Cal Potter (February 23, 1943 - September 18, 2020)

Cal Potter started his judo career in the 1960s at the Portsmouth Judo Club in Portsmouth, NH. This club was started in 1953 and is the oldest continuous running judo club in the state. Cal took over as Head Coach in 1968 and continued for an impressive 52 years. Over the years, Cal was a leader in NH Judo at many levels. For numerous years Cal hosted a number of tournaments including the NH State Championships and the Tri State Championships. He also hosted many clinics, which included bringing in national-level clinicians for Examiner Certification, Coach Certification and Competitive Techniques. Clinicians have included Wally Jay, George Harris, Willy Cahill, Rick Celotto, Jimmy Pedro and Ronda Rousey. Cal taught and promoted many black belts at his club, and instilled in them the desire to spread the Judo knowledge that he shared with them. Two of these black belts are now the head instructors at the club. As an officer of the Board of Directors of NH Judo from its inception in the 1970s, Cal was a tireless worker for the sport and was an active referee throughout the years at numerous local and regional events. He was also quite knowledgeable in many judo kata, teaching and evaluating students at clinics, kata festivals and kata-specific sessions. Cal was a fair, firm and caring teacher, a humble man who passed this on to his students. In fact, Cal was a Yodan for 23 years before accepting his long overdue Godan. Over the years, Cal was a guiding force in the development of NH Judoka, as a mentor, coach, clinician, administrator, tournament director, friend and role model. It is hard to imagine judo in NH without Cal Potter. His death in 2020 was a major shock to New England judo, creating a void that will never be filled. Cal will be remembered for years as a leader in NH and New England Judo, and his dedication and steady support for the sport earned him posthumous promotion to Rokudan. It is with great pleasure that NH Judo installs Cal Potter into the NH Judo Hall of Fame. Cal surrounded by a captive audience Cal demonstrating Cal with his senior instructors, Keith Nice and John Nelson Ken Durand and Cal receiving their sandan from George Harris in 1982