By Dustin B Levy
Fort Myers News-Press

A decorated career coaching wrestling made Kris Hayward a Hall of Famer, but his influence extended far beyond the mats.

After battling health issues in recent years, Hayward died on Wednesday.

Hayward spent the last two years coaching wrestling at North Fort Myers High School but led the team at Riverdale High School for the bulk of his career. In nearly 20 years with the Raiders, he transformed the program into a local powerhouse with 16 consecutive district and county titles and back-to-back state titles in 2008 and 2009.

Keith Evans, Hayward's successor at Riverdale and the school's first state champion in Hayward's tenure, recalled his coach being the first person he hugged after winning the 2004 state title.

"He was always there," Evans said.

"Kris is the best wrestling coach and mentor to young kids that I have ever been around," Island Coast athletic director Jake Noland said. "How he was able to work with the kids and get them to understand what they needed to do both physically and mentally and nurture those relationships is what I would say, he had to be the best I’ve ever seen do that."

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