Lockwood honored for college wrestling career

It was his combination of balance, strength and technique that vaulted Jim Lockwood into the annals of Montana wrestling.

The balance came from his gymnastics training as a boy, the strength from all the physical summer jobs he took on growing up in eastern Montana. The technique, well, that was developed over the years.

“I could always win on my strength and conditioning,” said Lockwood. “But by college my technique was much better.”

This week, Lockwood will be inducted into the Montana State University Hall of Fame along with other members of the 1964-66 Bobcat wrestling teams, which won three straight Big Sky Conference championships.

He says he’s a bit surprised to be inducted into the MUS hall so many years after the fact.

“I’m happy and gratified that they would think our team needs some recognition,” Lockwood said.

His wrestling career took off as a sophomore at Glasgow High School. Not much for ball sports, he quit football to try out for the wrestling team.

“I always liked body contact sports,” he said. “but I never could do anything with a ball.”

He took to the sport’s quickness right away, winning the state title at 103 pounds in his sophomore year for the Scotties in 1960.

He was undefeated and unscored upon in dual matches his final three years of high school, only surrendering points in two losses in the state finals, falling 6-4 each time. One those loses was to Gene Davis of Missoula, who went on to become a NCAA champion and an Olympic bronze medal winner.

Lockwood attended MSU on a four-year wrestling scholarship.

A natural 140 pounds, he wrestled at 123 pounds for the Bobcats.

“All the dieting and workouts, it was just excruciating,” he said.

But all that hard work paid off.

“Technique will always win out over strength, but maybe not conditioning,” he said.

Lockwood won Big Sky Conference individual championships three of his four years for the Bobcats.

After graduation, Lockwood was commissioned as a 2nd Lieutenant and was immediately sent to Vietnam where he served 1 1/2 years as a combat engineer. During the Tet Offensive of 1968, he was awarded a bronze star for valor during an attack on his compound in Plieku. He was also awarded a second bronze star for meritorious service while in Vietnam.

In 1969, he was accepted at Syracuse University Law School and graduated with a Juris Doctorate in 1973. He spent the next 30 years as a corporate in house construction attorney, first in Minneapolis and then in Washington, D.C.

Now retired, he has lived in Whitefish since 2008, and is well known for his volunteer work with the Whitefish Animal Group.

A star-studded list of former Bobcats will join Lockwood and the wrestling teams in the hall of fame class, including football players Travis Lulay and Jeff Bolton; Nico Harrison (men’s basketball); Christy Otte Stergar and Carrie Damschen Krepps (track and field); Isabel Stubbs (women’s basketball) and the 2001 women’s indoor track and field team.

The induction will be held Jan. 29 at the Strand Union Building.