Hall of Fame
Melvin Crosby came to Chowan in the fall of 1988 as one of the best wrestlers not only in his home state of Pennsylvania, but also in the entire nation and in the world. The two-sport star at Academy High School in his hometown of Erie was a high school All-American in football and wrestling. After winning high school nationals in his senior year, he went on to finish third in the world in that same year in his weight class. That wrestling prowess garnered the attention of then-coach Jody Taylor who recruited the star to Chowan.
Melvin continued his dominance on the mat at Chowan, garnering NJCAA All-American honors in both his freshman and sophomore seasons. Melvin amassed an amazing 54-5 record during those two seasons with the then-Braves. In his sophomore season he earned the title of NJCAA Heavyweight Champion. Melvin’s sensational sophomore season also helped his team to a 5th place finish in the NJCAA National Tournament. Melvin’s list of mat accolades is quite extensive but one interesting fact is that in his final season as a Brave he beat Rulan Gardner, who we all know when on to take Olympic Gold in Athens in 2000. Gardner was also a World Champion in 2001.
Melvin left Chowan in 1990 to continue his wrestling career at Appalachian State University in Boone, NC. He was a two-time Southern Conference Heavyweight Champion at Appalachian State and two-time NCAA National qualifier. In four years on the mat he amassed a 134-16 record. While at ASU, Melvin met up with Bruce Baumgartner, who would later go on to become the United States’ most decorated wrestler in history. Melvin and Bruce met twice in Nationals while at ASU. Bruce came away with both victories but in his senior season, Melvin showed why he was given the nickname, “the Bull”. With the match knotted at 4-4, Bruce landed a last minute take down which gave him the win.
After Melvin graduated from ASU he went back to another favorite past time, football. He played five seasons of semi-professional football with the Charlotte Storm, Erie Hawks, and the Buffalo Gladiators. Melvin currently resides in Erie where he coaches Pop Warner Youth Football and wrestling at the grade school and high school levels.
