Sam Beegle
As a youngster, Sam’s parents would take him to see his older brother Stanley wrestle. In 1956, Sam was six years old when Stanley won the District 5 Title and was a regional runner-up. Sam knew then that he wanted to be a wrestler.
Sam made the varsity team as a sophomore and had a record of 12-4, winning the District 5 Championship by defeating defending champ Tim Hamel of Boswell. Two of his losses were his only dual meet losses of his career.
As a junior, Sam was a Boiling Spring runner-up and a District 5 Champ. He lost his first match at regionals. His record was 12-2.
His senior year Sam won the Boiling Spring Tournament, his third District 5 Championship, and a regional title. He was the only wrestler to win his state semifinal match by a fall. He was a state runner-up losing in the finals to Andy Matter, who went on to win two NCAA titles while wrestling at Penn State. Sam’s senior year record was 19-1 and his career record was 43-7 with 26 falls.
In 1968 Bedford Gazette articles, Bedford County Sports Hall of Fame writer Ned Frear called Sam a “Raging Bull” and Bedford’s most exciting wrestler. Sam was a crowd pleaser, always going for a fall, usually with his pattern move “The Whizzer” while the fans were stomping their feet on the bleachers and chanting “Go Sam Go.”
Following graduation in 1968, Sam worked on a dairy farm until being bitten by the harness racing bug in 1972. Since then he has virtually done it all in the standardbred world: owner, trainer, driver, farm operator, adovcate, and more.
Sam got his start in racing helping his father-in-law. He later took a job with a prominent farm owner, Junior Beller, and later bought him out when he retired. He became co-owner and manager of what is now Ginger Tree Farms LLC, a state of-the-art training facility in New Holland, PA. His barn has earned millions of dollars in purses with horses like world champion Gabby Glide, Nights Journey, Belong To Me, Nights Flash and dozens more.
As a driver, Sam hit a career peak in 1984, achieving a Universal Driving Rating of .394 a “batting average” that today’s most successful drivers would be hard pressed to top. Sam also was the leading Percentage Driving Champion at Pocono Downs in 1994.
Sam was a driving force in the revitalization of harness racing in southeastern Pennsylvania at Harrah’s Chester Casino & Racetrack.
Sam has been a director of the Pa. Harness Horsemen’s Association since 1984, former president for eight years and elected president again in 2009. He also represents the horsemen of the United States Trotting Association’s seventh district as a director, a position he has been re-elected to numerous times.
He was among those who fought successfully for off-track waging and later, full-card simulcasting.
Sam is considered a leading authority on all things related to standardbred racing and he has been featured extensively by the sports and industry media including most recently Hoof Beats, Standardbred Canada, Pittsburgh Tribune-Review, Pittsburgh Post-Gazette, and NBC 10 Philadelphia.
Sam and his wife, Kathleen, have three children: Paul, Beth, and Jason and five grandsons. They reside in New Holland, PA.
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As a youngster, Sam’s parents would take him to see his older brother Stanley wrestle. In 1956, Sam was six years old when Stanley won the District 5 Title and was a regional runner-up. Sam knew then that he wanted to be a wrestler.
Sam made the varsity team as a sophomore and had a record of 12-4, winning the District 5 Championship by defeating defending champ Tim Hamel of Boswell. Two of his losses were his only dual meet losses of his career.
As a junior, Sam was a Boiling Spring runner-up and a District 5 Champ. He lost his first match at regionals. His record was 12-2.
His senior year Sam won the Boiling Spring Tournament, his third District 5 Championship, and a regional title. He was the only wrestler to win his state semifinal match by a fall. He was a state runner-up losing in the finals to Andy Matter, who went on to win two NCAA titles while wrestling at Penn State. Sam’s senior year record was 19-1 and his career record was 43-7 with 26 falls.
In 1968 Bedford Gazette articles, Bedford County Sports Hall of Fame writer Ned Frear called Sam a “Raging Bull” and Bedford’s most exciting wrestler. Sam was a crowd pleaser, always going for a fall, usually with his pattern move “The Whizzer” while the fans were stomping their feet on the bleachers and chanting “Go Sam Go.”
Following graduation in 1968, Sam worked on a dairy farm until being bitten by the harness racing bug in 1972. Since then he has virtually done it all in the standardbred world: owner, trainer, driver, farm operator, adovcate, and more.
Sam got his start in racing helping his father-in-law. He later took a job with a prominent farm owner, Junior Beller, and later bought him out when he retired. He became co-owner and manager of what is now Ginger Tree Farms LLC, a state of-the-art training facility in New Holland, PA. His barn has earned millions of dollars in purses with horses like world champion Gabby Glide, Nights Journey, Belong To Me, Nights Flash and dozens more.
As a driver, Sam hit a career peak in 1984, achieving a Universal Driving Rating of .394 a “batting average” that today’s most successful drivers would be hard pressed to top. Sam also was the leading Percentage Driving Champion at Pocono Downs in 1994.
Sam was a driving force in the revitalization of harness racing in southeastern Pennsylvania at Harrah’s Chester Casino & Racetrack.
Sam has been a director of the Pa. Harness Horsemen’s Association since 1984, former president for eight years and elected president again in 2009. He also represents the horsemen of the United States Trotting Association’s seventh district as a director, a position he has been re-elected to numerous times.
He was among those who fought successfully for off-track waging and later, full-card simulcasting.
Sam is considered a leading authority on all things related to standardbred racing and he has been featured extensively by the sports and industry media including most recently Hoof Beats, Standardbred Canada, Pittsburgh Tribune-Review, Pittsburgh Post-Gazette, and NBC 10 Philadelphia.
Sam and his wife, Kathleen, have three children: Paul, Beth, and Jason and five grandsons. They reside in New Holland, PA.
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Class of 2012
Bedford County Sports Hall of Fame
Bedford County, Pennsylvania
Bedford County, Pennsylvania