W SEMI: Attucks junior represents more than just a small school

Each of the four individual semistates scheduled for Feb. 13 will have 16 wrestlers per bracket. That means there are still 64 wrestlers alive in the 152-pound weight class. 

So, you might wonder why we are doing a special feature on just one of 64 wrestlers still in pursuit of a state championship. The answer is simple: Robert Hawthorne is not an ordinary wrestler.

Hawthorne performs on behalf of Indianapolis Attucks High School. That is a name that evokes memories of athletic glory from about 55 years ago. To the population of Indianapolis, Crispus Attucks meant far more than that in the heyday of the 1950s. 

They are memories, however, that began to fade many years ago when Attucks shut its doors. In fact, most people outside of Indianapolis probably are not even aware that the legendary school reopened as a high school a few years ago.

The athletic success so tied to the legend of Attucks has not been repeated since its renewal. The school is now a medical magnet high school within Indianapolis Public Schools, with a small enrollment and no athletic glory to this point. 

Hawthorne is the first athlete from Attucks to make a splash on the state stage since the doors swung back open. This junior is keenly aware of the meaning of the name he wears on his uniform. He knows that in many ways his success is the rekindling of something very special. 

It is a burden he not only accepts, but gracefully embraces.

By this point in the state tournament, there are two types of wrestlers still competing. The first is one from the state’s wrestling factories like Perry Meridian, Mishawaka, and Yorktown. The other is comprised of individual athletes who possess enough talent to overcome the lack of stiff competition on the practice mats. 

Hawthorne (33-6) certainly falls within the latter category. Attucks did not even field wrestlers in four weight classes this season, and the school’s facilities pale in comparison to the names we normally hear this time of year.

Mr. Hawthorne, though, does have one significant advantage: His father is his coach and was a wrestler of national renown in his own college days. You can hear the appreciation of the son when he talks of the relationship. 

The young man also enjoys an advantage of extreme intelligence. He holds a grade point average of over 4.5 on a 4.0 scale, and his list of college possibilities includes names like Harvard, Penn, and Duke. 

It seems this young man carries on more than just the athletic tradition of Crispus Attucks. We hope you enjoy our conversation with Robert Hawthorne.