Brad Myers

The News Journal



In 1976, just one year out of college, Sussex Central graduate Phil Shultie had a chance to replace the legendary Herm Bastianelli as wrestling coach at his alma mater.

He didn’t know what to do.

“I almost didn’t take it, because I knew that I couldn’t do what Mr. Bastianelli did,” Shultie said. “He was a phenomenal person and coach, and I just knew I couldn’t do what he did, and I knew people would expect me to do what he did.

“I talked it over with my parents, and my father said, ‘Son, go ahead and give it a shot. If you can’t do what they want you to do, they’ll get rid of you.’”

Fast forward 41 years, and Shultie is Delaware’s all-time coaching leader with 426 dual-meet wins. He recently announced his retirement as a coach at the end of this season, and as a special education teacher at the end of the school year.

“It’s been a great run for 40-something years,” Shultie said. “I’m tired, and it’s the right time for me to go.”

He has a chance to go out on top. The Golden Knights are 6-1 after Wednesday’s 53-13 win over Polytech, ranked third in Division I by The News Journal. They travel to William Penn on Saturday, then host a tri-meet against Indian River and Dover on Feb. 8, when Shultie will be honored between matches.

Sussex Central closes the regular season at No. 1 Smyrna on Feb. 10, then goes into the postseason as a contender to perhaps add to the DIAA Division I championship Shultie’s 2008 team earned.

“The kids have been working hard, and they really believe that they can,” Shultie said. “That’s all we need, for them to believe that they can. We’ll see.”

Some of Shultie’s longtime competitors said it won’t be the same without him.

“The man is a legend,” said Kurt Howell, who won four state titles as a wrestler at Newark from 1983-86, and has guided Smyrna to the last four D-I titles as a coach. “The longevity, for him to coach this long, he was coaching when I was in high school. I think I wrestled a kid from Sussex Central in the state championships, and he was out there on the other side of the mat from me.

“He’s able to get so much out of his kids. I’m just constantly impressed with what he does, and using his coaching staff effectively. It’s always an emotional match with Sussex Central.”

Howell said Shultie has always had a gift for helping his wrestlers reach an emotional peak.

“It’s like, ‘us against the world,’” Howell said. “He has that mentality that everybody is out to get us. The kids rally around him and that idea.”

Don Parsley has spent more than 30 years coaching at Milford, but said his team has only beaten the Golden Knights once.

“I’m excited for Phil,” Parsley said. “When you do the things he’s done for all those years, at some point it’s time to pass the torch. In his eyes, now is the time to do that. I’m thankful for the opportunity to have worked with him and against him.”

Chip Illian, in his 29th year as an assistant, will join Shultie in retirement.

“We’ve been talking about it for the last three or four years,” Shultie said. “He was going to go three or four years ago and I said, ‘Give me one more year.’ Then, ‘give me one more year.’ Because Chip is a very important part of our program.

“He does all the technique work with our team. The man is phenomenal. He can learn something, and he never forgets it.”

Shultie has coached 37 state champions, and 111 who have placed in the top three at the state meet. Included in that total are four-time state champ Codey Combs and three-time champ Connor McDonald. He’s also proud to have coached both of his sons – Brandon, who was part of the 2008 title team, and Jason.

“I’ve had some kids say, ‘Why don’t you stay one more year?’ I appreciate the offer,” Shultie said. “But you need new blood, people who can think more out of the box than I can.”

The Golden Knights’ new coach will be Shane Miller, who wrestled for Shultie for four seasons and has served as an assistant the last two years.

“He’s very excited about taking the program over, and he’s going to do a wonderful job with it,” Shultie said. “It’s time to step down and let some new blood come in.”

He looks forward to being home more often, especially in the winter months, and spending more time with his wife, Susan.

“She’s very understanding, allowing me to coach as long as I did,” he said. “Being away from home, not having a big Thanksgiving or Christmas, because we’re always on the road, going to tournaments. She’s been a big supporter of mine. She’s made my life a lot easier.”

And as for the future?

“I don’t know what my plans are,” Shultie said. “I do like to camp, and I do like to fish. My wife told me that the whole month of October, I’m allowed to go to the Outer Banks and do some fishing.”

Sounds like a pretty good plan.

Contact Brad Myers at bmyers@delawareonline.com. Follow on Twitter: @BradMyersTNJ.