09/06/2026
Stucker Stories
Written by Hall of Fame Coach Mike Henry
The Wrestlers of 9/11 (Part 4): Run for Your Life !
Wrestlers know a great deal about...well...wrestling. It's because that is what they are trained to do.
Part of their regimen includes running. Not just a little, but miles of monotonous jogging in order to increase their endurance while shedding pounds for the next weigh-in.
On September 11, 2001, Coach Jeff Chamblin's Shawnee grapplers weren't doing much running nor were any other teams throughout the nation. That's because most of them were either playing football or were busily involved in their pre-season conditioning programs. The real running was still a few weeks away.
But on this day, some 25 years ago in New York City, the wrestling squad at Stuyvesant High School would be running, not to get into shape, but for their own survival. The campus is located about 3/4 mile from the area where the World Trade Center's (WTC) Twin Towers once stood as at 8:46 AM (Eastern Time), American Airlines Flight 11 crashed into the North Tower. All of the passengers and crew aboard the aircraft were instantly killed, along with employees of the WTC who were trapped above the 91st floor.
Seventeen minutes later, United Airlines Flight 175 exploded as it collided into the South skyscraper. Once again, everyone onboard died instantly as were an unknown number trapped inside the 110 story high rise. Both buildings were now on fire as many people who had just shown up for work were suddenly scrambling for a safe place to shelter.
Meanwhile, at Stuyvesant High, students who witnessed the terrorist attack from their building, were instructed to evacuate to the north, away from the towers, and proceed along the Hudson River. Among the more than 3000 pupils and staff who fled from the ten floor - 97 year old building that were now running for their lives, were members of the school's wrestling team coached by Bernard Feigenbaum.
"If you had a classroom on this side (south) you could see the World Trade Center. Those visions never go away," recalled the former coach who is now retired.
The school building itself served as a command center during rescue and recovery efforts, forcing its students to attend classes on a split schedule at a different nearby campus (Brooklyn Tech). Many of their homes were affected by the dust and debris, as the air quality in Lower Manhattan became a serious concern for months after the attacks, leading to health issues for some students.
(Below-one) A Stuyvesant High School student runs from his campus as the World Trade Center collapses during the attack. (Below-two) The view from one of Stuyvesant's classrooms at 9:59 am (eastern).
