After firing Carter Jordan less than a month ago, the Athletics Department announced the hire of Pat Popolizio as the new head wrestling coach of the Wolfpack . Popolizio joins the Pack following a mixed season that saw the Pack send five wrestlers to the NCAA Championships and produce All-American senior Darius Little, despite going 7-9 in the regular season with a solitary against conference opposition.
Popolizio comes to Raleigh with an extensive resume under his belt. He received the 2012 Colonial Athletic Association’s Coach of the Year award after guiding Binghamton University to a 14th place finish in the 2012 NCAA Championships. Popolizio joined the Bearcats in 2006 under trying circumstances, as Binghamton went 0-12 before he took over the reigns. Popolizio , who had to work with less than half of the allowable NCAA scholarships due to violations, put the Bearcats in the national spotlight ever since.
“Pat is a builder of programs and of young men,” Athletic Director Deborah Yow said. “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.”
Popolizio, named the CAA coach of the year in 2010, was also a candidate for the National Coach of the Year award after guiding the Bearcats to the CAA Championships and a 21st place finish in the National Championships. Under his tutelage, Binghamton also snagged a school record 16 wins in 2010-11 while producing four All-Americans and 21 NCAA qualifiers.
Popolizio was enthusiastic about his appointment.
“I want to thank Dr. Yow, Sherard Clinkscales and the entire search committee at N.C. State for this opportunity and for believing I am the right person for this job,” Popolizio said. “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.”
Despite an enviable record on the mat, Popolizio was also instrumental in improving the Academic Performance Rate for the wrestling program at Binghamton from 727 to 957 between 2006 and 2011, which earned the Bearcats individual National Wrestling Coaches Association All-Academic honors and ranked No. 17 in the country academically in 2009.
Popolizio also has prior experience as the lead assistant and recruiter at American University, which finished No. 17 in the nation during his tenure. He also served as an assistant coach for Army (2003-04) and Sacred Heart (2002-03).
During his wrestling days, Popolizio was a three-time NCAA qualifier for Oklahoma State and was the No.1 wrestler in the nation at 184 pounds during his senior year. He led the Cowboys to four top-5 finishes during his time there.
