Pittsburgh Panthers wrestling

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Pittsburgh Panthers wrestling
PittPanthers.png
University University of Pittsburgh
Conference ACC
Location Pittsburgh, PA
Head Coach Jason Peters (1st year)
Arena Fitzgerald Field House
(Capacity: 4,122)
Nickname Panthers
Colors Blue and Gold
         
NCAA Individual Champions
16
All-Americans
76
Conference Championships
2010, 2011, 2012, 2014
Conference Tournament Championships
1954, 1955, 1956, 1960, 2011, 2012, 2013

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 16 individual national champions and 76 All-American selections. The head coach of the Panthers since 2013 is Jason Peters.

History

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[1] and eventually became one of the most tradition-rich sports at the University. Pitt's wrestling program boasts 16 individual NCAA national champions, the 13th most among all schools,[2] and 75 All-Americans throughout the program's history.[3] Pitt's all-time dual meet record, through the 2013-14 season, is 535-396-19 (0.573).

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.[4] 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.[5] 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.[6] In 2011 and 2012, Pitt repeated as dual meet champions with 6-0 EWL records in each season.[7][8] Pitt went on to win its first EWL tournament team title in 2011[9] and repeated as EWL tournament champions in 2012[10] and 2013, Pitt's final year in the conference and Stottlemyer's final season as head coach.[11] 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.[12]

Pitt moved into the Atlantic Coast Conference in 2013-14 season[13] with Jason Peters, an assistant under Stottleymyer for ten seasons, taking over as head coach.[12] 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.

NCAA Championship results

Pitt wrestling has scored points in 59 NCAA Division I Championships over the years, finishing as high as second place twice and in the top ten 13 times.[14]

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 4 2
1957 2nd 5 3
1958 9th 2 1
1959 5th 3
1960 8th 1
1961 5th 3 1
1962 6th-t 2
1963 4th-t 4 1
1964 27th-t  
1965 45th-t  
1966 45th-t  
1968 52nd-t  
Year Finish AAs NCs
1969 28th 1
1970 8th 2
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
Year Finish AAs NCs
1987 15th 1
1988 15th 1 1
1989 13th 1 1
1990 44th  
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  
Year Finish AAs NCs
2003 19th-t 1
2004 38th-t  
2005 29th 1
2006 35th  
2007 20th 2
2008 16th 1 1
2009 38th 1
2010 26th 1
2011 34th  
2012 15th 2
2013 15th-t 2
2014 22nd 1
2015 21st 1
AAs=All-Americans; NCs=Individual National Champions. t=team tied for place in final standings.   Refs:[14][15]

Individual national champions

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

Pitt wrestlers have won individual NCAA national championships 16 different times in various weight classes. All-time, Pitt has the 13th most individual NCAA champion wrestlers among all Division I schools.[16]

  • 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)

Hall of Fame

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[17]
  • Ed Peery, wrestler, inducted 1980[18]
  • Hugh Peery, wrestler, inducted 1980[19]

References

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  14. ↑ 14.0 14.1 Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
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  19. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.

External links

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