HARRY GERIS to be inducted to London Sports Hall of Fame

The London Sports Hall of Fame has seven new inductees who will be officially inducted on Thursday, November 5th at induction dinner at the London’s Western Fair’s Carousel Room and they will be immortalized on plaques to be displayed at the London’s – John Labatt Centre.

One of the inductee’s to 2009 London’s Sports Hall of Fame is a wrestler Harry GERIS ( Gentle Giant ) in Athlete-Legend category. Harry will join Peter Michienzi his team mate from 1968 Olympic Games as the only other wrestlers that has been inducted to London Sports Hall of Fame.

Harry Geris, a Canadian Olympic wrestler who represented Canada in the 1968, 1972, and 1976 Olympics, and the 1966 British Empire and Commonwealth Games competed in the heavyweight division.

Geris was born in Deurne in the Netherlands, November 22, 1947 and emigrated to Canada as a child and grew up in London, Ontario along with his eight siblings.

Geris attended H.B. Beal Secondary School where he tried out for numerous sporting teams including basketball, football and wrestling. Harry excelled at wrestling and was a member of H.B. Beal’s wrestling team, where he earned two O.F.S.A.A. ( Ontario High School ) gold medals under wrestling coach Fred Flectcher. While at H.B. Beal Geris won his first of ten Canadian National Championships, which led him to representing Canada at three Olympic Games.

His performance in High School Wrestling got the attention of the Head Coach of Joliet Junior College wrestling program in Illinois, USA, Henry Pillard. Coach Pillard recruited Geris to Joliet College ( Chicago area ) wrestling squad and as a result Harry won the N.C.A.A. Junior College Wrestling Championship in 1968. His performance at the 1968 Junior College N.C.A.A. Championships earned Harry a scholarship to wrestle at perennial powerhouse Oklahoma State University where he earned All-American status competing at the 1972 N.C.A.A. National Tournament.
He also represented Canada at the International wrestling events, Pan-American Games, the Commonwealth Games and the World Cup, winning the Bronze medals at all three events. Dr. Glynn Leyshon of London, former head coach of UWO Mustangs and a National coach was Harry’s coach to the 1969 Worlds, 1973 World Cup (Toledo, Ohio), Student World Games ( Moscow, Russia) and World Wrestling Championships ( Tehran, Iran).

Harry’s love for the sport of wrestling was passed on to his three sons, Jason, Shawn, and Ryan. They all attended Sir Wilfrid Laurier Seconday School in London where they were members of the Laurier wrestling team. All three boys excelled in the sport and earned an impressive collection of accolades in their father’s sport.

Geris was inducted into the U.S. National Junior College Wrestling Hall of Fame in 1980 and the Canadian Amateur Wrestling Hall of Fame in May 1984. Besides his prowess on the wrestling mat, Harry also served in administrative capacity as the President of London-Western Wrestling Club and Ontario Amateur Wrestling Association and he was a member of Board of Directors of the Canadian Amateur Wrestling Association. Harry also served as the President of The Optimist Club of Middlesex-London (1977-78). Harry was a volunteer coach with the Western Mustangs for several years with coach and 1976 Olympic teammmate, Ray Takahashi. He died unexpectedly on April 24, 2008 while volunteering setting up mats for a elementary wrestling tournament.