There are many people who helped build Paulsboro wrestling into one of the nation’s premier programs, but Paul Morina will always be the face of Big Red.

After a standout career at Paulsboro High, Morina returned to his alma mater and took the program to even greater heights.

Morina took over for legendary coach and NWHOF member Bob Fredrick in 1985 and has amassed eye-popping numbers across the board, including a New Jersey record 820 victories and 31 state Group 1 titles.

The program has won 39 sectional titles, 39 Colonial Conference championships and 35 district titles. The Red Raiders are 820-68-4 under Morina’s watch.

Individually, Paulsboro wrestlers have crowned 235 district champs, 81 region titlists and 15 state champions.

Morina has earned the district Coach of the Year honor 21 times, region Coach of the Year four times and New Jersey Coach of the Year twice (1991 and 2011). He was awarded the NWCA National Coach of the year in 2011.

On the mat, Morina was a state runner-up as a senior at Paulsboro in 1977. He was a two-time district champion and a Region 8 titlist.

Morina went on to wrestle two years at Temple University before transferring to James Madison, where he was a two-time captain. He went 108-25-1 at the two schools, claiming two Eastern Regional titles and was a two-time NCAA Division I qualifier.

Morina is enshrined in the Paulsboro High School, James Madison University, South Jersey Wrestling and Gloucester County Halls of Fame.

Morina is the school’s athletic director and still lives in town. He has three sons – Mike, Salvatore and Anthony, and his fiance’s is Christine Lindenmuth.