There are certain names that become synonymous with a high school sports program in small-town Minnesota.

From the Schilling brothers down in Ellsworth to the Boumans in Ruthton or the Dolan family in Milroy, these names became central figures that helped bring communities together around sports.

When you think about the Canby wrestling program, the first name that often comes to mind is Gerry Gingles.

Of course, I didn’t grow up in a wrestling family. As many of you probably know, basketball was my family’s winter sport of choice. But even though I don’t remember attending many wrestling matches and even though I was only 5 years old in his last year leading the program, I knew from a fairly young age that Gerry Gingles was a coaching icon in his years leading Lancers Wrestling.

It’s hard not to, especially when you consider his list of accomplishments.

Gingles moved to Canby in 1966, and coached nine individual state champions in his career, leading the Lancers to five state titles as a team (1976, 1977, 1979, 1986, 1988).

Canby qualified for state in 18 consecutive years from 1976 to 1992, a stretch that was unprecedented at the time. Gingles led the program for 16 of those years, taking a two-year hiatus from coaching in the early 1980s.

Gingles was inducted into the Minnesota Wrestling Coaches Association Dave Bartelma Wrestling Hall of Fame in 1990 and the Minnesota Chapter of the National Wrestling Hall of Fame in 2005.

He was also inducted into the Bemidji State University Athletic Hall of Fame in 1986.

His impact on the wrestling program has put Canby on the map – literally – across the state.

I’ve had people stop me while shopping at Costco in Rochester because I was wearing my Canby Lancers T-shirt. “Good wrestling program,” the person said.

That’s the Gerry Gingles effect, even though that encounter came three decades after he coached his last dual. Gingles laid the foundation for the program that still stands strong today.

Of course, there was more to him than just the wrestling coach. Some of those stories were shared on Saturday night at Heroes Sports Bar and Grill, as some friends, family and community members congregated.

Gerry was a member of the Canby Lions Club. He and his late wife Marcia also were active members of the Presbyterian Church in Canby, where they went on multiple missions trips together. They traveled extensively, visiting 49 states and 16 foreign countries, including South Korea.

His carried himself the same way in his personal life as he did while coaching.

“His quiet demeanor certainly was appreciated by officials, and his personal character was above reproach,” it states in his biography on the National Wrestling Hall of Fame website. “Known for his seemingly calm demeanor at mat side, Gingles demonstrated to observers that wrestling was taught in the room and his wrestlers knew what to do at match time. Gerry Gingles was one of the greatest coaches in Minnesota high school history and a true legend in our sport.”