Mike Milkovich with son Tom MilkovichMichael Milkovich was one of eight kids of Paul and Dragica Milkovich, who came to Ohio from Croatia immediately after World War I. The Milkovich family settled into a working-class suburb of Cleveland, where Mike was a 145-pound state champion for Garfield Heights High in 1941, and was a key ingredient in the Bulldogs winning the Ohio state team title that year. He also earned NCAA All-American honors as a wrestler at Kent State University.
However, "Big Mike" is best known -- and most respected -- for a stellar high school coaching career.
By any measure, Milkovich's wrestling coaching resume was loaded with mind-blowing stats and incredible honors. From 1949 to 1977, Milkovich coached the Maple Heights Mustangs of suburban Cleveland to 16 undefeated seasons, 10 state championships, nine state runner-up finishes and 37 individual state titles. His teams' overall record in dual meets was 262-25-2 (a .912 winning percentage). All were state records at the time he retired forty-one years ago. Milkovich also guided the Mustangs to a record 103 consecutive dual meet victories from 1963-72 (still a record).
As for honors… Milkovich was a charter member of the Ohio Wrestling Hall of Fame, welcomed into the Greater Cleveland Sports Hall of Fame in 1978, and one of just three high school coaches elected to the National Wrestling Hall of Fame in Stillwater, Okla. as a Distinguished Member in 1983.
"When people are interested in exploring the development and culture of youth wrestling in the United States, they need to look no further than legendary coach Mike Milkovich Sr. and the dynasty that he built and sustained at Maple Heights High School during the 1950s, 1960s and 1970s," said Lee Roy Smith, Executive Director of the National Wrestling Hall of Fame. "But there is much more to the man than his phenomenal coaching career, including his innovative promotion of the sport.
"On behalf of our Board of Governors and the Hall of Fame, we extend our sincere sympathies to Big Mike's family, friends, former wrestlers, students and those who were fortunate enough to have gone fishing with him in the Florida Keys."
Milkovich also owns the rare distinction of being the subject of a book, "Mustang" written by Jim Kalin, Amateur Wrestling News writer and Dellinger Award honoree as 2009 wrestling writer of the year, who grew up in the Cleveland area and wrestled for a rival high school.
"Mike Milkovich and Maple Heights changed Cleveland wrestling at a time when Ohio really didn't figure into the national scene," Kalin told this writer -- a Cleveland area resident himself for two years - in a 2016 InterMat interview about "Mustang." "He and his wrestlers forced Ohio to become better. Now Ohio ranks among the top two or three states for wrestling in the nation."
"He helped other coaches up their game."
The National Hall of Fame cited a couple other elements of Mike Milkovich's coaching career that set him apart.
"Complementing his record on the mat was his flair for promotion of the sport," according to the Hall's Distinguished Member write-up for Milkovich. "He attracted attention to his program with the use of mat maids, cheerleaders, pep clubs, booster clubs, junior high and junior varsity matches and the "radical" innovation of holding the meets at night."
"Milkovich never limited his horizons to Maple Heights," the Hall continued. "An educator of coaches and wrestlers, he conducted clinics across the country. He developed and published a practice plan for both high school and college coaches. His book on how to teach wrestling sold thousands of copies. A video tape series on wrestling techniques received nationwide acclaim."
Coach Mike and Barbara Milkovich raised two daughters - Cathy and Beth - and four sons: Tom, an undefeated three-time state champ and NCAA champ at Michigan State; Mike Jr., a state champ and All-American at Kent State; Dan, who placed third in the state; and youngest son Pat, while not a state champ, was a two-time national champ and four-time NCAA finalist at Michigan State.
Mike Milkovich was preceded in death by his wife Barbara.
Funeral arrangements are pending at this time.
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