“I was life-flighted.” When the wrestling coach got his first CT scan done in 2023, it revealed a mass in his brain. He was shaken. Shortly after, he went into surgery, and they told him: he had a ‘very aggressive form of glioma cancer.’ Since then, till 2025, he fought like a warrior every day! Sadly, the man now leaves us and the wrestling community behind with nothing but a void.

We’re talking about the legendary Plainsville, Kansas, wrestling coach, Luke Wise.After years of being a wrestler himself, Wise had put on his coaching boots for none but his home school. Yes, he was a 2002 State Champion in Kansas himself before he eventually transitioned into being a coach. In fact, in 2024, he was awarded as regional coach of the year for the Plainsville High School 4-1A Girls. But everything changed after his cancer diagnosis. And today, we had a shattering update coming in.

On February 27, the Wrestling Room updated us that Luke Wise, the wrestling coach, has passed away after a long-drawn battle with brain cancer. A family man, Luke’s social media is flooded with content he shot with his 3 young daughters. Also, as a Lead Pastor at the Nazarene Church in Plainville, his faith was unshakeable. Naturally, the family’s loss here is undefineable.

But probably one of the biggest setbacks is the one that the wrestling community is dealing with. Shortly after the news broke, Luke Wise’s well-wishers and wrestling fans took to social media. One of them chimed in with, “Man, this is sad news. Luke was a great supporter of wrestling in many ways.” Yes, he certainly was. No wonder, the Kansas Wrestling Association felicitated him with the ‘Cody Lambotte “Courage in Coaching”‘ award in 2024.

11 months ago, the Cardinal Booster Club applauded the fact that four of their star alumni: Tanner Nelson, TJ Staab, Luke Wise, and Cody Pfaff were all on the Plainsville High School coaching staff together, 22 years after being senior wrestlers themselves. They even highlighted that Luke Wise was mong the ones who had led their  high school girls wrestling team exceptionally well in 2024, with a lot many of them “making it to the State.”

All these aspects highlight the difference that Luke made in the wrestling program. No wonder he was a much-loved and legendary wrestling coach who people are truly going to miss.

Wrestling fans mourn Luke Wise’s demise

Reacting to the saddening news, Justin Basch, the founder of the Bacamania wrestling podcast, wrote, “Terrible. 3 young daughters. Luke was a good dude. Had been battling brain cancer for a while & held on to his strong faith through it all. Pray for this man’s family.” Indeed, he held strong! Despite battling Glioblastoma, Luke was often spotted vacationing with his family. It looked like it was the girls and his faith that gave him the strength to fight on.

But even in terms of the sport, Luke was very actively involved, even during the Paris Olympics days. He was constantly posting reactions and giving out his opinion. After all, he was an ace wrestler in his days. In 2002, he held a 100-35 career record as per the NHSCA entries. Thus, another fan chimed in with, “Need more men and coaches like this in the sport. Big time encourager and supporter of my dreams and pushing forward, and was a big Jerm fan from first day we interacted. I appreciate this dude and my heart hurts for his family and friend.”

And when he took his sporting knowledge to the coaching division, he excelled again. But above it all, he was a man who left an impression on others. Thus, another fan mentioned, “I never met Luke, but through our niche community on this app, I feel like I have.”

To have this kind of optimism about life despite such a painful condition, requires immense strength and courage. But the ones who knew Luke felt that he made it look so easy. “This is tough. Luke was an incredibly kind and caring man. I enjoyed our interactions. He had a clear vigor for life and deep love of his family. He will be missed. If anyone knows of ways to help support his family, please let me know,” said a fellow coach, Robby Wendall.

Naturally, Luke’s absence will always be felt in the sport of wrestling. As it will amongst his loved ones. Because losing talented humans is never easy for the sport or the fans.