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The new wrestling room at Granada High School in Livermore has been formally named in honor of current vice principal and former wrestling coach Clark Conover.
Conover said that he first learned they were planning to dedicate the facility to him ahead of a ribbon-cutting ceremony held in March. “It was an unexpected honor,” he told the Weekly.
The Livermore Valley Joint Unified School District Board of Education officially adopted “Clark Conover Wrestling Facility” as the name of the wrestling team’s new workout space at its regular meeting last Tuesday.
The space was constructed as part of a $16.6 million renovation paid for by Measure J and also includes a new pool, two sand volleyball courts and a new classroom building with a weight room, physical education classroom and dance studio.
“Coach Conover motivates students to do their best,” Superintendent Kelly Bowers said in a statement. “Seeing his name on this facility will inspire us all to join in his legacy.”
Conover was the head wrestling coach at Granada for 12 years. He previously taught math, health and physical education, and he was Granada’s athletic director for 11 years.
He told the Weekly that one of the most rewarding parts about the new facility’s dedication to him has been receiving congratulatory messages from his former wrestlers.
“It’s nice to know that our administration, district office, school board, students and current and past wrestlers and coaches supported the effort of naming it after me. That means a lot to me,” Conover said.
In addition to being a coach and educator, Conover is an accomplished wrestler in his own right. A Livermore native, he first became involved in the sport while attending East Avenue Middle School. He continued wrestling at Livermore High School where he earned four varsity letters in wrestling and two in football.
As wrestling team captain in high school, he was a three-time East Bay Athletic League champion and received honors at the California Interscholastic Federation North Coast Section Tournament three times, culminating with a section championship his senior year. He earned medals at the CIF State Championships, Cadet and Junior National Championships, and was a two-time All-American.
Conover also won the California Community College State Championship in his sophomore year at Chabot Community College. Upon receiving an associate degree from Chabot and transferring to Cal Poly San Luis Obispo, Conover placed third at the Pac-10 wrestling championships, competed at the NCAA Division I Championships and earned All-American honors at the Espoir Nationals. He also began his coaching career at Cal Poly as an assistant wrestling coach.
Although he no longer coaches or wrestles himself, he has served on the NCS Wrestling Advisory Committee for more than 20 years and has been a board member of the California Wrestling Hall of Fame for the past eight years.
Among his many accolades, he’s been inducted into the Chabot College Hall of Fame, the Livermore-Granada Boosters Hall of Fame and the California Wrestling Hall of Fame for his contributions and dedication to the sport.
