Sports Hall of Fame 2017: Brian Letters

| Sunday, May 7, 2017, TRIB-LIVE

Brian Letters, a 2007 Fox Chapel graduate, was one of the most accomplished wrestlers to pass through the halls of the school.

He finished his scholastic career with a school-record 157 wins, was a four-time WPIAL place winner, a four-time section champion, a two-time Allegheny County tournament champion, finished third in the WPIAL and PIAA in 2007 and was a 2006 Powerade champion.

He was also selected to the 2007 Dapper Dan WPIAL team.

After graduation, he went to Maryland and made an immediate impact.

Wrestling at 157 pounds, he won 18 matches and qualified for the NCAA Tournament after winning the ACC championship. He upped his win total to 23 as a sophomore. He left Maryland after his junior year and graduated from Cal (Pa.) with a degree in criminal justice.

“Being chosen for the Fox Chapel Sports Hall of Fame came as a bit of a shock,” he said. “I was told that this was the first year I was eligible, so to be selected this year is such an honor. It’s something that myself and everyone who has supported me over the years is extremely proud of.”

Trying to pick out his fondest memories from his FC days was tough for Letters.

“I consider myself extremely lucky to have been able to be a part of Fox Chapel athletics,” he said. “There are so many great memories that it’s hard to select just a few. I can’t say enough about the great coaches and mentors that I had during my time at Fox Chapel. I will never forget the camaraderie that I shared with my teammates and the support and knowledge I received from my coaches.”

Letters still maintains strong ties with his former teammates and coaches.

“To this day, I am very close with my coaches, as well as many of my former teammates,” he said. “I was able to be an assistant wrestling coach at FC, and I still keep in touch with some of the kids I’ve coached, as well.

“I follow Fox Chapel wrestling as much as I can. A lot of my former teammates still have family members involved with the program, so it’s nice to keep tabs on them and hear about the success they’re having.”

Letters will have a large contingent at the banquet.

“My immediate family will be in attendance, as well as my grandmother and some aunts and uncles,” he said. “I made sure to invite all of my coaches and friends who have given me so much support. My parents and other family members were so influential and supportive. My mother and father sacrificed so much of their time to give me all the tools I needed to succeed.”