The Wolfpacker: An Independent Magazine Covering NC State Sports
Issue link: https://comanpub.uberflip.com/i/1545830
48 ■ THE WOLFPACKER PACK PAST BY TIM PEELER W hen pioneers pass, there's always great mourning and sadness. But it also creates the opportunity to prop- erly put into context their impact and importance. NC State's wrestling program suffered two significant losses in recent months, both of whom laid the foundation for one of Wolfpack athletics' most successful programs of the past half century. Coach Bob Guzzo and two-time All- America wrestler Matt Reiss excelled in different ways for the Pack, yet both set the championship tone for a still-thriv- ing program now under the guidance of Pat Popolizio. Guzzo, a recent inductee into the NC State Athletic Hall of Fame, died on May 16 in Raleigh at the age of 82. Reiss, who won the Wolfpack's first individual na- tional title, died on June 4 at the age of 65 at his home in Bethlehem, Pa. Their legacies are interlinked — both came from the wrestling-rich fields of Eastern Pennsylvania, and their success- ful careers in Raleigh helped build one of the ACC's most dominant programs. Dramatic Changes Since Guzzo arrived in the fall of 1974, the Wolfpack has won 21 ACC titles and produced 10 individual NCAA champi- ons. Reiss was the first of those titlists, winning the 167-pound crown as a true freshman in 1980 in Corvallis, Ore. And who does NC State have to thank for sparking that success? Former Wolf- pack football players Rosie and Chuck Amato, who had grown up with Guzzo in Easton, Pa. When wresting coach Jerry Daniels stepped down in the summer of 1974, first Rosie then Chuck suggested to athletics director Willis Casey that he take a look at Guzzo, their hometown friend. Guzzo had been an NAIA champion at wrestling power East Stroudsburg University and found early-career suc- cess as a coach at Easton's Wilson High School and at the State University of New York at Canton. His arrival elevated a program coached by Al Crawford and Daniels that was successful but could never quite get to the top of the pile during a time when Maryland dominated ACC wrestling, winning 20 consecutive championships beginning with the league's founding in 1953-54. Daniels had taken over as head coach during one of the most traumatic times in the history of the program in 1967, when Crawford suffered a heart attack during a match against Georgia Tech and died on the mats at Reynolds Coliseum. Daniels, who was undefeated as a col- lege wrestler at Appalachian State, took over the Wolfpack for the next seven sea- sons, compiling a 60-36-1 record in dual meets but never winning an ACC title. Casey revamped some of the Olym- pic sports during an era when football, basketball, baseball and swimming were winning league titles just about every year. He added women's sports to the department and made changes in men's soccer and lacrosse. In the summer of '74, Daniels resigned his post as wres- tling coach to become a physical educa- tion instructor primarily teaching intro- ductory wrestling classes at Carmichael Gym. "Willis was a tough guy, and it was somewhat comical back then because you felt like you were fighting for your job every day you came to the office," Guzzo said in a 2025 interview. "He was a tough, smart man who was always very demanding. "One of Willis' philosophies was that he didn't think anybody could coach. He thought it was always about getting the best players and athletes. I was from Pennsylvania, and I knew I could get some of the best wrestlers in the country to come down here." That had worked for Pennsylvania native and Penn State graduate Earle Edwards, the NC State football coach Wrestling Pioneers Helped Lay The Foundation For One Of NC State's Most Decorated Programs During Bob Guzzo's tenure as head coach, NC State produced 86 individual ACC champions, 24 All- Americans and four national champs. PHOTO COURTESY NC STATE ATHLETICS