Former Ralston wrestling coach dies from COVID-19
Former Ralston wrestling coach dies from COVID-19
Jim McGrath coached wrestling at Ralston High School for 37 years. His family said it is hard to see the strongest person they know lose a hard-fought battle to the coronavirus.”Legend, icon, larger than life” is who Jim was to the many he impacted both on and off the mat.”He just loved us more than I can even put into words,” his daughter Colleen said.”He started boxing well before he ever started wrestling, and was a golden glove state champion in New York,” his son Nicholas said.But on November 11, Jim faced his toughest fight when he tested positive for COVID-19.”His cough was getting bad and I was getting very concerned. So we took him to the Bellevue Medical Center to be evaluated,” his wife Beth said.Doctors eventually moved Jim to UNMC in Omaha. On November 17, a week after being diagnosed, he passed away.”He fought hard,” said Beth. “Everybody there talked about how hard he fought.”In the 1960s, the father of four moved from New York to Nebraska, where he’d become an All-American wrestling champion at Wayne State.Jim went on to coach wrestling at Ralston High School before retiring in 2005.”I used to sit in the chair next to him when he coached high school when I was in elementary school,” his son Nicholas said. “I was always around the team, rode the team buses to tournaments when he was still the head coach.”Nicholas quickly followed in Jim’s footsteps. He wrestled from kindergarten through high school.”Our bond over that sport is the cornerstone of our relationship,” Nicholas said.Beth also tested positive for COVID-19. She said Jim did not have major underlying health conditions. And she’s not sure how or where they were exposed. “It’s real. It’s heartbreaking,” she said.Beth said Jim also fought to raise awareness about the pandemic, especially on social media, passing along this message: “Don’t be a dips***; wear a god d*** mask.”The family said they’ll have a private service for Jim on Saturday. It will be lived streamed from the Kahler-Dolce funeral home.
Jim McGrath coached wrestling at Ralston High School for 37 years. His family said it is hard to see the strongest person they know lose a hard-fought battle to the coronavirus.
“Legend, icon, larger than life” is who Jim was to the many he impacted both on and off the mat.
“He just loved us more than I can even put into words,” his daughter Colleen said.
“He started boxing well before he ever started wrestling, and was a golden glove state champion in New York,” his son Nicholas said.
But on November 11, Jim faced his toughest fight when he tested positive for COVID-19.
“His cough was getting bad and I was getting very concerned. So we took him to the Bellevue Medical Center to be evaluated,” his wife Beth said.
Doctors eventually moved Jim to UNMC in Omaha. On November 17, a week after being diagnosed, he passed away.
“He fought hard,” said Beth. “Everybody there talked about how hard he fought.”
In the 1960s, the father of four moved from New York to Nebraska, where he’d become an All-American wrestling champion at Wayne State.
Jim went on to coach wrestling at Ralston High School before retiring in 2005.
“I used to sit in the chair next to him when he coached high school when I was in elementary school,” his son Nicholas said. “I was always around the team, rode the team buses to tournaments when he was still the head coach.”
Nicholas quickly followed in Jim’s footsteps. He wrestled from kindergarten through high school.
“Our bond over that sport is the cornerstone of our relationship,” Nicholas said.
Beth also tested positive for COVID-19. She said Jim did not have major underlying health conditions. And she’s not sure how or where they were exposed.
“It’s real. It’s heartbreaking,” she said.
Beth said Jim also fought to raise awareness about the pandemic, especially on social media, passing along this message: “Don’t be a dips***; wear a god d*** mask.”
The family said they’ll have a private service for Jim on Saturday. It will be lived streamed from the Kahler-Dolce funeral home.