Criminal History
During the school year 1919, a fire at Yuma High School left the students with nowhere to attend classes, so a decision was made to use the old buildings at the prison until a new school could be constructed.  Later, after traveling to Phoenix and beating Phoenix Union in a football game, the Phoenix newspaper labeled the Yuma team Criminals due to their territorial prison classrooms.  The name has been worn proudly since by Yuma high school athletes.
  Yuma has been competing  in wrestling since the early 1950's, and has produced 26 individual state champions along the way.  In 1963, the Criminals won their only team state championship in wrestling.  Other teams have come close, but the single banner hangs in the Palace at Prison Hill.
  The Crims compete in the Phoenix area for their region meets.  Region championships are numerous, with Yuma winning two of the last three Metro region championships in central and west Phoenix.  In the upcoming school year, 2003-04, Yuma will move back into the Central Region in Tempe.  
  The first head wrestling coach at Yuma High was Bill Manus. He was there long enough to produce the first individual state champion.  Jerry Headington was Yuma's first individual state champion in 1953, and he won it again in 1955, and 1956.  He would have been a four time state champ, but was called for a slam and DQ'd in 1954.  He still remains the Criminals only 3 time state champ.  Pat Patterson was Yuma's only coach to produce a state championship team.  That fete was accomplished in 1963.

Collegiate Crims

Team Pictures