-
Jim Bird (center, blue shirt) has built a wrestling dynasty at Osceola High School in addition to being the school’s highly successful athletic director. Photo courtesy of Osceola High School.
More than 120 schools compete in wrestling at the Class 3A level in Florida.
Even with that much competition, Osceola High School produced more than 20 percent of the indiivdual champions this year at the FHSAA State Wrestling Tournament and under Head Coach Jim Bird. Although an impressive total, it is something that has become fairly commonplace for the Kowboys.
When sophomore Cooper Haase manhandled Venice’s Bryce Taranto on Mar. 6, it gave Osceola High School an individual state championship for a 15th consecutive year. For good measure, senior Jaekus Hines (138) and freshman Gunner Holland (152) also took titles to give the Kowboys three champions in the 14 weight classes.
That gave Osceola a school record-tying three state champions for a single season and also gave the Kowboys 29 individual state champions in school history. Osceola’s 126 points in the tournament was enough for the Kowboys to grab a fourth place finish in the state -- marking the 15th straight time Osceola has finished in the top six in their classification.
Bird is the man responsible for both the streaks and the dynasty that has become Osceola High School wrestling. Bird says the coaches, staff, wrestlers, parents and fans take a lot of pride in the program. “It’s not something that we don’t talk about like we are afraid to jinx it or anything,” Bird said. “Rather it’s something we take a lot of pride in, especially at the beginning of the year. At our first meeting, I make it a point to mention that we have had an individual state champion every year since 2007. I look around at the room and ask ‘So who’s going to be next?’ It sets the tone for expectations every year.”
Bird, who came to Osceola in 1988, took over the wrestling program in 1990. He left from 1994-96 but returned in 1997. With the program was in shambles, Bird began the building process. The streak began when Alex Eggers won the 140-lb. title in 2006-07.
Since then, 16 different Osceola wrestlers have won a total of 29 championships. The list includes eight wrestlers with multiple titles, including Fox Baldwin with four and Malyke Hines with three. It includes two sets of brothers (Pete and Fox Baldwin; Malkye and Jaekus Hines). Nine times, Osceola has had multiple state champions in the same year, including a school record three in 2021 with Haase, Jaekus Hines and Gunner Holland; joining the 2012 and 2013 teams (Ariel Dominguez, Fox Baldwin and Chris Pagan) and 2009 (Joe Locksmith, Alex Eggers and Levi Clemmons).
Along the way, Osceola had won a state championship (2009) and has finished second five times (2007, 2008, 2010, 2013, and 2014). The 2020 Kowboys also placed second in the State Dual Meet Championships, a new event created four years ago.
A master organizer, Bird has been one of the main reasons Osceola has served as the host school for numerous district, regional and state championships. Vic Lorenzano, the head coach at Harmony High School and a coaching legend himself, said that Bird is simply one of the best.
“Jim Bird is a Hall of Fame Coach without a doubt,” Lorenzano said. “ He has been so important to not only Osceola High School but to the sport of wrestling. When you are trying to build a program, Coach Bird and Osceola is a program you would want to copy.”
His coaching integrity has garnered the respect of his peers.
“Coach Bird is as competitive as they come, but he does everything the right way,” Vic Balmeceda, who coaches a South Dade team that won their 16th state championship in 2021, said this about Bird in a 2020 interview with the Orlando Sentinel. “He doesn’t bend on his morals or ethics just to win a match, and that is extremely rare to find these days.”
Bird’s organization skills have left an imprint in all Kowboy sports, as he is in his 14th season as athletic director at the school. Osceola has long been a state power in football and basketball, and has seen many of its teams and individuals win Orange Belt Conference, district and regional championships.
In addition, his organizational skills are one of the main reasons that Osceola has been chosen as host school for many FHSAA district, regionals and state championships. Bird and his army of assistants and volunteers organizes and runs the Knockout Christmas Classic, which draws powerhouse teams from numerous states and is considered one of the premiere high school wrestling events in the country.
Despite all the successes and accolades as a coach, athletic director and tournament director, Bird is the first to deflect credit to others.
“I am such a small part of any success we have had,” Bird said. “It starts with the athletes and parents and their desire to achieve great things. My assistant coaches in the wrestling program have done a phenomenal job through the years. Our alumni and fans provide in incredible support. Those people are the real reasons for our success.”
