Former Payson wrestling coach Chris Loveless dies
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- Former Payson head wrestling coach Chris Loveless
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- Payson’s Brady Loveless arms are raised after defeating Pine View’s Devon Montgomery in the 4A 171-weight bout during the championship of the 2010 UHSAA State Wrestling Tournament at the McKay Center on the campus of UVU, Friday, Feb.12, 2010. PATRICK SMITH/Daily Herald
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- MARK JOHNSTON/Daily Herald Payson’s Zach Loveless, top, attempts to maintain control of his opponent, Millard’s Kameron Day, during their match at the Utah High School All-Star Classic at UVU Monday, Jan. 12, 2009.
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- Payson’s Kaelen Loveless, top, works on pinning his opponent Beaver’s Colby Weldert during their 135 pound third place match during the Rocky Mountain Rumble at UVU Saturday, Jan. 16, 2010. Loveless went on to win the match by pin to place third in his weight class. MARK JOHNSTON/Daily Herald
Courtesy photo
Former Payson head wrestling coach Chris Loveless
Former Payson head coach Chris Loveless died at his home on Monday, July 1, due to heart failure. Loveless was 50 years old.
Loveless was a 2-time state placer in the early 1990s for Payson and then became a head coach at his alma mater for nine seasons starting in 2002. He led Payson to back-to-back state championships in 2009 and 2010. During his tenure Payson finished in the top three six different times and never was out of the top eight during his run as head coach.
The 2009 4A state title run for Payson was truly incredible as the Lions trailed both Mountain Crest and Box Elder going into the final day of the tournament. But Payson wrestlers went 22-1 on the last day of the tournament and leap-frogged both teams, eventually beating Mountain Crest by 1.5 points to claim the title.
Loveless was named the Utah 4A Coach of the Year twice and was also honored as the Utah Coach of the Year by the National Wrestling Coaches Association. He was inducted into the Nebo Hall of Fame in 2010 and the Payson High Wrestling Hall of Fame in 2020.
At the individual level Loveless coached 19 state champions, another 15 runners-up and 72 total state placers. Loveless’s oldest son Zac won three state titles and was in the championship match four times, while his other sons Hagen and Jed were also state champions and multiple-time finalists.
PATRICK SMITH
Payson's Brady Loveless arms are raised after defeating Pine View's Devon Montgomery in the 4A 171-weight bout during the championship of the 2010 UHSAA State Wrestling Tournament at the McKay Center on the campus of UVU, Friday, Feb.12, 2010. PATRICK SMITH/Daily Herald
After his coaching days, Loveless went into administration serving as an assistant principal at Payson High School for seven years and then most recently as the lead administrator at Spanish Fork Junior High.
Loveless is survived by his wife Mary, four children and four grandchildren. Information regarding his service and viewing is available at https://walkermemorials.com/obituary/christopher-kent-loveless.
MARK JOHNSTON/Daily Herald Payson's Zach Loveless, top, attempts to maintain control of his opponent, Millard's Kameron Day, during their match at the Utah High School All-Star Classic at UVU Monday, Jan. 12, 2009.
Payson's Kaelen Loveless, top, works on pinning his opponent Beaver's Colby Weldert during their 135 pound third place match during the Rocky Mountain Rumble at UVU Saturday, Jan. 16, 2010. Loveless went on to win the match by pin to place third in his weight class. MARK JOHNSTON/Daily Herald
