BENTREE, W.Va. — The Ohio man who died in a black ice-related crash in Nicholas County Wednesday was a Clay County native and much accomplished teacher and high school wrestling coach in Ohio.
John Brown, 53, lost control of his car on state Route 16 and slammed into a residence near Bentree. He was pronounced dead at the scene, police said.
Brown was the chair of the math department of Mount Vernon (OH) High School and had been a high school wrestling coach for more than two dozen years. Brown was AAU National Wrestling Coach of the Year in 2013. He was the coach of the year in the Capital Conference in Ohio 10 times. Several of his wrestlers earned college scholarships and appeared in the Olympic Trials.
Brown was a 1981 graduate of Clay County High where he was a two-time West Virginia state wrestling champion.
Brown is survived by his wife and two daughters. One of those daughters is a student at West Virginia University, according to a story posted by WSYX–TV in Columbus, Ohio.