartman about his path from student-athlete to head coach in just three years and his journey that led to a more than four-decade-long association with the wrestling program and induction into the Campbell Athletics Hall of Fame.
