Pat Pecora was a four-year starter, an all-conference wrestler, and the team captain at West Liberty State (now West Liberty University).

In 1976, he was hired by the University of Pittsburgh-Johnstown, and has been the coach at UPJ since that time.

Since 2008, he has doubled as Pitt-Johnstown's Athletic Director.

He is the winningest coach in collegiate wrestling history, accumulating a 646-152-5 overall record and a .805 career winning percentage.

Pat's teams have captured 21 NCAA Regional Championships, and in 1996 & 1999 were NCAA Division II National Champions.

Pat has been the NCAA Regional Coach of the Year 16 times.

Pat's teams have won 49 team tournaments and he has led the Division II Mountain Cats to 32 Top-20 national finishes, 20 Top-10 finishes, and 10 top-five finishes.

Pat has produced 141 All-Americans, and 10 individual national champions who collectively combined for 17 National Championship titles. Among them was Shane Valko, the 2010 National Wrestler of the Year.

His most famous product is Carlton Haselrig, a six-time NCAA champion and a Distinguished Member of the National Wrestling Hall of Fame.

Additionally, Pat's teams led the nation in National Wrestling Coaches Association Academic All American selections from 1997 through 2000. Since 1990, Pecora has coached over 100 Academic All Americans.

Pat was named the NCAA Division II National Coach of the Year in 1995, 1999, 2019 and 2022 while also receiving the NWCA Coaching Excellence Award, presented to the best coach in all division, in 1999.

Pat is the Division II Representative for the NWCA and is a member of the NWCA Board of Directors. Pat was also the president of that organization for two terms.

He is a member the Pennsylvania Sports Hall of Fame-East Boro Chapter, the Cambria County Hall of Fame, the West Liberty State College Hall of Fame, the Pennsylvania Wrestling Coaches Hall of Fame, the NCAA Division II Wrestling Hall of FAme, and the Pitt-Johnstown Athletics Hall of Fame.

Pat also receivedthe 2008 United States Marine Corps Excellence in Leadership Award.

Pat and his wife Tracy reside in Johnstown, where they raised four children.