Joe Scalzo

June 18, 1920 - October 26, 1986

His career in wrestling spanned the whole gamut of the sport. Joe Scalzo was wrestler, coach, referee, administrator and international delegate. There were other roles, such as pioneer, innovator and crusader.

He was a high school champ in New Jersey and an NCAA finalist for Penn State in 1939. During his early years as a chemical engineer, he coached wrestling as a volunteer at the Toledo YMCA, where his teams were unbeaten for a decade and won three national titles.

He became the first wrestling coach at the University of Toledo in 1950. Scalzo promoted all styles of wrestling, but was particularly fond of Greco-Roman. After years of resistance, he lived to see the USA stand tall among the nations, with two gold medalists in the 1984 Olympics and its first World champion a year later. He was Olympic coach in 1956 and one of his collegiate stars, Richard Wilson, was a three-time Olympian.

In Toledo, he organized the first two World Championships held in the USA, in 1962 and 1966. Scalzo conceived the idea of a World Cup among continental champions, convinced the international federation, and served as host 13 of its first 14 years. He was one of the first to see wrestling as an "event" to be planned and conducted for the spectators.

As an international referee, he held the highest rating for 23 years, and was an active participant--as coach, official or administrator--in nine Olympics and more than 100 continental and world championships.

He was vice president of the International Wrestling Federation and a lifetime member of the FILA Bureau. He died in the midst of wrestling friends and colleagues, stricken by a heart attack while attending the awards banquet of the 1986 World Championships in Budapest.

His life in wrestling was that of a volunteer, a sidelight to his professional careers of engineer, labor negotiator, business executive, attorney at law, management consultant and civic leader. In recognition of his leadership in the growth and promotion of wrestling, Joseph R. Scalzo is honored as a Distinguished Member of the National Wrestling Hall of Fame.

Awards:

Year
1987
Award
Distinguished Member
Chapter/Region
National

All American Awards:

Season
1939
School
Penn State
Tournament
Division I
Weight
145
Place
2

All Coaching Dual Records:

Season
1966
School
Toledo
Division
Division I
Duals
12
Wins
6
Losses
6
Ties
0
Win PCT.
50
Season
1965
School
Toledo
Division
Division I
Duals
8
Wins
5
Losses
2
Ties
1
Win PCT.
62.5
Season
1964
School
Toledo
Division
Division I
Duals
6
Wins
4
Losses
2
Ties
0
Win PCT.
66.67
Season
1963
School
Toledo
Division
Division I
Duals
8
Wins
7
Losses
0
Ties
1
Win PCT.
87.5
Season
1962
School
Toledo
Division
Duals
8
Wins
8
Losses
0
Ties
0
Win PCT.
100
Season
1961
School
Toledo
Division
Duals
8
Wins
6
Losses
2
Ties
0
Win PCT.
75
Season
1960
School
Toledo
Division
Duals
10
Wins
9
Losses
1
Ties
0
Win PCT.
90
Season
1959
School
Toledo
Division
Duals
6
Wins
5
Losses
1
Ties
0
Win PCT.
83.33
Season
1958
School
Toledo
Division
Duals
6
Wins
5
Losses
1
Ties
0
Win PCT.
83.33
Season
1957
School
Toledo
Division
Duals
8
Wins
4
Losses
3
Ties
1
Win PCT.
50
Season
1956
School
Toledo
Division
Duals
10
Wins
6
Losses
4
Ties
0
Win PCT.
60
Season
1954
School
Toledo
Division
Duals
7
Wins
6
Losses
1
Ties
0
Win PCT.
85.71
Season
1953
School
Toledo
Division
Duals
10
Wins
8
Losses
2
Ties
0
Win PCT.
80
Season
1952
School
Toledo
Division
Duals
9
Wins
7
Losses
2
Ties
0
Win PCT.
77.78
Season
1951
School
Toledo
Division
Duals
9
Wins
8
Losses
1
Ties
0
Win PCT.
88.89
Season
Career
Duals
125
Wins
94
Losses
28
Ties
3
Win PCT.
75.2

Our Mission: To honor the sport of wrestling by preserving its history, recognizing extraordinary individual achievements, and inspiring future generations