Mike Fusilli hails from Section 5 wrestling royalty. Dad Leo was a section champ for Rochester’s East High in 1964 and Uncle Lou won three sectional titles for Madison High in the mid-1950’s. Listening to his dad’s and uncle’s stories and studying old scrapbooks lighted the fire, as did learning a switch from his dad on the floor of the family living room. But Mike ended up played basketball through middle school, because the Catholic institution he attended had no modified wrestling program.

Fusilli first stepped off the living room carpet and on to the resilite in 9th grade at Rochester’s Bishop Kearney High. He started off a bit slow, but after a lot of hard work, including off-season stuff with older guys at Monroe Community College, and more instruction on the living room floor with his Dad, Leo, he was able to join his dad and uncle on the top block with a section 5 title in 1986 at 215 pounds. After that senior season, Mike was recruited by and headed to Lock Haven, and offered money for books only. He changed his mind at the last minute to head two hours away from home and to D-3 wrestling power Ithaca College.

This decision proved to be the right one, as Fusilli soon kicked into high gear, by stepping into a wrestling room loaded with talent and good coaching. The Ithaca team was coached by John Murray, and assisted by Dave Auble, Doug Dake, and John Kotmel, with occasional visits and tips from Carmen Molino. During his four years at Ithaca his team won two NCAA D-3 team championships, while finishing 3rd in 1988. Mike was a three-time NCAA D-3 all American, and two-time finalist, capping his college career with a national championship at heavy weight in 1990. The physical education major was also named Ithaca College athlete of the year and Ithaca Journal Athlete of the year.

After graduating, Mike  became a member of the New York Athletic Club freestyle and Greco-Roman teams. More hard work produced impressive results - four times a US freestyle senior National Team member, a 1992 USA Wrestling University National Championship in freestyle, and the 1992 USA Wrestling University Nationals Championship in Greco-Roman, among others.

It was during this period that Mike also began coaching. These included stints as a volunteer coach at Ithaca, as a volunteer assistant at Cortland State, as an assistant at Johnson City High, and as a head coach at East Rochester High. He moved on to an assistant coach spot at NCAA D-1 University of North Carolina and then picked up the head coaching job at Binghamton University for eight years (during the transition after his first year there from D-3 to D-2 and then D-1). While a coach, Mike paid it forward, figuring in some of the success of a long list of wrestlers at the high school and NCAA D-1 levels. Among these were numerous Binghamton University standouts, such as Craig Tefft, an NCAA D-1 qualifier, two-time NCAA D-1 qualifier and conference champion Josh Ruff, NCAA D-2 all American and FILA Jr. World silver medalist Joe Privitere and Lance Moore, a state champ for Johnson City High School.

Mike credits his success on the mat to the support of many outstanding teammates, coaches, but most importantly, the Fusilli wrestling family, “My family, particularly my mom and dad, supported me the whole way, even when it was starting to look like I would never get a real job … they were always there in stands … at nearly every tournament and dual meet.”

Mike has been inducted into no fewer than four halls of fame, including Ithaca College’s Athletic Hall of Fame and the NWCA D-3 Coaches Association National Wresting Hall of Fame.

Mike is employed as a major gifts officer for Cortland State. He is a founding member of the Friends of Section IV Wrestling. He has two children -  Jude, a health education teacher at Belleville-Henderson High and Jake, a recent Brockport State graduate.