The Journeyman

From playing to coaching and representing wrestling, the story of Tom Hazell

Story by Johan Van Wier

Photos by Raphael Richardson

Tom Hazell is known for his legacy left in wrestling, including the biggest mark at El Camino College as a student athlete and as head coach.

Hazell, 73, grew up in Inglewood where his love of sports began. He attended Inglewood High School where he was involved in wrestling, football, and track and field until he decided to attend El Camino.

At first Hazell was inclined to play football at El Camino after having a positive conversation with then coach Ken Swearingen. Hazell was originally thinking about football because he thought he was better at it than wrestling at the time.

Following the talks with Swearingen, Hazell had a conversation with El Camino wrestling coach Dave Hengsteler. Hengsteler invited Hazell out to a steak dinner where they talked about wrestling his first year at El Camino and playing football the following year, which intrigued Hazell.

Hazell chose to wrestle to start at El Camino, but planned on playing football the following year.

“Well the steak dinner was the big deal because no coach has ever gone out of their way with that process. I definitely enjoyed it,” he says.

Hazell would never look back from the decision to become a full-time wrestler. Hazell achieved feats like state championships, MVPs and All Americans in the end. He never did go back to play football the year after, but still thinks about it.

“I was one steak dinner away from being a professional football player… that’s all Kenny had to do,” Hazell jokingly says.

After his time at El Camino, Hazell had offers from top Division 1 wrestling programs like Oklahoma State, Washington State, Michigan State and UCLA.

Hazell chose Oklahoma State after having a great visit in the town of Stillwater, but he was not aware of what he was stepping into.

“I was very naive at the time, understanding how much an offer to wrestle from them meant,” he says.

Oklahoma State was the top tier elite program for Division 1 wrestling. They had won 33 National Championships at the time, the next closest team had only won five.

Oklahoma State’s wrestling team was on another level. By comparison, UCLA’s wrestling team struggled to beat community colleges in the South Bay because of the massive surge of wrestling at the time including ECC.

The resurgence of wrestling programs in the South Bay came because of wrestling being a high interest in the 1970s with the start of the sport in the South Bay, leading to the talent rising.

When Hazell moved to Stillwater he realized how big of a deal wrestling was to the community.

With Oklahoma State’s success, the town also had the top wrestling high school in the town as well. Hazell came to realize that he fed into the network of the Oklahoma small town.

“It felt like home with the wrestling background and the traits of the town,” Hazell says.

Concluding the time at Oklahoma State, Hazell won a Big 8 Championship and was All American twice. He continued his career after college, representing team USA in tournaments in Mexico City, Switzerland, Russia and more.

“At this time all I thought about was wrestling, it just felt like my routine. Just get up and show up,” he says.

After finishing his career in wrestling Hazell stayed in Oklahoma for a stint where he was a part of the coaching staff at Oklahoma State as an assistant.

In 1978 Hazell got a job offer to teach in San Diego as a physical education instructor, prompting him to make the move back to California. Hazell would only teach there for two weeks before he eventually got the job offer to coach wrestling full time at El Camino.

On his way back to California, Hazell got a call from the wrestling coach, Donald Conway. He talked to Hazell about how he’d received an offer to be the head coach for the wrestling team at UCLA and how he really wanted him to apply for the El

Camino wrestling coach position.

The athletic director, Al Greenleaf, approved of Conway asking Hazell to come back and coach because of the legacy Hazell had left at El Camino.

Hazell was a trustworthy candidate who could continue the success for the Warriors wrestling team and take strides in the program’s success.

Hazell was ecstatic, still having love for El Camino. For the first two weeks, Hazell would drive from San Diego, where he was still teaching, to El Camino where he would coach after teaching.

Hazell realized his future would be to teach his passion and says it was his “easiest decision of his life.” After two weeks Hazell went full-time to coach wrestling at El Camino, and left the job in San Diego.

Hazell fulfilled his hard work for his players holding the title of wrestling coach for 12 years at El Camino.

After 12 years of coaching at El Camino the wrestling program was dropped because Hazell was not able to coach anymore. He had been thrown to the ground while wrestling and hit his head.

The doctors told Hazell that he had to stop wrestling or else he would become paralyzed and had to step down as the head coach.

This changed Hazell’s whole life. His life has revolved around being physical and having to wrestle. Hearing this news destroyed him.

Hazell had a talk with the dean and the athletic director and they told him they were going to look for a new coach, but as soon as Hazell stepped down they dropped the program.

“And then they said ‘Oh, we’ll bring it back in a year,’ and they didn’t do it,” Hazell says. He took some time off, but continued to stay in the wrestling world as an official, adding to his abundant resume.

Then the wrestling coach at West High School, Ken Wyatt, who was Hazell’s assistant coach at El Camino while he coached the program, called and said he was leaving the wrestling coach job to coach his daughter in cross country and softball.

He took that job fast, to be back in the coaching scene without having to be physical, and his son attended the high school.

Hazell coached at West for 10 years and had success. His own son and teammates won all Americans, took third in state and had “a couple of other state winners.”

Hazell made his way back to El Camino full time where he was hired as a fitness instructor, teaching Physical Education 10A and 10B.

“Well if I love doing it, I might as well get paid for it,” he says.

Hazell decided to come back to El Camino because “It feels like home to me, all the old connections, and my [daughter],” Hazell says of his daughter, Liz Hazell, who is the head coach for the women’s volleyball team at El Camino and has been for four years.

The family has always been competitive in their respectful sports lives, and drive each other to succeed.

Hazell says wrestling means so much to him because “getting the endorphin pop and giving you that high for a second with how much empowerment is in wrestling.”

It frustrates him to not be able to wrestle and not get the rush through his veins - the reason he’s always been a part of wrestling.

Hazell has always credited his coaches for his success and says his coaches supported him and put him in a great training program.

Myron Miller, who was the assistant wrestling coach at El Camino during Hazell’s time noted his success based on how coachable Hazell was.

“It was easy for sure because anyone who is coachable and puts in the hard work outside of the real work will be successful, so he was,” Miller says.

Miller is credited with having a great coaching influence on Hazell.

“Hazell would meet me after hours at community colleges,” Miller says. “Because of his head down and work mentality, he constantly was getting better.”

At the end of Hazell’s time in wrestling he was inducted in the National wrestling Hall of Fame, and then the California Hall of Fame in 2015. Hazell felt honored that he was seen as having a huge impact on wrestling.

“Usually the best feeling in wrestling is being able to physically dominate your opponent, but getting the honor from your peers is nice.” umans across SoCal love dogs.

Hazell is not as inclined on being praised and receiving his honors, but will enjoy the accolades and support.

I know this because I’m a dog named Bob living in Watts, and the city of L.A. spends more to protect stray dogs than it does to protect young people. (Really. Save the humans.)

Still, it can be hard to find a safe and fun place to play – free of leashes, traffic and those scary mail carriers armed with pepper spray.

So, for pits, pugs and Pekingese, here are the best bite-free bets for pets. (And you can take your humans too.)

1. Best spot ever invented –Rosie’s Dog Beach

Rosie’s is the only legal dog beach in L.A. County. No fear of ducking and dodging expensive ticketing by cops or lifeguards here. This place is pure magic. The dogs are nice, not aggressive. (The ocean and sun chills everyone out.) You can run off leash all you want, flee from the waves or splash in the sea, dig deep holes – a great way to cool off on hot days – swim or surf or kick sand in the face of your humans. Just don’t poop in the water.

Tips: There’s a cement bike and running path here, but for that part, you have to be on leash. The fresh drinking water is close to the parking lot. With a fairly long walk across the sand to reach the ocean, tell your humans to carry some water. This is one of the few dog parks that has bathrooms for people. There are also outdoor showers where both dogs and people can rinse off the sand and sea.

6 a.m. – 8 p.m. 5000 E. Ocean Blvd., Long Beach, 90803 Plenty of metered parking in a huge lot.

2. Runners’ paradise –Redondo Beach Dog Park

This place is extra huge and wide open. Without any trees to crash into, it’s the favorite spot of racers – dogs who run just for the joy of it, fliers so fast they leave dust trails in the sky, chasers of other dogs and balls and sticks, jumpers and smashers and trick masters. In the back, right corner there’s an obstacle course – one of only two parks I’ve ever visited that had one.

Dawn – 9 p.m.

190 Flagler Lane off 190th St., Redondo Beach, 90277

Free parking in a lot and on the street.

3. For gossip and gabbing – Home Run Dog Park

Dogs and humans love this place. Humans bring their folding chairs and spend hours lounging. Everyone introduces their dogs. When stuff gets hectic – as in a dog that keeps trying to mount you no matter how many times you grrrrr - humans actually take responsibility. Either they step in and pull their dog away or the other people there will scold them until they manage the problem. There are beautiful trees that offer shade on a hot day. Wood tables provide places for dogs and humans to sit, and if you’re lucky, to get a snack. I’ve seen several dog parties here with decorations. Time stops and you forget you have real-life responsibilities.

7 a.m. – 8 p.m.

20357 Studebaker Road, Lakewood, 90713

Free parking on the street

4. Best spot to chill – Uptown Dog Park

Longest hours anywhere for a late-night spot. This is a calm, beautiful and carefree little park surrounded by a larger park for your humans, a great place to come if you and your family need a break from a hectic schedule. After heavy rains, one small area might turn into a big puddle. But that can be fun too if you’re into mud baths.

Dawn – 10 p.m.

4600 Long Beach Blvd., Long Beach, 90805

Free parking on the street.

5. Top park for your human – Polliwog Dog Run

It’s often referred to as a dog park, but that’s an exaggeration. It’s just a narrow strip of ground. It’s operated by Manhattan Beach Parks and Recreation, and they call it a “dog run.” It also has all sizes of dogs in the same place.

But dogs always put our humans first and Polliwog Park is a great place for people tiny and tall. There are eight acres of grassy hills that I actually ran and tumbled down, a big lake with fountains and ducks, an outdoor theater and a little place they call a Botanical Garden that you can walk through filled with wildflowers, butterflies and squirrels.

6:30 a.m. – Sunset

At the top of the hill on the west side of Polliwog Park Redondo Avenue and Manhattan Beach Boulevard, Manhattan Beach, 90266

Most promising - Ross Snyder Dog Park

Poor dogs, like poor people, get a lot less resources. It’s not fair that some dogs have to travel so far to other cities to get a park.

The east side of South Central L.A. just opened its first dog park operated here by Los Angeles City Parks and Recreation.

This dog park doesn’t benefit from all the funding, staffing and support that the other parks listed in this Top 5 get that are located in wealthier communities. Comparing it doesn’t seem fair. But here I go anyway.

Because I live close to this park, I want it to be great. There is a drinking fountain with fresh water and trash cans with plastic bag dispensers attached. It’s clean. They planted new trees that will eventually grow.

But… the ground surface is astro turf, so that has me thinking – where does all the pee go?

It feels claustrophobic with a maze of fencing you have to walk through if you come from the main entrance to the park on 41st Street. I was dragged inside because I refused to get trapped in that fencing. It’s better to enter from the back of the park off East Martin Luther King Jr. Boulevard. People aren’t careful about closing the gates so you could escape if you’re a runner. On one side is a giant beige wall. I heard one human say it reminded them of a prison yard.

I have only met one other dog here in all the times I have gone, so I think other canines agree with me.

It’s at the back corner of the park behind two soccer fields. I loved running on the soccer fields more and messing up soccer practice. This is a great place to bring your humans if they like to play or watch soccer.

The recreation center also has youth sports leagues, an after-school program and a summer day camp but dogs aren’t allowed, so that’s disappointing.

Ross Snyder Recreation Center

1501 E. 41st St., L.A., 90011

Very limited free parking in a small lot. Parking on the street is also free but hard to find.

Dog Park Essentials

Ground surface that’s pawsitively comfortable, easy to clean and dries out quickly, such as sand, packed dirt or low-cut grass. Avoid wood chips and astro turf.

Separate sections for big dogs and little dogs. Why do people expect a 16-pound dog with little legs to survive with a crowd of 80-pound pits, overly-affectionate Golden Doodles and rambunctious huskies? Those dogs run like they’re on meth.

Double fencing at entrances with secure latching on both sides to protect dogs from bolting out into the street or unfenced sections of a park.

A fresh and clean source of water.

Maintenance and respect. Parks that aren’t free from s#*t should be avoided.

Waste carries diseases, worms and parasites that your dog can catch.

Posted rules are a good sign. Trash cans and plastic bags should be available in several locations. Signs should remind people to pick up after their dogs. We would do it but we don’t have opposable thumbs.

We are very clean and discreet animals when it comes to excrement. It’s bad enough we have to go in public.