“Heroes get remembered, but legends never die.”

The quote was pulled from somewhere that doesn’t really matter, but was does matter is the faces behind it. The faces of Gary Tourtelotte, Bob Kinney and Clark Conrow, the guys that truly started it all in Superior wrestling.

In a fitting tribute to those three men, and in honor of this tournament reaching the half century milestone of 50 consecutive years running, Superior High School organizers designed this year’s tournament championship boards given to each weight class winner with the faces of Tourtelotte, Kinney and Conrow emblazoned behind the legends never die quote.

Anyone that knows anything about Montana high school wrestling knows about Superior’s legendary Bobcat coaching trio that produced countless individual championships and numerous divisional and state team trophies along the way in their heydays of the 70s, 80s and 90s..

Known as the SIT for Superior Invitational Tournament for much of its life, the tournament was later renamed in honor of the late Kinney’s life, a fitting tribute to one of the three local giants of the sport that helped forge so many young men’s wrestling and life skills over the years.

For one shining example, the man leading the current generation of Superior wrestling and the son-in-law of one of Superior’s Mount Rushmore of wrestling coaches, Charlie Crabb is very appreciative of the legendary trio. Charlie wrestled for them in high school and even ended up marrying Gary’s daughter Stacy eventually.

“Those were the guys that started it all, began this tournament 50 years ago and built it up to what it is now,” Crabb offered. “Our job is to carry it on.”

Superior High School was a beehive of wrestling activity Saturday as 16 teams competed in the boys-only competition, in proof of how well-attended the tourney has become over its 50 years of takedowns and escapes.

Long live the Bob Kinney Memorial then. Gary, Bob and Clark will be remembered, and their legend will never die, not as long as Charlie and those that follow keep the legend alive.

Thompson Falls coaches Nathan and Ashley Block were at a loss as to what to do at the Kinney Memorial Saturday. Faced with three matches up and only two coaches available during the three-mat wrestling of the Kinney Memorial, an unlikely hero jumped into save the day.

“Plains coach Rocky Wagoner jumped in and coached one of our kids for us,” Nathan said. “Asnley and I thought that was a pretty cool thing for him to do, being from our rival school and all.”

Don’t be too surprised Nathan, a lot of great things like this have happened to wrestlers and coaches over the 50 years of the Superior wrestling tournament. Look for more of the same in the next 50 years of the Kinney Memorial, it has kind of grown on people by now.