Belfast’s Heroux still involved despite retirement as coach

At the far end of the Bangor Auditorium – the end where the elephants are brought in when the circus is in town – Teddy Heroux is much like he has been for the last 38 years of his life. He is surrounded by young men wearing Belfast Area High School warm-ups who are hanging on his every word.

The difference is that this year at the Class B state wrestling championships, Heroux, for the first time in all those years, is just another observer.

Heroux gave up the reins of the Belfast wrestling team to his son-in-law Neal Wood at the beginning of the season. Heroux’s retirement came after 37 years, 449 wins, 114 losses, two ties, six state championships, 11 Eastern Maine championship, 11 Kennebec Valley Athletic Conference championships and 47 individual state champions.

But that doesn’t mean Heroux is not coaching. From his chair, watching one of the six matches going on at the same time, he is quietly giving a Belfast wrestler advice.

“OK. Now bring your arm under,” he said, while sweeping his right arm low to the floor from right to left.

His advice is more for himself than the wrestler. The wrestler can’t hear him as Heroux doesn’t believe in shouting during a match.

“I never cared for coaches jumping up and screaming and hollering. I figure I do my coaching during the week. In the exercise room. Kids out on the mat can figure out their mistakes. They have enough to concentrate on without thinking of me on the sidelines,” Heroux said.

Even as Heroux talks a coach no more than 10 feet away is screaming advice to a wrestler. Heroux laughs and starts to say something when someone walks by.

“Hey, Heroux. You’re not doing your job,” the man jokes.

Heroux has a job at this state championship. He is wearing an orange sticker on his shirt that reads “Official.” Heroux is in charge of keeping that end of the auditorium clear of spectators. And through a combination of well-wishers and the distraction of on-going matches, he is doing a poor job of it.

But no one seems to mind. Every few minutes someone goes by who has something to say. Everybody knows Teddy Heroux.

Heroux didn’t really get started in wrestling until he was in college. He played football at Belfast and was a two-time All-State running back. Wrestling was introduced as an intramural sport at the school during his senior year in 1961. His football coach, Frank Glazier, sent film of his running back to schools and the University of North Dakota offered a scholarship. That’s when he became involved in wrestling.

“My roommates were wrestlers and I just kinda fell into it with them. They took the mattresses off the beds and put them on the floor and taught me moves,” Heroux said.

He returned to Belfast from college to teach and coach. He and his wife Carolyn have been married almost 40 years.

“She’s my warden. She’s kept me pretty straight,” the 59-year-old Heroux confided.

They have two daughters, Kim and Kristin, and five grandchildren. One a smiling, rough-and- tumble 10-year-old peewee wrestler named Kote who Heroux jokes with about spending so much money on him.

Kote is Neal and Kim Wood’s son. Heroux said that when he decided to retire, he did so quietly, hoping for a smooth transition for his son-in-law.

“Neal has been wrestling since he was in the seventh grade and he’s been actually helping me coach for 15 years. It was a good time to turn it over to him,” Heroux said.

As the day goes on and the team scores become closer and closer, more and more Belfast wrestlers surround Heroux. He has the points in his head. He doesn’t need a pencil and paper to figure the score. He tells what is needed. And he continues to coach without realizing it. A hand sweep here. A quiet word there to a wrestler on the mat.

“I’m just sitting here relaxing,” he says, that ever smile on his face.

It is suggested that what is relaxing to him may be something else to others.

“I guess I’m kinda fidgety a little bit. I can’t help it. I’ve always been that way,” Heroux said.

Don Perryman can be reached at 990-8045, 1-800-310-8600 or dperryman@bangordailynews.net