As a young Mexican-American boy growing up in Milton-Freewater, Ore. and Walla Walla, Shorewood wrestling coach Arnie Moreno was fascinated by stories about the Blue Demon, a Mexican professional wrestler or luchador.
He saw movies starring the masked cultural icon, who was a cousin of his father Rudy, and whose given name was Alejandro Muñoz Moreno.
“It made me want to get involved in wrestling,” said Moreno, 56.
Moreno is retiring after about 30 years of coaching wrestling in the state of Washington. He will continue to teach and coach tennis at Shorewood.
Moreno’s family eventually moved to Walla Walla’s West End where he played sports in the streets. It was a rough neighborhood and the games were tough and physical. Moreno wrestled at Walla Walla High School at 130 pounds. He never made state, but continued the sport at Walla Walla Community College and spent some time as a walk on at Washington State. Moreno was one of two guys from the old neighborhood who graduated from college. Two others became state patrolmen. Moreno estimates about 13 guys ended up in prison.
Moreno said while playing softball at the state penitentiary in Walla Walla, someone called out his name. “I stopped and froze. It was one of my buddies from my neighborhood,” he said. The same thing happened at the state correctional facility in Monroe.
But for the four who made it, “it was kind a neat thing…because we set an example for our siblings and other kids from that neighborhood,” Moreno said. He believes sports are a way for Latino students to stay engaged and involved in school.
A 1974 graduate of Washington State University, Moreno triple-majored in art, social studies and education.
He got a teaching job at McLaughlin Junior High in Pasco and served as an assistant coach for the Pasco High wrestling team.
Moreno soon looked for job back in Walla Walla and found one at Garrison Junior High School in 1975. He taught art and physical education there and coached ninth grade football and track. He was also approached by the athletic director at Whitman College in Walla Walla who he knew he had wrestled at Walla Walla Community College. Whitman no longer has a wrestling program, but at the time had about 20 wrestlers.
“It was a great experience,” he said. “Nobody thinks of Whitman College students as being aggressive grapplers.”
Moreno coached a three-time NAIA All-American at Whitman, Theo Williams, who came out of Davis High in Yakima. Moreno said he ran into Williams, who is a doctor now, at the regional tournament in Vancouver earlier this month.
“It took me to a different level as a coach,” Moreno said.
Moreno went through a divorce and moved to the Seattle area in 1981 where he got a job at Snohomish Junior High. While still teaching in Snohomish, at Centennial Middle School, he got hired as head wrestling coach at Arlington High School in 1986.
Moreno couldn’t get a teaching job in Arlington, so he got a job as head wrestling coach at Woodinville in 1989 where he coached through 1992, and continued to teach in Snohomish.
Moreno took a job as coach in 1999 of a combined Shorewood-Shorecrest program, before moving over to Shorewood in 2000 when the programs split. His son Rudy, a Snohomish grad, helped start the program.
“I was excited to come to Shorewood because of its diversity,” Moreno said.
Senior Tim Hester, who won the 4A state 189-pound title this year, said Moreno is best at teaching the basic fundamentals to the more inexperienced wrestlers. Moreno also started taking his teams to Hawaii for a tournament every other year.
“That’s fun stuff,” Hester said. “It’s great to get the guys out like that. They get to know each other, this year more than any other year our team was like family.”
Moreno isn’t the type of wrestling coach who is going to yell and scream a lot. “I’ve never seen him mad,” Hester said. “He’s just an awesome guy. I had him as a teacher last semester. He’s always into the students and stuff. A couple kids are slow but they always come in and see him and stuff. A bunch of kids come in to see him.”
Hester and Matt Jensen, who placed fifth, helped Moreno go out a winner. Hester is the first state champion at Shorewood.
Moreno wore a sport jacket for Hester’s championship final win, but no tie, unlike assistants Derek and Clark Norton.
“I didn’t even wear a tie to my own wedding,” Moreno quipped.
Moreno’s wife Rebecca, a teacher at Einstein Middle School, is “sports crazy,” he said. “She could put up with a coach.”
But now that Moreno is stepping down, he’ll have his winters free to spend more time with family.
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