The memorial will be held at Juniata Valley High School on Sunday, March 6 at 2 p.m. The school where Scott earned three Pennsylvania state wrestling titles is located at 7775 Juniata Valley Pike in Alexandria, Pa. The event is open to the public.
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Garrett Scott defeated Cornell's Adam Frey, 14-6, at the 2008 NCAA Championships (Photo/GoPSUSports.com)An earlier post on the GoFundMe.com page declared that the original goal of raising $10,000 before Friday, Feb. 21 had been surpassed in 21 hours -- long before the original target date.
Specifics regarding Scott's passing have not been disclosed. A cousin, Sheldon Port, posted on Garrett Scott's Facebook page that the former wrestler "had passed away unexpectedly in Michigan this weekend."
Two of his Penn State teammates offered their memories of Scott on Facebook.
" ...Garrett Scott was a teammate, a best friend, a brother, a wing man and a great champion," wrote Bubba Jenkins, former Nittany Lion wrestler crowned champ at the 2011 NCAAs after transferring to Arizona State, and now competes in mixed martial arts. "This one really hurts me because I never got to express to him how much he meant in my life. Although I'm focused on my March 4 fight, I'll be competing with a heavy heart...I'll miss you my good man and my sincerest prayers are with your family!!"
Dan Vallimont, now assistant wrestling coach at Hofstra University, wrote, "Another one gone way too soon. We weren't as close as we used to be but I'm gonna miss you brother. Rest easy Garrett."
Garrett Scott battles Minnesota's Manny Rivera at the 2008 NCAA Championships (Photo/The Guillotine)"Garrett Scott was a three-time PIAA champion for tiny Juniata Valley in the middle of District 6, about 20 minutes east of Altoona ... a state champion at 119 in 2003; at 130 in 2004 and at 135 in 2005.
"He was an almost certainty to win his fourth title in 2006, but it was not to be. The deceptively-strong and tremendously-skilled middleweight became his own ultimate opponent and experienced a series of events results in his being expelled from school and finishing his high school via a cyber school.
"He was good enough that Coach Troy Sunderland offered him a full ride to Penn State.
"It was anticipated that among such elite wrestlers, Garrett would get squared away and reach his potential. But like a Greek tragedy, destiny again reared its ugly head and Scott continued to self-destruct.
"I received word from a trusted source that Garrett had been found unresponsive in Michigan. I had hoped for the best, but, unbelievably, the young man did not recover.
"The possibilities for this young man were limitless. But, finally, the demons claimed him.
"I pray for his family, his friends, and mourn the loss of one so young. Rest in peace, Garrett Scott. Life has not been easy for you."
Garrett Scott had been on track to become Pennsylvania's 10th four-time state champion before a 2006 off-the-mat incident -- violating his charter school's Internet use policy -- 2006 prevented him from wrestling for his fourth state title.
Scott, who was ranked as the No. 4 recruit in the country from the Class of 2006, earned a full-ride scholarship to wrestle at Penn State. Some were hailing Scott as the best high school wrestling talent to come out of the Keystone State since Cary Kolat graduated from Jefferson-Morgan High School in 1992.
However, Scott's time at Penn State was full of challenges. He failed to pass the NCAA Clearinghouse, which prevented him from joining the Nittany Lions wrestling team his first year out of high school. The following year, as a freshman, Scott was suspended by his coach, Troy Sunderland, in the preseason after he was arrested for underage drinking. Once reinstated, he had to share the role of starter at 141 pounds with high school rival-turned-teammate Jake Strayer.
Scott placed seventh at the 2008 Big Ten Championships, qualifying for the NCAA Championships but failed to place.
Less than two months after the NCAAs, Scott was dismissed from the program by then head coach Troy Sunderland for what was described as a violation of team rules. Scott then transferred to Edinboro in the summer of 2008 and competed unattached during the 2008-09 season while he worked on regaining his NCAA eligibility. However, in November 2009, Scott told Edinboro head coach Tim Flynn that he was quitting the Fighting Scot wrestling program.
In 2009, InterMat's Andrew Hipps wrote a profile story on Garrett Scott. Read story.
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