Successful coach reflects on Wantagh roots

A high school wrestling career that essentially happened by accident for Tom Ryan has turned into a remarkably successful coaching career: He will be seeking his second straight national collegiate championship next weekend.

Basketball was Ryan’s first love when he was a student at Wantagh Middle School in the 1980s, but he was cut from his seventh-grade team. So, at the urging of his brother, Frank, Ryan gave wrestling a try. He went on to wrestle for five seasons on the varsity squad, capturing three county championships and falling just short of a state title.

“It was life-changing,” he said of joining the wrestling team, noting the inspirational coaches and great teammates he had during his six years representing Wantagh.

He won the county championship at 119 pounds his sophomore year, and finished fourth in the state in his weight class. The next year, at 132 pounds, he was again the county champion, with a third-place state finish. A torn ligament in his ankle during his senior year (138 pounds), in which he was one of three Wantagh county champions, spoiled his quest for a state title, but it didn’t dissuade him from continuing with the sport. “It kept me hungry to pursue success at the next level,” he said.

After graduating from Wantagh High in 1987, Ryan received a full scholarship to Syracuse University, where he wrestled for two years, in addition to rooming with his brother. He then transferred to the University of Iowa, and walked on to the team there, competing for three years.

Immediately after he graduated, he got an assistant coaching job at Indiana University, and spent two years there before moving back to Long Island to take the head coach position at Hofstra University. “It was a blessing,” he said of coaching less than 10 miles from where he grew up. “It was an incredible opportunity.”

He was only 24, and knew Hofstra was taking a chance on him. Ryan led to the team to an eighth-place East Coast Wrestling Association finish his first year, then seventh place before the program took off. Pride wrestling then had three years of second-place finishes and six years at the top of the conference.