Roman Gutierrez

Roman is the most successful coach in Moffat County history. And his coaching record certainly speaks for itself. He graduated from Meeker High School where he wrestled for the Cowboys. While there, he was a team captain and a two time state qualifier. It was then on to Western State College for another four years of competition where he became a four-time qualifier to the National Tournament. He also became a twotime Rocky Mountain Athletic Conference champion and two-time NAIA All-American. He coached the first state championship team that Moffat County had as well as each additional one they have won to date. His teams eventually won 443 dual meets, the most in Colorado history, while his teams lost merely 123 duals. The winning didn't stop at duals, there were 15 league championships, 11 Regional titles and five State Championships as well as numerous second, third and 4th place finishes. His impressive dedication allowed him to become Class 3A Coach of the Year in 1985, 4A Coach of the Year in 1994, 2001, 2002 and 2003. He was also the Colorado Wrestling Coach of the Year in 2002. Through his career his commitment to his team helped him to coach 18 individual state championships. In 2001, his team scored 3,084 points, the most by a team in Colorado history. His teams also set the record with 531 individual team wins while his teams won 28 dual meets in 2001 and 2005, also the most in state history. In 1994 his wrestlers accounted for 21 pins in the state tournament, a tie for the best in the state tournament history. Former wrestler Max Moralez speaks highly of the accomplishments of Gutierrez, stating "Ultimately, words cannot express the gratitude that I have for Roman as a coach, but also as a human being. Besides my mom, dad, and wife, there is not a single person who has had such a positive impact on my life. Roman exemplifies the word coach. His records and stats should speak for themselves but it is the heart behind the coach that will make all the difference." Through his impressive career he has always made sure to make plenty of time for his family. He is married to wife, Vicki, and they have three children, Jennifer (Mark), Jessica (Joe) and Nancy (Ross) along with 8 grandchildren. He also has always remained humble. When asked by the Craig Daily Press in 2009 about his record and becoming the winningest coach in the state he replied "When you have good kids that win, those things just seem to happen, I guess," Gutierrez said. "We've just been fortunate to have good kids. It's not me. It's we. If you don't have good coaches, and the kids don't want to do it, then things like this don't happen."

Awards:

Year
2016
Award
Lifetime Service to Wrestling
Chapter/Region
Colorado

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