Mike Matozzi’s passion for coaching began in high school when he was asked by his teacher and mentor, Bill Yena, to coach the Park District wrestling program in La Grange Park, in which Mike’s youngest brother who is hearing impaired was participating. 

After graduating Magna Cum Laude in three years from MacMurray College with a degree to teach the deaf and hard of hearing, Mike earned Master’s Degrees from Ball State University in Special Education and Roosevelt University in Educational Administration and Supervision. 

Spending his entire educational career at Hinsdale South High School in Darien, Mike was a teacher of the deaf and hard of hearing, Dean of Students and Director of Deans. He was inducted into the school’s Hall of Fame in November, 2018, and it’s Athletic Hall of Fame in February of 2024. He coached girls’ softball, football and wrestling. Twenty-five of Mike’s 32 years of coaching wrestling were as the program’s head coach. He coached his teams to 390 dual meet victories, numerous tournament championships and the only 5 conference championships in the school’s history. The Hinsdale South varsity wrestling invitational was renamed the Mike Matozzi Invitational upon Mike’s retirement. He coached 155 all-conference wrestlers, 37 state qualifiers, and 9 state medalists including 2 individual state champions.

A number of Mike’s wrestlers have gone on to be educators and coaches of youth, junior high and high school programs as well as becoming certified wrestling officials. Mike was again able to coach his brother, Al, using his sign language skills to involve him and other deaf students in the program. He was also able to have his brother, Steve, who himself went on to serve as Hinsdale South’s head coach, as one of his assistant coaches. Upon retiring from teaching and coaching in 2013, Mike registered as an Illinois High School Association wrestling official. He has officiated numerous IHSA and Illinois Elementary School Association state series events as well as 3 Freshman/Sophomore State Final tournaments. 

Mike is an active Illinois Wrestling Coaches and Officials Association member and served on the Executive Board as Secretary from 2009-2011 and as President from 2011-2013. He continues to serve on the organization’s Hall of Fame Selection Committee. He and his wife, Debbie, hosted four Illinois/Indiana Classic Dual events. He has been awarded the IWCOA Gold Level Award in 2006 and 2010, inducted into the IWCOA Hall of Fame in 2011, named the organization’s Person of the Year in 2013, served as the Grand Marshall at the IHSA Individual State Championships in 2020 and received the IWCOA Lifetime Service Award in 2024. 

Mike has volunteered at numerous IHSA Individual and Team State Tournaments and currently serves as the weigh in coordinator for the individual state finals. A resident of Oswego, Mike and Debbie have been married since October, 1981. They have three children, a daughter, Michelina, who was a wrestling statistician at Oswego High School, and sons Michael and Anthony who wrestled for Oswego East and Oswego High Schools respectively. All 3 also served as bout card runners for the IHSA State Wrestling Tournament. 

Family has always been a major part of Mike’s wrestling career and philosophy as a coach. It is his belief that all wrestlers can achieve their goals with the support of family, their own parents and siblings as well as their family of teammates.