Franklin & Marshall College

Charles W. Mayser devoted 45 years of his life to coaching andathletic administration, the last 24 of these at Franklin andMarshall College. It was as a wrestling coach that Mayser achievedhis greatest acclaim. After successfully coaching football atF&M in 1913 and 1914, Mayser went to Iowa State, where he wasthe Cyclones football coach and started their nationally renownedwrestling program. His wrestling record there was 84-3-1and it wasat Iowa State that he acquired his nickname of "Uncle Charley."Returning to F&M in 1924 as the Director of Physical Education,Mayser initiated wrestling and coached the sport until hisretirement in 1946.

Under his guidance, the Blue & White had one of its greatestperiods of sports prosperity, with the wrestling teams leading theway. Mayser-coached teams compiled a 145-20-3 record between 1924and 1944 when they regularly challenged the wrestling greats acrossthe country. F&M hosted both AAU and NCAA national meets at theLancaster Armory. In 1939, F&M finished fourth in the nationalsbehind Oklahoma, Lehigh, and Illinois. Mayser's contribution to thewrestling world was recognized when he was elected to membership inthe Helm's Wrestling Hall of Fame.

In addition to his professional pursuits, Uncle Charley alsofound plenty of time to work with youth in the community and togive his "magic shows" for children in the hospital and others whoneeded some brightness in their lives. The Mayser PhysicalEducation Center was named in honor of Mayser"s contribution, notonly to F&M, but to the entire Lancaster community.