Plant City residents are donating money to fund an athletic scholarship in memory of Cornelius Wiggins.
In life, Cornelius Wiggins was known for being a good friend to many. After his untimely death on July 29, those friends are working to make sure his name is always remembered.
That comes in the form of a scholarship set up in his name to help future high school wrestlers pay for college or trade school. Megan Bryant Davis, a longtime friend of Wiggins, created a GoFundMe campaign on July 30 seeking $5,000 (now $7,500, after quickly hitting the goal) for the cause and Plant City High School’s wrestling program immediately got on board.
“I was all for it,” coach Tim Knighten said. “I thought it was a great idea, and it’s something to have a legacy for him. He was just that type of person where if he saw you were in need, he would try to help you.”
Wiggins himself was an accomplished wrestler at Plant City High School. He won 125 and 130-pound state championships in 2001 and 2002, respectively, and was a state runner-up in 2000. He finished his high school career with a 126-16 record as a four-year starter. He went on to wrestle at Cumberland College in Kentucky and eventually returned to live and work in Plant City.
Davis knew Wiggins for much of her life. He lived with his foster parents just a few houses down from the Bryants and befriended the family at an early age, taking elementary school classes with Davis. After his foster mother, Lorine Coleman, died, the Bryants took Wiggins in like one of their own children and housed him during his senior year of high school.
“When he first moved in with us he was very shy,” Davis says. “Once he developed trust with everybody he opened up. He would always make you laugh when you were frustrated. He was a very welcoming guy to everyone.”
Knighten calls Wiggins one of the best athletes he has ever coached and says young wrestlers could learn plenty from the two-time champion’s attitude, dedication and refusal to make excuses. He says a scholarship in Wiggins’ name was a great idea because Wiggins, who himself needed scholarship money to go to college, did not hesitate to help others. Besides need, there are other factors Knighten and the Bryants will use to determine who gets the scholarship each year.
“Some of the things we’re looking at is GPA, what kind of community service they do and, of course, we’re looking for them to be wrestlers,” Knighten says. “That’s in honor of Cornelius.”
Davis says the $7,500 raised by the GoFundMe will go to a savings account overseen by members of the Bryant family and that $1,000 will be awarded to one athlete each year.
The gesture, according to the GoFundMe campaign, is meant to “continue Corn’s legacy of bringing joy to those around him by helping youth in the area pursue their dreams.”
“He was just super friendly,” Davis says. “He had a great sense of humor. He always talked about giving back to kids in need.”
Donations can be made at GoFundMe.com/Cornelius-Wiggins.
