If Jack Hancock had not become a coach, there could have been grounds for a case of mistaken identity.
At least there would have been a branch missing from the family tree of one of the most prominent sports families in Colorado. The Hancock legacy begins with John Hancock, the patriarch and legendary coach at Colorado State College in Greeley, now known as the University of Northern Colorado.
Part of John Hancock’s legend was his vision in 1932 when he started a state high school wrestling tournament, an event that was later moved to Denver and has become one of the year’s top sports events each February.
Tom Hancock, Jack Hancock’s brother, also became a coach and earned fame for his football teams at Lakewood High School in Jefferson County. Tom Hancock also coached wrestling at Lakewood but was best known for producing state football championships.
As for Jack Hancock, for 37 years each fall he ushered the wrestling team at Colorado School of Mines into a new season. The Mines program may not have been Iowa, or Oklahoma, or one of the other national wrestling powers, but for Jack Hancock, his teams at Mines were world-class.
“At first, we had pretty quiet students who didn’t know they had a wrestling team,” Jack Hancock said. “I threw myself into the job and got the students and fans interested in wrestling. We only had a few coaches at the time, and we helped each other. They were all supportive and good to me.”
Jack Hancock arrived at Mines in fall 1955. He had established his wrestling bona fides with a couple of stops at the high school level in Colorado. His first stop was at Holly High School, 150 miles east of Pueblo, where he started a wrestling program. Holly soon became one of the top prep wrestling teams in the state.
From Holly, Hancock went to Fort Morgan High School and on to Sheridan High School southwest of Denver before moving to Mines. Mines’ athletic budget was minuscule, and Hancock became known as an innovator in maximizing his meager budget. He knew the lifeblood of the program was recruiting.
One year he had trouble finding a heavyweight to fill a recruiting class.
“I ran an ad in the Amateur Wrestling News,” Hancock said. “We picked up a wrestler from the state of Washington.”
Hancock has fond memories of many wrestlers who came through his program. One was Dan Fix, who came to Mines from Wray High School in northeastern Colorado and was on the team in 1961, 1962 and 1964, missing 1963 because of injuries.
“Jack Hancock was like a father to me,” Fix said. “I came to Mines from a farming community, and he helped me adjust. He was so dedicated to the sport of wrestling and wanted to get the best out of every team member. He got the best out of me.”
Fix is to scheduled to be inducted into the Rocky Mountain Athletic Conference Hall of Fame next summer. He wants Hancock to introduce him at the induction banquet.
Hancock coached 33 All-America wrestlers, including Fix, at Mines. His teams finished second in the NAIA National Tournament in 1961 and second in the NCAA Division II Tournament in 1964, missing the title by two points.
Mines could have won the team title in 1964, but Fix lost on points late in the match.
“Jack blames himself for the loss,” Fix said. “He used to be pretty vocal during a match, and he believes he irritated the referee. I don’t know about that. It was one of those close matches.”
Hancock walked away from the wrestling mat after the 1992 season. He cherished his time at Mines with fellow coaches Fritz Brennecke, Jim Darden, Joe Davies and Chris Tolos.
Hancock said he’s at peace with the sport of wrestling and doesn’t miss the coaching. But he has more than earned his spot on the family tree.
Jack Hancock bio
Born: June 24, 1927, in Greeley
High school: Greeley
Colleges: Iowa, Colo. St. College
Family: Wife Millie, daughters Katherine, Debby and Mary
Hobby: Gardening
Wish list: Two more points in the 1964 NCAA Division II Tournament
