Jim Dicker ’81
Career Record: 40-8, Regional Champ
Tournament Championships: Top Hat, Reilly Invitational
College: Lafayette (2x NCAA Qualifier)
1981 – 155 lbs.: District Runner-Up, Regional Champ (31-3)
1980 – 155 lbs.: (9-5)
Jim Dicker was an anchor of the “Magnificent Seven” who dominated the 1981 season. Dicker later was a multi-time NCAA qualifier and career record holder at Lafayette College.
Dicker broke the lineup in his junior season, though his debut was put on hold when doctors discovered a tumor in his sinus in a preseason physical. Dicker was fitted for a mask he wore for the rest of his wrestling career, and made his varsity debut in January. He picked up his first varsity win with a major over Ralph Voit (Dieruff) which started a five match EPC winning streak headed into the postseason. Dicker went 1-2 in the D11 tournament, ending his junior season.
As a senior, Dicker opened his season with a fall in Easton’s shocking route of co-favorite Bethlehem Catholic. He ripped through the Top Hat tournament at Williamsport, winning a championship to nudge Easton ahead of Shikellamy for the team title with a run that included a 13-5 major over eventual state finalist Jesse Waltz (Shikellamy) in the semifinals. He followed his Top Hat win with a championship at the James B. “Pat” Reilly Invitational. In January, he avenged his D11 tournament loss with a 3-2 win over Vince Fugazzotto (Parkland) and ran his winning streak to 23 matches headed into Easton’s showdown with Shikellamy. Dicker and Waltz were slated for a rematch of their Top Hat semi, and Waltz was ready to go. After Dicker built a 4-1 lead after one, Waltz took Dicker down three times to take a 10-9 lead after two. He cut Dicker to start the third, and Dicker converted a single leg with 1:08 left to escape with a wild 12-11 victory as Easton won by a point to lock up the top dual ranking in Pennsylvania. He capped an undefeated regular season in style, pinning Tim Cummings (Phillipsburg) as Easton beat the Stateliners to complete an undefeated season and win the East Penn Conference. Dicker was the top seed at the D11 tournament and looked the part on Friday, with two pints to move into semis. His semifinal match was a rematch of the Top Hat finals, and once again he handled Ken Ziegler (Saucon Valley), 6-0. In the finals, Dicker met future Lehigh star and NCAA qualifier Cos Ritrievi (Bethlehem Catholic). The two battled to a 1-1 tie deep into the third period when Ritrievi threw Dicker to his back for five points in the final seconds to end his undefeated year with a 6-1 win. The following weekend, Dicker opened with a major over Greg Beaver (Selinsgrove) the beat Fugazzotto for the second time with an 8-4 decision to make the finals. Ritrievi was upset on the other side of the bracket, and Dicker handled Mark Levan (Jersey Shore) to win a Northeast Regional title. Dicker was one of the favorites headed into the state tournament. He looked like it in his opener, scoring a pair of takedowns against Chuck Murray (Methacton) and looked to be cruising to a 4-1 win when disaster struck. With 35 seconds left, Murray caught and pinned Dicker, stunning the crowd in Hershey. First round losers were ineligible to wrestle-back, and Dicker went from state title favorite to out of the tournament in a matter of seconds. His high school career was over.
After Easton, Dicker stayed home to wrestle at Lafayette. He set the program record for wins and after injuries kept him out of the postseason in his first two years, he won a pair of ECC titles and qualified for the NCAA tournament in each of his final two years.
History of Easton Wrestling 