Courtesy of John Harrison
Eric, an All-American wrestler at Penn State, ranks in the top five both on Penn State’s career victories list (103) and on the career matches list (149). He served as a team co-captain his junior and senior years and won the Eastern Wrestling League 167 pound title his senior year. He won the United States Wrestling Federation Greco-Roman National Junior Championships in 1982. He has gone on to demonstrate a faculty for achieving success in the business world.
Eric is a very nice young man, a very hard working young man and very dedicated–he was a very good wrestler and a real student of the game. I don’t think he ever reached the highest level at the national level that he could have; it just wasn’t meant to be–we got a real bad draw his senior year at the national tournament and he got edged out in a very close bout. Eric also helped Penn State a lot in the sense that he was a very noted high school wrestler and when he chose Penn State it attracted a lot of the other top quality athletes to look at Penn State. As a result we were able to get other top-notch kids to come here and be a part of the program.
-former PSU head coach, Rich Lorenzo
Eric, what have you been doing since you graduated from Penn State?
Since I left PSU there have been two major areas of emphasis in my life: family and career. I graduated in 1986 (5 year plan). In the fall of 1984, prior to my fourth year, I met my future wife, Nina Laury. She graduated a year before me, and moved to Northern Virginia just outside Washington, DC. When I graduated I also moved to Northern Virginia to be near her, and we married on April 30, 1988. We have three children: Nicole (8), Cara (6), and Luke (2). In fact, Luke will be three soon; he was born on our 9th anniversary. We live in Great Falls, Virginia, about ten miles from DC.
On the career front, after graduating I spent 5 years at Merrill Lynch before forming my own Investment Advisory business, which I later merged with a local firm, Friedman, Billings, Ramsey (FBR). At FBR I have served in a variety of different roles including starting a mutual fund company the FBR Funds, and starting an online investment bank called fbr.com, where I served as Chief Operating Officer. I have recently taken a new job ( to start in early April) as the President and Chief Operating Officer of NetAssets, Inc., a financial services technology firm.
How has the PSU wrestling experience impacted your life/career?
The Penn State wrestling experience has had a profound impact on my life. I learned alot about myself, about the importance of preparation, hard work, and the right attitude. That experience helped me to understand the sacrifices that must be made in order to excel at whatever you do. Rich Lorenzo, John Fritz, and Hachiro Oishi were great coaches and I will always be grateful for the time they spent helping me learn and grow.
How did you get started in wrestling?
My Dad got me started in wrestling. He never wrestled, but became a fan after watching a match, and he always encouraged my brother and me to try it. I started when I was in fourth grade. I got pinned my first match, but things turned around quickly. My parents made a lot of sacrifices to help my progress by lugging me to tournaments all over Pennsylvania as many as 15 weekends a year. I still remember my parents driving me to Bellefonte 2-3 nights per week when I was 11 or 12 so, I could wrestle for the YMCA, because there was no place like that in State College.
What are your best memories from the years you spent as a PSU wrestler?
My best memories from my time as a Penn State wrestler include certain competitions where I wrestled well, some soul searching when I did not compete well, but more importantly the enjoyment derived from going through the whole experience with a group of guys who are among my closest friends today. I had the pleasure of being around some good wrestlers who are also outstanding people. It would not make sense to mention everybody in this e-mail, but nobody stands out in my mind more than John Manotti. I also have wonderful memories of Penn Sate Wrestling from my childhood.
Do you still follow collegiate wrestling? How has it changed since you wrestled at PSU?
I still watch college wrestling. I do not think it has changed that much. Different techniques will cycle in and out, but the basic concepts are the same. I like some of the new rules, like the ride out. When I was in school, if a match went into overtime it was often decided by criteria, rather than on the mat. I don’t really like the idea of starting dual meets at a different weight each time; I liked the idea of the match occasionally hinging on the heavyweight match. I am definitely in favor of the new weight loss rules and the additional safeguards they bring to the athletes.
What advice do you have for collegiate wrestlers today?
As far as advice, there is only one thing I would emphasize. Don’t worry about winning and losing. Worry about training as well as you can and competing to the best of your ability. Wins will follow. When you are thinking about the outcome you are not thinking about the act. To use a baseball analogy, you cannot hit the ball if you are looking at the scoreboard.
Thanks Eric!
