Before the start of the 1998-1999 season, Coach Jefferson had sort of an epiphany. He wanted to attach a name to his program that epitomized the type of heart that one must possess in order to be successful in this sport, one that sum up the fight mentality one must have to endure success in this sport and one that would no longer allow his current and future wrestler to be "ordinary" Roughers. It was that year that he came across the moniker, "IceFighters". It simply stands for a group of young men who will fight on the ice. This has been the mind set that has been carried since Coach Jefferson has been at the helm of the Muskogee Wrestling Program, but it now has a name. Today, all across the state, whenever any of the other programs see that 'Rougher Green' walk into their gymnasium they know that they are in for a fight, because the "IceFighters" have entered the building.

The picture that you see above was from the 2006-2007 season. It is a picture that every member & future member, coach & future coach will be able to identify with as the calling card of being an "IceFighter". In the midst of the winter ice storm of 2007, the "IceFighters" were determined to wrestle, even if they had to go across the entire state, and that's exactly what they did. That weekend their first tournament at Yukon was cancelled. After that, coach succeeded in finding another competition in the Oklahoma City area, they traveled west only to find out that the Dual Tournament at OCU was going to serve as a replacement had been cancelled as well. After staying the night in their hotel and more diligent searching by Coach Jefferson & staff, the "Icefighters" headed back east for the only competition that was being held in the entire state, in Sallisaw. On the way there, he looked upon on the icy landscape that had covered our state during this terrible storm, Coach Jefferson saw an opportunity to capture the essence of this trip, and importantly, the essence of what it means to be an "Icefighter". So the team stopped on the side of the highway & snapped the above picture.

"IceFight Or Die"

(Amen)