James R. Wysor, Teacher/Advisor (Submitted Photo)

(The Norwich High School Sports Hall of Fame is happy to announce its 2025 induction ceremony will be held on Saturday, Oct. 11, where the 13th Hall of Fame class will be honored. Those being inducted in the 2025 class include athletes Hannah Runyon, Kyle Edwards, Michael Sutton, contributor Jim Wysor and the 1965 track & field team. This year’s event will be held at the Canasawacta Country Club, where a buffet dinner will commence at 5:30 p.m., followed by the induction ceremonies at approximately 6:30 p.m. Tickets to attend are $35 and can be purchased at the front desk of the Norwich YMCA or the Norwich High School by phoning 607-334-1600, Ext 1439.)

James R. Wysor, Teacher/Advisor

Beginning in the late 1960s, our country was in a “state of flux” because of economic “stagflation” and social unrest. Rural towns faced changes in population, businesses, and schools. Norwich had people moving into the area from cities and suburbs, even from outside of New York. In 1969 the Norwich schools brought in more experienced teachers to deal with the change. The Iroquois League disbanded, and changes of coaches and resignations occurred, thus a need for new coaches.

As to how James Wysor (Jim) came to Norwich, he was told by his college baseball coach about an opening for a science teacher in Norwich, N.Y. Jim was a graduate of Bloomsburg State Teacher’s College in Pennsylvania. He traveled to Norwich and applied for the position. His academics, sports involvement, and personality were quickly realized, and he was hired by the Norwich City School District.

That decision led to many factors in succeeding decades for Jim Wysor to be selected into this year’s 13th edition of the Norwich High School Sports Hall of Fame as a contributor. A contributor is one who does many things “behind the scenes,” not seeking notice of the skills and successes in the work involved. The following is a resume of what Jim did for sports at NHS for decades!

In 1971 Jim was appointed as J.V. wrestling coach because of his sports involvement and previous experience in coaching students. He soon was certified as a small (school) bus driver, which enabled him to drive while the varsity coach planned lineups and discussed strategies with the wrestlers. Jim quickly learned practice routines and we could divide the squad into less experienced or veteran athletes. Squad members were growing rapidly, so we worked in light weight training for workouts to make more room for workouts. We had the smallest room in the STAC conference!

We had the “round robins” in some practice sessions and Jim was able to get in with some of the heavier weight groups which led to better utilization of the room available and faster progress. We began to be more competitive against the larger schools in the STAC conference, such as Vestal, Union-Endicott, Johnson City, and Binghamton, who were at times state-ranked.

Jim was working outside of the practice time and introduced a “code of conduct” which was used at his high school in Pennsylvania. This was a “contract” between athlete, coach, and signed by them and parent or guardian. It was presented to the Coaches Council, chaired by Dan Chrisman, Athletic Director, and adopted for all sports. Eligibility for the sports in season was a main feature.

John Kelly, a student athlete of Jim’s first junior varsity team said of him, “He would have done anything to make sure we learned the sport and had fun. He would drive buses through snowstorms to get us there, even stand up to coaches and refs if he thought we had been wronged.” That opinion was throughout our team.

Jim and his wife, Lynn, moved to the City of Norwich from on the outside edge of town and he took a job as City Recreation Director for over 33 years. He established feeder programs and visited programs and conferred with their coaches and determined needs and problems. Robert Mason, Norwich Youth Bureau Commissioner, stated that “…youngsters at early school age could learn gymnastics, softball, tennis, and soccer as well as wrestling…and could learn basic skills, as well as self-confidence, sportsmanship, teamwork and some limited competition as approved. Mr. Wysor worked timelessly to oversee the different coaches and made suggestions and, though rarely, correct overemphasis or questionable practices.”

Another project Jim undertook was with the whole high school in the formation of the Pep Club, which was meant to increase the student body’s interest in the teams through “pep assemblies” in the gym. However, Jim had a bigger undertaking in mind. He took a group of teachers, coaches, students and athletes to PA to witness their Sports Night; Jim was ready for NHS’s first Sports Night, which began in 1978.

That momentous evening was a group of contests for the 10th, 11th and 12th grades. The seniors had obvious advantages, but Jim was planning changes. The evening was well attended by teachers, parents and students; naturally a better event was forthcoming. During ensuing years, it became Spirit Week with Purple and White teams divided by homerooms for the classes.

The weeklong schedule included dress-up days, basketball games, thematic trends, decorative touches, and participating were students, athletes of teams, faculty, even some parents among them. The Saturday evening culmination included a boys’ dance performance, a tug-of-war and a bat/pin relay, all being highly popular. Thus, Spirit Night was a culmination of not only school spirit, but also a community event spearheaded by Mr. Wysor to arouse participation in our teams, parental support and larger crowds, and naturally more success to increase Purple Pride in the community.

Among other favorable trends was the noticeable growth in girls’ sports. Title IX had taken effect and numerous teams, including tennis, gymnastics, field hockey, basketball, and softball were not only growing, but becoming as highly successful as boys’ teams. Anna Schuhart, a history teacher at NHS, stated, “Aware that the 1970s saw the passage of Title IX and the advent of girls’ sports, Jim was one of the biggest supporters”.

Trophies began to fill up the cases in the halls around the gymnasium and in the ‘80s and ‘90s flags went up in the gym. These all represented successful teams and individuals not only in Section Four but also in New York State. Jim Wysor should have smiled when he walked near or through the gymnasium.

Anna Schuhart, who had helped Jim with his earlier work for NHS, commented in a letter supporting his nomination, “Being a contributor to the sports programs at NHS meant Jim’s work was often behind the scenes. He was always there to assist a coach or work with a student to keep him eligible. Jim could always be called on to fill in (at the last minute) if needed by any team. If a coach was ill and someone needed to cover a practice, Jim was one of the first folks the coach would contact.”

Dr. Robert Cleveland retired after his longtime support of athletics as well as academics, including bringing Mr. Jack Jones from Sidney and Vestal to Norwich as Athletic Director, to whom the gym was dedicated. After they had died, Jim Wysor took it upon himself (with some support from alumni) to design and complete at each of the four schools in Norwich, a memorial garden with a tree, shrubs and flowers. With individuals as administrators, teachers and coaches such as these, our schools and communities would be better and so would our country.

Don Kovalchik & David Ring