Thiel College Athletics

They say the measure of a great person is what he has accomplished in his lifetime and what he has done for others. Mel Berry is one who has accomplished quite a bit in education and athletics. He was very instrumental in aiding those who spent their college days at Thiel.

The 1936 Slippery Rock graduate spent 23 years teaching and coaching in the Greenville school district. In 1956, he came to Thiel College where he remained until he retired in 1977. For 20 autumns (1956-76), he was a loyal and able gridiron assistant coach. From 1961-75, he guided the fortunes of the baseball team.

The care of the aches and pains that the Blue and Gold athletes would incur came under the domain of Berry, as he served an important role as head athletic trainer from 1961-77.

Berry will be remember best in wrestling. For 20 long winters, Berry served as the wrestling coach. Under his tutelage, 14 Thiel grapplers captured 22 individual conference titles, including four-time champion and Hall of Famer John Tomlinson. The 1963 and 1964 teams stormed their way to consecutive conference crowns. Berry’s record was a glittering 142-73-5. Prior to coming to Thiel, he spent 18 years as the wrestling mentor at Greenville High School, where the Trojans saw a 102-30-2 record.