Millburn's 'Gentle Giant:' Paul Finn's undefeated season turns 40

As each new wrestling season begins, thousands of wrestlers across the state of New Jersey strive for perfection. The goal for each wrestler is to win each match and end the season atop the podium at Atlantic City. Yet, one season of true perfection in New Jersey high school wrestling that stands out above the rest reaches its 40th anniversary this year.

In 1978, Millburn wrestler Paul Finn went undefeated, winning the state championship at heavyweight with a 28-0 record. But what made Finn's season was how he won each match. Finn accepted one forfeit during the season, but pinned all 27 opponents that stood across from him on the mat. To this day, Finn remains the only undefeated state champion in New Jersey history to ever pin all opponents in one season.

Finn's 1978 wrestling season starts off almost like something of folklore. If the story of Paul Finn reads like a fable, then Millburn wrestling pioneer Jerry Sachsel is considered by many to be the storyteller.

Finn won the Region 4 tournament in 1977 to make it to the state tournament, then held in Princeton. Finn, then a junior, would be eliminated from the tournament and sulked in the back seat of Sachsel's car.

"I think my front tires were off the ground," said Sachsel. "I had a lot of weight in the backseat."

Known as "The Gentle Giant", Finn was a large wrestler. Finn wrestled in the heavyweight class, which did not have an official weight limit at the time. Many believe that the weight restrictions on the heavyweight class, which came shortly after Finn's undefeated season, were influenced by Finn's size.

Finn grew larger in the offseason and needed to actually lose weight in order for Sachsel to allow him to wrestle on the mat. Sachsel tells a story about how Finn couldn't get an accurate weight on two scales within the school, needing to step onto a scale at a meat market instead. Sachsel also says that he told Finn that he would not allow him on the mat unless he weighed under 300 pounds.

The supporting cast for Finn in the state tournament lists some notable names in wrestling. Among them was Jim Jeffcoat, who would play 15 years in the NFL, earning over 100 sacks in his career and winning two Super Bowls with the Dallas Cowboys.

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Also in the bracket was Scott Bigelow, known to many as former professional wrestler "Bam Bam Bigelow". Bigelow was eliminated in the quarterfinals. Among the four semifinalists was Bruce Baumgartner, who wrestled for Manchester Regional. Baumgartner would go on to be the most accomplished wrestler in American history with nine World Championship medals (three gold) and four Olympic medals, including gold at the 1984 Olympics in Los Angeles and the 1992 Barcelona Olympics. Baumgartner is currently the president of USA Wrestling.

In the end, it was down to Finn and Jerry Modugno from Ridge. As legend has it, Modugno faced Finn in a scrimmage prior to the start of the season, winning a 4-3 decision over Finn. The story goes that Modugno told Finn after the match that the Millburn senior could never beat him. Finn defeated Modugno in the state final, pinning him in 3:16.

"Paul told me that if he won the state championship, he would leap into my arms," said Sachsel. "When he got the pin in the final, I was fearful for my life. Instead, Paul ran over and gave me one of his infamous bear hugs."

Sachsel believes that it is still possible for a wrestler to accomplish what Finn did four decades ago, but knows it's a difficult goal to reach. The biggest difference in wrestling since Finn's unbeaten season has been the inclusion of the technical fall, awarded to a wrestler if he or she has a lead in points that reaches at least 15 points within the allotted six minutes.

"Even the best pinners will wrestle a tough kid from time to time that does enough to stay off his back," said Sachsel. "You also will see guys that want to practice their takedowns and take a guy down a few times in a period."

Since Paul Finn's death in April 1999 at the age of 39, his legacy has continued to live on. No Miller has won a state wrestling title since Finn, whose name adorns one of Millburn's wrestling mats as one of only three state champions in program history, joining Bill Miron (1973) and Buzz Wagenseller (1976).

Finn is also remembered annually with the Paul Finn Duals, began by Paul Finn Sr. and Laurie Finn, Paul's parents, and hosted at Millburn High School every year since its inception in 2004. Paul Sr. and Laurie have since passed on, but their memories, along with their son's fuels one of the great traditions in Millburn athletics.

The 15th edition of the Paul Finn Duals is set for this Saturday at Millburn. The duals also announce winners of awards, such as a scholarship for a wrestler to attend wrestling camp, a college scholarship for a Millburn wrestler, as well as an outstanding wrestler award named after Paul Serruto, another Millburn wrestler gone far too soon. Serruto passed away in 1986.