From Kent Cherrington, SID kcherrington@plymouth.edu
For Immediate Release
PSU Coach to receive prestigious awards in Maine, Aguiar recognized for a lifetime of dedication to sport
PLYMOUTH, N.H. – Plymouth State University coach will be honored in the state of Maine for lifetime achievements, dedication and commitment to wrestling.
Jim Aguiar has been chosen to receive the 2015 Maine Amateur Wrestling Association (MAWA) Lifetime Achievement Award. A native of Biddeford, Maine and a longtime supporter of the MAWA, Aguiar was Plymouth State’s head wrestling coach from 1974-85 and a Panther assistant the past dozen years. He will be honored prior to the MAWA Hall of Fame Induction ceremony on August 27, 2015, at the Hyde School in Bath, Maine.
In his 12th year as assistant coach Jim Aguiar is a familiar figure to Panther fans. Originally from Biddeford Maine, Jim was a two-time State Wrestling Champion and an All-State Football player. He attended Boston University on a football scholarship and was active in the group of student re-establishing wrestling as a varsity program at BU.
Coach Aguiar came to PSU as the defensive coordinator of the football program and served as the head wrestling coach from 1974 to 1985. Jim served one season as the head football coach in 1980 posting the first winning season in years. He resigned coaching football to focus upon his graduate studies.
In wrestling Jim coached many All New England Wrestlers and the first NCAA All American Wrestler at Plymouth State. He still holds the record for most career dual meet victories (over 100 wins). After completing his doctorate in education at Boston University he left the Plymouth area to accept a position at Moorhead State University (MN) where he also was the head wrestling coach. He coached at MSU for two years turning around the Division II program that had fallen on hard times. In 1988 Dr. Aguiar accepted a position at Ithaca College (NY) where he focused on teaching. After retiring from teaching at IC in 2003 he returned to NH and quickly became reconnected with the Wrestling Panthers.