In 1971 and 1972, Charlie Gomez won two individual state championships at Ulysses S. Grant High School in Oklahoma City. After graduation, he attended Oscar Rose Junior College in Midwest City where he was a two-time junior college All-American, placing 2nd in 1973 and 5th in 1974 at 118 pounds. He finished his collegiate wrestling career at the University of Oklahoma, where he discovered both a love and a talent for coaching. After a year as an assistant coach for Yukon High School, and a year as head coach at Monroney Junior High, in 1980 Gomez was named the head wrestling coach at Midwest City High School. He led his first team to a state wrestling championship with three individual state champions. The next season, however, would be his most successful. The 1981 Midwest City wrestling team won the state wrestling tournament with seven individual champions"”a record for the state of Oklahoma. Amateur Wrestling News ranked the team as the best in the country. From 1982 through 1990, Gomez coached at Ponca City High School. Overall, in addition to his state team titles, he coached 19 individual state champions, won nine regional tournaments and compiled a record of 149-15-1. He was honored as Oklahoma Coach-of-the-Year three times. For his years of service to wrestling, the Oklahoma Chapter of the National Wrestling Hall of Fame honors Charlie Gomez with its Lifetime Service to Wrestling Award.