Jimmy Miller, at back left in photo.
On March 6th, 1965, the Big Red varsity wrestling team won its fourth straight Ivy League game by defeating Princeton 27-8. Captain Neil Orr gave his team momentum by winning his match with a 7-3 decision. Joe DeMeo continued this trend by pinning Princeton captain Samuel Pierson. Other victories came from Don New, John Reed, Fran Ferraro and Duana Storie. This victory gave Cornell a 35-win streak over the past five wrestling seasons. The impressive run also included winning the wrestling title in eight of the ten previous years, with a total record of 58-2 in the Ivy League. Head coach Jimmy Miller certainly had a big part in obtaining this monumental feat.
Jimmy Miller was more than just a coach. He was born and raised in Ithaca, captain of the Cornell wrestling team in 1945-46 and won the Eastern 145-pound championship. He earned varsity letters in 1942, 1943 and in the 1946 after two years serving in the United States Navy. Miller won the National AAU title in 1946 and 1947. He finished third in the Olympic tryouts in 1948. After college, he returned to Cornell as a coach from 1948 until 1974. During his reign, he had seventeen winning teams, giving him an overall record of 203-135-7. At the time, this gave Miller the record for most wins by a coach in Cornell history. This record has only been beaten by current head wrestling coach Rob Koll. His team also obtained eleven Ivy League titles and the Eastern Conference Championship in 1958. He also coached the U.S. Pan-American team in 1967 where every man on his team earned a gold medal. Jimmy Miller truly had a legendary career.
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