Collegiate wrestlers, coaches, and fans comprise a relatively small proportion of athletes, coaches, and fans in all the nation’s sports, yet they are notable for their commitment and the intensity of their loyalty and devotion to the sport. Wrestling has played a big part in the lives of these wrestlers and their coaches.
Thus the Penn State Wrestling Club Centennial Committee, in preparing our book, A Century of Penn State Wrestling, asked as many of those involved with Penn State wrestling as it could contact to tell us what this involvement has meant to them. We included former Lion wrestlers, coaches, managers, and also opposing coaches.
The response was gratifying. Although limitations of space made it impossible to include all the responses in their entirety in the book, we have been able to do that here. They are presented in chronological order.
2019 Updates
The Penn State Wrestling Club has completed a ten-year supplement, “Dawn of a New Era”, to the book “A Century of Penn State Wrestling”. This first decade of the second century of Penn State wrestling focused on the highlights and triumphs of those ten years. We have received reflections from our former wrestlers on what being a part of Penn State Wrestling meant to them. Reflections from Bryan Pearsall and Brad Pataky (below) are included in these memories of wrestling from 2009-2018.
Wrestlers
- Andy Matter (1972)
- Andy Matter (by John Harrison) (1972)
- Andy Voit (by John Harrison) (1989)
- Bob Truby (1992)
- Brad Pataky (2011)
- Bryan Pearsall (2013)
- Carl DeStefanis (by John Harrison) (1984)
- Chad Dubin (1991)
- Charlie Getty (by John Harrison) (1974)
- Chris Bevilacqua (1986)
- Chris Bevilacqua (by John Harrison) (1986)
- Chris Bevilacqua (by John Harrison) (1986)
- Clair L. Hess (1942)
- Clyde Frantz (by John Harrison) (1971)
- Dave Adams (by John Harrison) (1957)
- Dave Becker (1978)
- Dave Becker (by John Harrison) (1978)
- Dave Joyner (by John Harrison) (1972)
- David Heckard (2001)
- David M. Waite (1940)
- DeWitt Driscoll (2006)
- Dick Lemyre (1954)
- Doc Vecchio (2004)
- Drew Spencer (1997)
- Earl J. Long (1948)
- Eric Brugel (1986)
- Eric Brugel (by John Harrison) (1986)
- Eugene H. Austin (1963)
- Glenn Smith (1945)
- Greg Elinsky (1987)
- Greg Elinsky (by John Harrison) (1987)
- Harold Frey (1945)
- Jerry Abramson (1957)
- Jerry Villecco (1976)
- Jim Abbott (1990)
- Jim Charles (1971)
- Jim Martin (1989)
- Jim Martin (by John Harrison) (1989)
- Joe Bastardi (1978)
- Joe Humphreys (1956)
- John Bove (1991)
- John Fritz (1975)
- John Fritz (by John Harrison) (1975)
- John Hanrahan (by John Harrison) (1982)
- John Hanrahan (by John Harrison) (1982)
- John Johnston (by John Harrison) (1958)
- John Lange (1998)
- Johnny Johnston (1958)
- Ken Chertow (1989)
- Ken Chertow (by John Harrison) (1989)
- Kerry McCoy (1997)
- Kerry McCoy (by John Harrison) (1997)
- Larry Suhey (1976)
- Mark Piven (1964)
- Marty Strayer (1965)
- Matt Calabretta (1999)
- Mike Bevilacqua (1990)
- Mike Reid (by John Harrison) (1969)
- Paul Cormier (1975)
- Paul Wiegartner (1986)
- Perry Schram (1996)
- Ray Nunamaker (1963)
- Raymond Pottios (1958)
- Rich Lorenzo (by John Harrison) (1968)
- Rich Puleo (1977)
- Robert B. Blum (1938)
- Ron Pifer (1962)
- Ron Pifer (by John Harrison) (1962)
- Sanshiro Abe (1996)
- Scott Lynch (by John Harrison) (1984)
- Sean Finkbeiner (1989)
- Steve Erber (1965)
- Steve Sefter (by John Harrison) (1984)
- Thomas Hostetter (1968)
- Tim Flynn (1985)
- Tony Bobulinski (by John Harrison) (1995)
- Troy Minnich (1994)
- Troy Sunderland (by John Harrison) (1993)
Coaches / Managers / Faculty
- Bill Koll (by John Harrison) (Former Penn State Wrestling Head Coach)
- Bill Winterburn (Manager – 1953)
- Dan Gable (Iowa Coach)
- Mark Johnson (Illinois Coach)
- Neil Turner (Lock Haven Coach (Penn State 1961))
- Pam Miller (Manager – 1978)
- Sam Lestz (Retired Penn State Professor)
- Susan Deegan-Watson (Manager – 1987)
- Thomas Murt (Manager – 1982)
- Tim Flynn (Edinboro Coach (Penn State 1985))
Further Reflections of the Past