Gone, Lost & Forgotten: Their Best = West Chester

I'll get more into detail as the article goes along but when it comes to dropped programs this is perhaps one of the most interesting. I think for one it defines irony better than any other definition I could give it.  As doom and gloom as it sometimes seems with the sometimes estimated/guesstimated as high as 700 teams that we've lost, we do have reason to be optimistic.  We've added a lot of programs over the years. We've reinstated a lot of programs over the years.  Yes, we want it to be 100%. We want every school that ever rolled up their wrestling mat for the last time, to once again offer the sport.   Yet within the darkness there is light.  The National Wrestling Coaches Association (NWCA) has been instrumental in the addition of over 200 programs in the last 15 years. We're talking programs in places that at one time, we thought we'd never see collegiate wrestling again. Wrestling programs in Arkansas, Kentucky, Georgia, Florida, Texas & Alabama.  When we choose to look at the good, we actually do have a lot to be thankful for.

One of the men behind the NWCA and getting all of these programs either back on the mat or on the mat for the first time is Mike Moyer.  I dare not say single-handedly because he has had a lot of help but I do give a tremendous amount of respect, admiration and gratitude for all that he has done.

It can probably go without saying now, but in case you haven't already guessed, Moyer wrestled for West Chester.   Can't help but think that maybe because he competed for a school that no longer fields a wrestling program if that is part of the motivation that sparks such an admirable passion in a man who has dedicated his life to the growth of wrestling.

The best wrestlers in West Chester Golden Ram history?  Here you go.

191 lbs
Charles Weber

Also a member of the Golden Ram football team, Weber made the NCAA finals in 1953.

142 lbs
Alray Johnson 

The communications major who is now the owner of 3CTVlive was a three time NCAA qualifier for the Golden Rams in 1970, 71' & 72'.  He continues to be involved at West Chester as one of the coaches of the NCWA club program.

150, 142 lbs
Paul Gillespie

Paul Gillespie had a standout career for West Chester taking sixth place honors at the NCAA tournament in 1971 as a freshman and then coming back in 1974 as a senior to place fourth.   He went on to have a phenomenal coaching career at Long Beach High school in New York.   There he racked up 110 career dual wins, 17 County championships, 17 Conference titles and two state titles in eighteen years of coaching.  His son P.J. wrestled at Hofstra.

118/126 lbs
Bob Katz

A third place finisher at the Pennsylvania high school state tournament, Katz was a three time NCAA qualifier for the Golden Rams in 1976, 77' & 79'.

126/118 lbs
Jorge Leon

Another third place finisher at the Pennsylvania High school state tournament, this time for Maple Newborn, Leon was also a three time NCAA qualifier for the Golden Rams in 1978, 80' & 81'.

158 lbs
Mike Moyer 

A three time state qualifier for Wilson high school where he accumulated a career record of 89-14-2, Moyer had 105 career victories for the Golden Rams qualifying for the NCAA championships in 1981, 82' & 83'.  Post his collegiate career Moyer was an assistant at James Madison (another program we've lost) & the head coach of Chowan (yet another program we've lost) where he lead the Hawks (then known as the Braves) to a NJCAA championship.  He then took over the reigns at George Mason University where he lead the Patriots to a dual record of 126-29-2.  There he had 27 NCAA qualifiers and four All Americans.

In 1999 Moyer took over as Executive Director of the NWCA and over the past 21 years has helped the sport of wrestling to grow at every level.

157 lbs
Roger Sanders 

A three time Middle-Atlantic champion, Roger Sanders had success at both the NAIA level and the NCAA Division II level.   He took third at the 1962 NAIA championships and in 1964 he won the NCAA Division II title.

Post his collegiate career, Sanders coached the Bloomsburg Huskies to their most successful reign in wrestling thus far which included a fifth place finish at the 1987 NCAA Division I tournament.  Overall he lead the Huskies to a dual record of 250-104-8 with 27 EWL conference champions, nine Division I All Americans and six Division II All Americans.

He was president of the NWCA from 1987 to 1993.

191 lbs
Howard Sage 

Howard Sage took fourth place All American honors for the Golden rams at the 1963 NAIA championships. He then in both head and assistant positions coached at Owen J Roberts High School from the 1968-1969 season through the 2014-2015.

147 lbs
Pete Parlett

Pete Parlett took runner-up honors at the 1964 NCAA Division II championships.

157/167 lbs
Paul Tillman

Tillman never made it to the Pennsylvania state tournament although he was a sectional champion, runner-up at districts and third in the regional.  Despite never making the state tournament, he had a great career for the Golden Rams.   A two time NCAA Division II All American he took third in both 1965 & 1966.

115 lbs
Frank Carrozza 

A 1965 North Shore conference champion for Island Tree High school, Carrozza first began his career at SUNY-Orange (another program we've lost) where he won Regional titles in 1966 & 1967.  Wrestling for the Golden Rams, he won a Middle Atlantic conference title & he took third at the 1968 NCAA Division II championships.  He then went on to coach at Minisink Valley high school where he lead his team to an overall record of 80-12 before giving up coaching to become the Principal.

An interesting fact about Carrozza is that his father-in-law Billy Cox played baseball for the Brooklyn Dodgers and was a teammate of Jackie Robinson.

145 lbs
John DeMarco

A native of New Jersey where he finished in fourth place at the 1965 high school state tournament for Brick High school, DeMarco took third at the 1968 NCAA Division II championships for West Chester.

He later went on to coach high school wrestling at Toms River where he lead his team to seven conference championships.


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Other greats in Golden Ram history are Ken Biles who placed fourth at the NCAA DII tournament in 1968, Scott Clark who finished in second in 1969 and Craig Whitaker the final All American in the last season of Golden Ram wrestling who finished fifth in 1987.