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Pittsburgh Panthers wrestling

Pittsburgh Panthers wrestling is the NCAA Division I intercollegiate wrestling program of the University of Pittsburgh, often referred to as "Pitt", located in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. The Pitt wrestling team competes in the Atlantic Coast Conference (ACC) and hosts home meets at Fitzgerald Field House on the campus of the school. Since the Pitt wrestling program began in the 1912–1913 school year, it has produced 17 individual national champions and 82* All-American selections. The head coach of the Panthers since 2017 is Keith Gavin, who won a national championship with the Panthers in 2008.

Pittsburgh Panthers wrestling
UniversityUniversity of Pittsburgh
Head CoachKeith Gavin (6th season)
ConferenceACC
LocationPittsburgh, PA
ArenaFitzgerald Field House
(Capacity: 4,122)
NicknamePanthers
ColorsBlue and gold[1]
   
NCAA individual champions
17
All-Americans
82*[2]
Conference championships
2010, 2011, 2012, 2014, 2023
Conference Tournament championships
1954, 1955, 1956, 1960, 2011, 2012, 2013
Websitepittsburghpanthers.com/sports/wrestling

History

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The 1914–1915 Pitt wrestling team included All-American football star and future legendary Pitt head football coach Jock Sutherland (top row, second from right)

Wrestling at Pitt began in the 1912–1913 school year[3] and eventually became one of the most tradition-rich sports at the University. Pitt's wrestling program boasts 17 individual NCAA national champions, the 15th most among all schools,[4] and 82* All-Americans[2] throughout the program's history.[5] Pitt's all-time dual meet record, through the 2022–23 season, is 593-433-18 (0.577).

The school's most prominent years were the during the era the program was directed by head coach Rex Peery. During this stretch from 1952 until 1963, the team never finished lower than 9th at the NCAA Championship, placing second both in 1954 and when hosting the NCAA Championship at Fitzgerald Field House in 1957.[6] Peery coached 13 individual national champions and twice during this span, in 1956 and 1957, the Panthers boasted five All-Americans in one season. Pitt also won the Eastern Intercollegiate Wrestling Association tournament in 1954, 1955, 1956, and 1960.

 
The wrestling room in Fitzgerald Field House

Between 1979 and 2013, Pitt's wrestling team was under the leadership of head coach Rande Stottlemyer, a three time All-American wrestler for Pitt in 1974, 1975, and 1978 and a five-time Coach of the Year (1986–87, 1989–90, 2007–08, 2009–10, 2011–12) in the Eastern Wrestling League, the wrestling conference Pitt competed in between 1976 and 2013.[7] Under his direction, Pitt produced 56 EWL individual EWL champions, 33 All-Americans, and 3 individual National Champions including Pat Santoro, a back-to-back champion at 142 lbs, and the 2008 champion at 174 lbs, Keith Gavin. In 2010, Stottlemyer guided Pitt to a school record 17 dual meet wins and an overall 17-1-1 record en route to the team capturing the Panthers' first-ever EWL dual-meet championship.[8] In 2011 and 2012, Pitt repeated as dual meet champions with 6-0 EWL records in each season.[9][10] Pitt went on to win its first EWL tournament team title in 2011[11] and repeated as EWL tournament champions in 2012[12] and 2013, Pitt's final year in the conference and Stottlemyer's final season as head coach.[13] Following the 2012–13 season, Stottlemyer retired after 34 years as Pitt's all-time winningest wrestling coach with a record of 304-230-12.[14]

Pitt moved into the Atlantic Coast Conference in 2013–14 season[15] with Jason Peters, an assistant under Stottlemyer for ten seasons, taking over as head coach until 2017.[14] In its first year of ACC competition, the wrestling team swept through its conference dual meet schedule with a perfect 6–0 record to capture the university's first regular season ACC title in any sport. Pitt tied for the ACC dual meet championship in 2023. Keith Gavin, a former national champion at 174 lbs during his time at Pitt, is the current head coach.

NCAA Championship results

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Pitt wrestling has scored points in 68 NCAA Division I Championships over the years, finishing as high as second place twice and in the top ten 13 times.[16]

Pitt wrestling's NCAA Division I Championship results
Year Finish AAs NCs
1952 9th-t 1 1
1953 6th 3 1
1954 2nd 3 2
1955 3rd 3 1
1956 3rd 5 2
1957 2nd 5 3
1958 9th 1 1
1959 5th 3
1960 8th 1
1961 5th 2 1
1962 6th-t 3
1963 4th-t 4 1
1964 27th-t  
1965 45th-t  
1966 45th-t  
1968 52nd-t  
1969 28th 1
1970 8th 2
Year Finish AAs NCs
1971 35th-t  
1972 66th  
1973 48th-t  
1974 18th 2
1975 30th-t 1
1976 37th-t  
1977 43rd-t  
1978 20th 1
1979 55th-t  
1982 44th-t  
1983 55th-t  
1984 25th-t 1
1985 64th-t  
1986 25th 2
1987 15th 1
1988 15th 1 1
1989 13th 1 1
1990 44th  
Year Finish AAs NCs
1991 27th 2
1992 19th-t 1
1993 30th-t 1
1994 24th-t 1
1995 26th 2
1996 24th 2
1997 18th 2
1998 20th 3
1999 37th-t  
2000 18th 2
2001 25th-t  
2002 45th-t  
2003 19th-t 1
2004 38th-t  
2005 29th 1
2006 35th  
2007 20th 2
2008 16th 1 1
Year Finish AAs NCs
2009 38th 1
2010 26th 1
2011 34th  
2012 15th 2
2013 15th-t 2
2014 22nd 1
2015 21st 1
2016 39th-t
2017 32nd-t
2018 31st-t
2019 34th-t
2020* * 2* *
2021 11th 2
2022 24th 1
2023 22nd 1 1
2024 26th-t
AAs=All-Americans; NCs=Individual National Champions. t=team tied for place in final standings.   Refs:[16][17]

* In 2020, the COVID-19 pandemic ended the wrestling season early and the NCAA Division I Wrestling Championships were cancelled.[18] In the final released 2020 Division 1 team ranking of the National Wrestling Coaches Association (NWCA), Pitt was ranked 8th in the nation,[19] while InterMat's final team rankings placed Pitt 16th in its Tournament rankings[20] and 10th in its Dual Meet rankings.[21] Since 1979, All-American selections are awarded to individuals who finish among the top eight wrestlers in each weight class at the NCAA championship. In lieu of NCAA championship results, the NWCA used wrestler's overall body of work through the cancellation of the season to name All-Americans for the 2020 season.[22] Pitt's Micky Phillipi (133 lbs) and Demetrius Thomas (heavyweight) were named as first team All-Americans,[23] while Jake Wentzel (165 lbs) and Nino Bonaccorsi (184 lbs) were named as Second Team All-Americans.[24] Only the first-team NWCA selections for 2020, which were listed as the top eight wrestlers in each weight class, are counted for the purposes of Pitt's total All-American selections in this article.

Individual national champions

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Pat Santoro was a four-time All-American and two-time national champion at 142 pounds

Pitt wrestlers have won individual NCAA national championships 17 different times in various weight classes. All-time, Pitt has the 15th most individual NCAA champion wrestlers among all Division I schools.[25]

  • Hugh Peery, 115 lbs (1952, 1953, 1954)
  • Joe Solomon, 167 lbs (1954)
  • Ed Peery, 123 lbs (1955, 1956, 1957)
  • Ed DeWitt, 167 lbs (1956)
  • Tom Alberts, 167 lbs (1957)
  • Ron Schirf, 191 lbs (1957)
  • Paul Powell, 123 lbs (1958)
  • Larry Lauchle, 130 lbs (1961)
  • Jim Harrison, 167 lbs (1963)
  • Pat Santoro, 142 lbs (1988, 1989)
  • Keith Gavin, 174 lbs (2008)
  • Nino Bonaccorsi, 197 lbs (2023)

Hall of Fame

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Pitt has three individuals inducted as Distinguished Members of the National Wrestling Hall of Fame as a wrestler or a coach.

  • Rex Peery, coach, inducted 1976[26]
  • Ed Peery, wrestler, inducted 1980[27]
  • Hugh Peery, wrestler, inducted 1980[28]

References

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  1. ^ "Color Palette". Pitt Athletics Brand Identity Manual (PDF). February 9, 2022. Retrieved July 27, 2024.
  2. ^ a b "Pittsburgh All-Americans". National Wrestling Hall of Fame. Retrieved February 18, 2023.
  3. ^ "The Owl (1914): the annual of the University of Pittsburgh". The Owl. Documenting Pitt: Owl Yearbooks: Digital Research Library, University of Pittsburgh: 294. 1914. Retrieved March 26, 2008.
  4. ^ "NCAA Wrestling Champions By School 1928–2009" (PDF). Wrestlingstats.com. May 1, 2009. Archived from the original (PDF) on July 18, 2011. Retrieved 2010-02-19.
  5. ^ "Wilps Repeats As All-American". PittsburghPanthers.com. March 20, 2015. Retrieved May 17, 2015.
  6. ^ "The National Wrestling Hall of Fame Champion Stats: University of Pittsburgh". National Wrestling Hall of Fame. 2007. Archived from the original on 2011-05-25. Retrieved 2008-03-29.
  7. ^ "Rande Stottlemyer Named EWL Coach of the Year". PittsburghPanthers.com. 2012-03-22. Retrieved 2013-01-10.
  8. ^ "Pitt's Rande Stottlemyer Named EWL Coach of the Year". PittsburghPanthers.com. 2010-03-24. Retrieved 2010-03-25.
  9. ^ "Pitt Wrestling Outlasts Edinboro, 19-16, Claims Back-To-Back EWL Dual Titles". PittsburghPanthers.com. 2011-02-19. Retrieved 2011-02-19.
  10. ^ Wunderley, Ken (2012-02-18). "Pitt captures third Eastern Wrestling League crown in a row". Pittsburgh Post-Gazette. Tri-State Sports & News Service. Retrieved 2012-02-18.
  11. ^ Cohn, Bob (2012-01-25). "Pitt wrestlers are reaching rarefied heights". Pittsburgh Tribune-Review. Retrieved 2012-01-25.
  12. ^ Mackey, Jason (2012-03-05). "Pitt senior wrestler completes EWL sweep". Pittsburgh Tribune-Review. Retrieved 2012-03-05.
  13. ^ Brown, Scott (March 9, 2013). "Pitt claims EWL title, Wilps wins 3rd crown". Pittsburgh Tribune-Review. Retrieved March 10, 2013.
  14. ^ a b Zeise, Paul (April 9, 2013). "Longtime Pitt wrestling coach to retire after 34 years". Pittsburgh Post-Gazette. Retrieved April 9, 2013.
  15. ^ Fittipaldo, Ray (July 18, 2012). "Pitt's move to the Atlantic Coast Conference is now official". Pittsburgh Post-Gazette. Pittsburgh. Retrieved July 18, 2012.
  16. ^ a b Official NCAA Division I Wrestling All-Time Championship Records and Results (PDF). Indianapolis, Indiana: National Collegiate Athletic Association. 2009. pp. 13–17. Retrieved 2010-07-06.
  17. ^ Pancoe, Paul, ed. (2008). 2008–09 Pitt Wrestling Media Guide. Pittsburgh, PA: University of Pittsburgh Media Relations Department.
  18. ^ Blaine Henry (April 7, 2020). "Micky Phillippi: Dedication To Improvement". Fight-Library.com.
  19. ^ "Iowa finishes 2019-20 season ranked No. 1 in NWCA Division I Coaches Poll". National Wrestling Coaches Association. February 25, 2020. Retrieved April 28, 2020.
  20. ^ "InterMat NCAA Division I Rankings:Tournament". Rev Wrestling. March 10, 2020. Retrieved April 28, 2020.
  21. ^ "InterMat NCAA Division I Rankings: Dual Meet". Rev Wrestling. March 10, 2020. Retrieved April 28, 2020.
  22. ^ Naasz, Nate (April 17, 2020). "NWCA Division 1 Coaches Group Announces 2020 All-American Teams". National Wrestling Coaches Association. Retrieved April 28, 2020.
  23. ^ "2020 NWCA Division 1 First Team All-Americans" (PDF). National Wrestling Coaches Association. April 17, 2020. Retrieved April 28, 2020.
  24. ^ "2020 NWCA Division 1 Second Team All-Americans" (PDF). National Wrestling Coaches Association. April 17, 2020. Retrieved April 28, 2020.
  25. ^ Official NCAA Division I Wrestling All-Time Championship Records and Results (PDF). Indianapolis, Indiana: National Collegiate Athletic Association. 2009. p. 5. Retrieved 2010-07-06.
  26. ^ "The National Wrestling Hall of Fame Museum Offers a Historical View of Wrestling: Rex Peery". National Wrestling Hall of Fame. 2007. Archived from the original on 2011-05-25. Retrieved 2008-03-30.
  27. ^ "The National Wrestling Hall of Fame Museum Offers a Historical View of Wrestling: Ed Peery". National Wrestling Hall of Fame. 2007. Archived from the original on 2011-05-25. Retrieved 2008-03-30.
  28. ^ "The National Wrestling Hall of Fame Museum Offers a Historical View of Wrestling: Hugh Peery". National Wrestling Hall of Fame. 2007. Archived from the original on 2011-05-25. Retrieved 2008-03-30.
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