Winning Ways

Trophies line the fireplace mantel of Jim Porter’s home. Nine are for regional and five are for state championship wrestling titles. Six more give recognition for Jim’s being Utah’s wrestling coach of the year. From 1962 to 1971, Coach Porter led Delta (Utah) High School’s wrestling teams to a new level of success. “My philosophy was basic,” says Jim, a member of the Delta First Ward, Delta Utah West Stake. “Accent the positive and see yourselves being successful.” Being a champion meant perfecting the basics. Whether he was on the wrestling mat or off, qualities such as humility, determination, sacrifice, and endurance were encouraged. “Keeping the spirit healthy is as important to me as keeping the body healthy,” says Jim. “I enforced stringent training rules for my teams—no use of alcohol or tobacco and no coarse or vulgar language. A handshake let the boys know that I personally cared for them,” he says, “each and every one. Even in times of defeat, I wanted those boys to know that I loved them.”—Janice Porter Hayes, Forest Lake, Minnesota