John Fritz wrestled in high school for the Hurricanes of Bethlehem Liberty in the powerful Lehigh Valley. He then took his talents to Penn State and attained an outstanding collegiate career, featuring 2 third place finishes in the NCAA Championship at 126 lbs. in 1973 & 1974, followed by winning the Gold Medal in his senior year of 1975. He went on to be an Assistant Coach for Rich Lorenzo for a decade, then became the Head Coach of the Nittany Lions in 1993. In six seasons, he posted five top five NCAA finishes including a second in 1993, Penn State's highest finish in 39 years. At Penn State, he produced 4 national champions, 9 NCAA finalists, 21 All-Americans and 12 Big Ten champions. Fritz was named the 1993 NWCA National Coach of the Year, after leading Penn State to a school record 22-0-1 dual meet record, a No.1 national ranking and the national dual team title. He also earned 1998 Big Ten Coach of the Year honors. John continues to work with the Commonwealth Campus athletic programs at Penn State, and still resides in Boalsburg.