WrestlingReport Interview With Pat Santoro

WrestlingReport.com staff recently had the pleasure of interviewing PAT SANTORO, the dynamic head coach of Lehigh University.  Coach Santoro is an excellent coach and wrestler, who has finally returned “home” to Bethlehem, Pennsylvania.

WR.com: You grew up in Bethlehem in an accomplished wrestling family.  What got you started in wrestling?

SANTORO:  My brother was wrestling and when he and my father (Lehigh NCAA All-American Richard Santoro) would go to practice, naturally I followed. My dad coached me through my grade school years and made it a great experience.  As soon as I started wrestling I knew there was something special about it.

WR.com: Your stellar wrestling career took you out of Bethlehem, with numerous stops, then back to your home town.  Please describe some of the high-lights on that long journey.

SANTORO:  There have been so many it’s difficult to point to just a few.  But I’d have to say watching Rob Rohn win the NCAA’s in Albany was pretty spectacular.  It shows that it is never over until it’s over.  When you keep wrestling, good things happen.

Also, watching the Terps win ACC’s the way they did this year was a lot of fun to watch.  This year’s team was very special, both on and off the mat.  It was a young hungry group that grew so much throughout the season. They believed they were going win. 

WR.com: Any humorous anecdotes from your years of wrestling?

SANTORO:  I have a lot of great stories but I don’t want to embarrass any of my former teammates or wrestlers, so I’ll leave that one alone.

WR.com:  In only five years you took Maryland to the top of the ACC and up into the NCAA top 25 in both dual meet and tournament standings.  Why the lateral move to Lehigh?

SANTORO:  It was a very difficult decision; I really enjoyed my time at Maryland and the people that are associated with the University.   Personally, having the chance to have our daughter grow up around family was a big part of it.  Also, Lehigh wrestling has been part of our family since the late 50’s.  My father, uncle and brother all wrestled here and I grew up watching matches in Grace Hall.

Professionally, there were a number of reasons for the move.  First, the history and heritage of Lehigh wrestling is unrivaled. I’m not sure there is another program in the country that offers such a high level of support in so many areas.  When you take the University, Alumni, and community support and mix it with the academics and strong tradition of Lehigh wrestling, the result is a program geared for success. It is one of the most storied programs in the country, and it’s a place that wrestlers love to compete.  I feel very fortunate to be able to be able to coach here.

WR.com: Have you selected your assistants?  Please describe your wrestling staff for the coming season.

SANTORO:  We’ve just added Brad Dillon.  Brad was an important part of the building process that took place at Maryland; he is an excellent coach and is well liked by the student athletes.  Being a Lehigh Valley native and an alumnus of Lehigh, it makes him a great fit.  I have complete trust in Brad’s ability as a coach and I really enjoy working with him.

I am still working on the rest of the staff, but we are looking for talented coaches who have a real passion for wrestling and put the welfare of the student athletes first.

WR.com:  Where do you see your Lehigh team in, say, five years from now?

SANTORO:  My goal has not changed since I started coaching, to have NCAA Champions and All-Americans every year.  Ultimately, we want to a National Championship.

WR.com: You were a two-time NCAA champion and four-time All-American at Pittsburgh and became one of the best middle-weight freestyle wrestlers in the nation.  Please describe your toughest college match and freestyle bout.

SANTORO:  Unfortunately I had way too many losses to have one “toughest match”.  The toughest match to take, was ironically enough losing to Pete Yozzo from Lehigh my sophomore year in NCAA finals. 

If I had to pick one opponent then I would have to say Mike Cole from Clarion, he definitely got the better of me when we were in college.  He had a very funky style.

In freestyle, there were so many matches.  Again, the toughest one to take was losing to Townsend Saunders at the Olympic trial in 1996.  He was very explosive and had very good position. 

There have been so many great matches it would be hard to single out one as the toughest.  There are a number of wrestlers that you knew would be an all out battle and I enjoyed them the most.  In the United States I would have to say Brian Dolph, Chris Bono, Terry Steiner, and Lincoln MacIlravy.  Internationally, Adam Satiev.

WR.com: You have a reputation as being an excellent recruiter.  What are some of the reasons that a high school wrestler should consider Lehigh?

SANTORO:  Great academics, rich history and tradition for wrestling, and as I touched on earlier outstanding University, Alumni, and Community support.  It has all the components for a student athlete to become successful on and off the mat.

WR.com:  What are some tips/advice that you would give to the young, pre-high school athlete, who wants to wrestle in college?

SANTORO:  Keep it fun and commit yourself to excellence on and off the mat.  If you want to succeed at the highest level in anything it needs to becomes a lifestyle, it’s who you become, it is just what you do everyday.   Take advantage of all the tools around you, whether it’s coaches, camps/clubs, or workout partners.

WR.com: How are your wife, young daughter, and “guard dog” settling into life in Bethlehem?

SANTORO:  Thanks for asking, everyone is doing very well.  Even our dog, who is a far cry from a guard dog.  Cooper is a Golden Retriever who is as friendly as dogs get.  They guard dog comment was a joke that started after we were broken into last year.  He most likely greeted the robber with a wagging tail.

WR.com:  Coach Santoro, if there is any that we did not ask that you would like to add, please do so.

SANTORO:  No, not really, I just want to thank Bruce Closson and his staff for doing an outstanding job with the WrestlingReport web site.

WrestlingReport thanks Coach Santoro for this interview, and we wish him and his Family the very best this coming season and beyond.

Also, looking forward to the coming season, we plan to tape the Lehigh v Pittsburgh dual meet on November 15, 2008, at Pittsburgh, and post it on our WrestlingReport.com Video Section for you fans to enjoy.