Clyde Downs is a graduate of Williamsport High School, Ithaca College, and received his Master of Arts degree from Columbia University. He lacked only six credits from receiving a doctorate from University of Maryland when he retired from teaching.

At Williamsport High, Clyde played varsity soccer, baseball, basketball and track and field. He was captain of the soccer and baseball teams for two years.

At Ithaca College, he was a three-year member of the varsity football, wrestling, baseball, basketball and gymnastics teams.

After graduation, he accepted a position as director of health and physical education at the New York Institute for the education of blind boys. Clyde served as its director until he returned home to Washington County in 1946. At this time, he was a charter member of the Eastern Intercollegiate Wrestling Officials Association.

He started instruction in wrestling at Washington Street School and the YMCA, and scheduled meets with the York (Pa.) and Waynesboro (Pa.) YMCA teams, the Gettysburg College JV team and Mercersburg Academy. Most of the opponents were more experienced, but very positive results came from this initial program.

Clyde then enlisted the help of Richard Schultz at South Hagerstown High and William DeBolt, a fellow teacher, and after a series of meetings, interscholastic wrestling was added to the program at North Hagerstown, South Hagerstown, Hancock, Williamsport and Berkeley Springs high schools, with Smithsburg added later. Many state champions came as a result of this program.

For a while, Clyde was the only qualified wrestling referee in the area. To meet those needs, he resigned from evening work at the YMCA and refereed high school meets every night of the week. Later, Downs instructed a referees class held at South Hagerstown that produced some fine young wrestling referees.

In a 1981 Daily Mail article, Clyde was called ‘Mr. Wrestling.’ He was inducted into the Maryland State Wrestling Hall of Fame for Secondary Schools in 1981.

However, Clyde’s interests and talents did not stop with wrestling. In 1956, the YMCA presented him with an award for services. In 1963, he was awarded a citation by the U.S. Junior Chamber of Commerce for physical fitness leadership. He was executive director of Hagerstown City Playgrounds from 1968-72. In 1961, he became rated as a national USSFA soccer referee. He also served as chief umpire in the Washington County Baseball League for seven years.