Roger Sayles

Roger Sayles brought success with him wherever he wrestled despite a litany of injuries. As a freshman at Barlow High School he scored the only points as the Bruins struggled to 43rd in state. As a sophomore they moved to 36th in state and jumped to fifth in his junior season. By 1980, Barlow claimed their first-ever state championship with Roger taking third following a semifinal injury. He chose Mt. Hood Community College and finished 34-1 as a sophomore, the national Junior College champion and won the Outstanding Wrestler award. Roger was picked as the U.S. representative for the Pan Am Games where he captured the gold medal. He took a year off to have both knees surgically repaired. He entered Cal Poly where his junior season ended with an injury at the NCAAs. In 1985, he enjoyed a 38-6 season which resulted in fourth place at nationals. He returned to Oregon where he coached three years at Damascus and nine years as an assistant at Barlow High. He took off several years to establish his excavation company and then used his skills to act as the general contractor and provide necessary excavation to build three homes, with the help of other wrestlers. These projects resulted in more than $300,000 in profit for the Barlow wrestling program. He started volunteer coaching in 2017 at the Sandy school district which continues today. Roger lives in Estacada.

Awards:

Year
2024
Award
Lifetime Service to Wrestling
Chapter/Region
Oregon

All American Awards:

Season
1985
School
Cal Poly-SLO
Tournament
Division I
Weight
177
Place
4

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