By Earl Yost – Sports Editor, Manchester Evening Herald
 

July 2, 1981

“Mr. Wigren is a graduate of Wesleyan and is known to be an excellent track man”

 So read the October 1921 issue of the Manchester High School Somanhis Notes in introducing the tall, slender young man who joined the faculty as a math instructor, Charles L. Wigren.

 The reference to Wigren, better know to one and all as Pete, as an excellent track coach hit the nail on the head.

 Wigren coached track and cross country teams from Manchester won 54 championships in league, state and New England competition during better than a three decade career.

 For his efforts and contributions as a coach, Wigren was today named the second of three sports figures to be voted into the Manchester Sports Hall of Fame for 1981.

 The 87-year-old native of Lowell, Mass., thus joins one of his former fellow coaches and teachers at Manchester High as recipients of the prestigious awards, Thomas F. Kelly.

 A third sports figure will round out the number of inductees for the Friday night, September 18 dinner along with the Unsung Hero winner at the Army & Navy Club. Wigren coached track squads at Manchester High from 1922 to 1954 and handled cross country teams from 1931 thru 1953. Nineteen teams went undefeated.

 During the 18-year period Wigren coached cross country in the CCIL, Manchester won 15 times and was second the other three years.  

Wigren failed to win a letter in track while in college but passed out thousands to his youngsters during a glittering career unmatched in New England. He helped produce four runners who won national fame, Joe McCluskey and Pete Close, who wore the colors of the United States in Olympic competition. Charlie Robbins and Lockhart Rogers. Seven track teams complied undefeated records and a dozen lead Wigren –led cross country teams unbeaten campaigns. He won 21 CCIL track titles, with eight second best league showings in 29 years.

Wigren helped organize the popular Five Mile Road Race in Manchester and drew up the first course in 1927. For more than 30 years he served as race director of the popular Thanksgiving morning run.

 The mild-mannered son of a Methodist minister, Wigren coached two years at Suffield Academy before coming to Manchester. Suffield’s loss was Manchester’s gain.

 Long active in the local American legion, he served 21 months overseas in World War I.

 He received the Gold Key from the Connecticut Sports Writers’ Alliance in 1956.

 Previous inductees in the first annual Manchester Sports Hall of Fame dinner a year ago were McCluskey, Jerry Fay, Ty Holland, Tony Lupien, Moe Morhardt, Cathy Dyak, and Matt Moriarty.