Pat Popolizio, the 2012 Colonial Athletic Association’s Coach of the Year, has been named head wrestling coach for the Wolfpack. In six seasons at Binghamton University, Popolizio transformed the Bearcats into a national contender after inheriting the program that went 0-12 following its reinstatement in 2005-06.
“Pat is a builder of programs and of young men,” said Yow. “He was an outstanding collegiate performer at Oklahoma State and is a proven teacher and mentor as a head coach. He will lead Wolfpack Wrestling to compete for ACC titles and, eventually, the national championship. I thank Sherard Clinkscales and our search committee for their excellent work that resulted in his hire."
“I want to thank Dr. Yow, Sherard Clinkscales, and the entire search committee at NC State for this opportunity and for believing I am the right person for this job,” said Popolizio. “The leadership of the athletic department, its reputation, and the tremendous facilities here, are what sold me. This is a wrestling program with a strong tradition and huge potential. I’m extremely excited and very thankful for this opportunity.”
Coaching Career
In six seasons at Binghamton, Popolizio achieved at the highest level under challenging circumstances. Despite working with fewer than half of the allowable number of NCAA scholarships, he built the Bearcats into a national power.
Binghamton's meteoric rise on the mat has been mirrored in the classroom. Popolizio substantially improved the program’s Academic Performance Rate (APR) from 727 to 957 between 2006 and 2011. Last season, the Bearcats earned individual National Wrestling Coaches Association (NWCA) All-Academic honors and boasted 10 CAA Commissioner’s Academic Award honorees. In 2009, Popolizio’s team ranked 17th in the country academically. BU wrestlers also placed a high priority on community service, recently helping residents at emergency shelters and in their neighborhoods after historic flooding hit the area.
Prior to his stint at Binghamton, Popolizio was the lead assistant and recruiter at American University for two seasons, helping that program finish 17th in the country. At American, he coached seven NCAA qualifiers and the school’s first All-American. Prior to that, he served as an assistant coach at Army (2003-04) and Sacred Heart (2002-03). His team at Sacred Heart achieved the highest grade-point average of any wrestling program in the country.
Wrestling Career
Popolizio was a decorated wrestler during his student-athlete career for Oklahoma State coach John Smith, a six-time world champion.
Popolizio graduated in 2001 with a bachelor’s degree in health and physical education. He was a two-time Big 12 All Academic selection and five-time recipient of the Oklahoma State Student-Athlete Award.
At the prep level, Popolizio was a New York state scholastic champion for Niskayuna High. He was named Most Outstanding Wrestler at the 1996 state prep meet, where he captured the 177-pound title, and went on to become the national high school runner-up.
What They Are Saying About Pat Popolizio
“North Carolina State’s hiring of Pat Popolizio is an excellent decision. He is one of the best young wrestling coaches in the United States. I appreciate Debbie Yow’s commitment to wrestling at Maryland and now at North Carolina State. Her choices in the hiring of head wrestling coaches have been brilliant.”
- John Smith, Head Wrestling Coach Oklahoma State
“I had the great fortune of coaching Pat as an assistant at Oklahoma State and had the pleasure of having him as my assistant coach at American University. He mentored many of our wrestling greats, including Daniel Waters, Josh Glenn and Mike Cannon. As an assistant coach, Pat was always eager to learn and we had many lengthy discussions about the importance of holding athletes to high standards and doing all we could do to make it a great experience for our student-athletes.
“Pat went onto Binghamton University, and I feel that what he has done there is amazing. With his great leadership, the Binghamton wrestling program has reached unimaginable heights. Pat is one of the brightest young coaches we have in our sport. Well done North Carolina State - great hire.”
- Mark Cody, Head Wrestling Coach Oklahoma
“On behalf of the National Wrestling Coaches Association (NWCA) Board of Directors, I want to congratulate North Carolina State on their recent hiring of Pat Popolizio as their new head wrestling coach. Coach Popolizio represents the ‘gold standard’ in our coaching profession as evidenced by his phenomenal success at Binghamton University. He has a national reputation for recruiting elite students and athletes and then bonds them together into nationally competitive teams.”
- Mike Moyer, Executive Director National Wrestling Coaches Association (NWCA)
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