Men Without Fear

In 1943, only seven seniors graduated from the New York Institute for the Blind. That year, wrestlers from the institute began to compete at AAU championships. From 1943 to 1947, wrestlers from the New York Institute won seven New York Metropolitan championships, plus a pair of bronze medals at the national level.


This is the story of the young men who found their confidence in wrestling and their courage on the streets of New York. It is the story of the captains and the champions. It is the story of their coach, Clyde L. Downs, who led the institute from complete athletic obscurity into a period of athletic achievement previously unknown to the school, or perhaps even to the world of the blind. Finally, it is the story of the courageous journeys a few young men took out into the world when their blind school days were through.