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PA Profile - A Salute to Gus DeAugustino by Doug McDonald

Let’s kick off the 1998-99 wrestling season by saluting Leonard (Gus) DeAugustino for a job well done.

DeAugustino, who coached wrestling for 40 years (34 at North Allegheny High School in Wexford, PA, and six at Duquesne University), died November 4 after a long battle against cancer at the age of 67.

DeAugustino compiled a record of 380-104-2 between 1957 and 1990 at the Pittsburgh area school. Thirteen of his wrestlers combined for 21 Pennsylvania Interscholastic Athletic Assoc. titles, with the first one coming in 1970. His wrestlers also won 48 individual Western Pennsylvania

Interscholastic Athletic League crowns. The WPIAL is considered one of the strongest districts in the Keystone State.

Six of his NA teams captured state titles in the annual PIAA tourney in Hershey. North Allegheny won the gold in seven WPIAL showdowns under DeAugustino, who earned an NCAA title for Lock Haven in the 1953 meet at Penn State when he defeated Norm Compton of Illinois by a 3-1 score.

Eager for a chance to coach at the collegiate level, DeAugustino accepted the challenge at Duquesne where he guided the Dukes to a 40-61-3 mark, winning NCAA East Regional titles in 1994 and 1996. He stepped down as the Dukes’ head coach following the 1996-97 season due to ill health. Duquesne had not fielded a varsity wrestling team for 18 years when DeAugustino took over.

"Gus definitely was a stalwart in the sport of wrestling," said Bob Bubb, former Clarion University head coach and now the executive director of the National Wrestling Coaches Assoc. He had tremendous success at North Allegheny. He sent a lot of good wrestlers to college and he rekindled the program at Duquesne.

"Then look at his record as a wrestler. He was a state champ (at Grove City), he was an NCAA champ and he made the 1952 U.S. Olympic team."

Added Bubb: "He also had a lot to do with the formation of the Dapper Dan Charities Classic as we know it (the 25th annual meet featuring the best seniors from Pennsylvania against the best from the U.S. will be staged in Pittsburgh next March). He also provided lots of opportunities to both wrestlers and coaches by conducting numerous clinics around the country."

Former Penn State head coach, Rich Lorenzo, reflecting on DeAugustino’s career, said: "He had a never-ending thirst for wrestling knowledge. He was always interested in promoting wrestling and staging clinics. He was outstanding when it came to technique. Gus was always an

uplifting , friendly guy, and a heckuva competitor. It was great seeing him at the NWCA Convention last summer in Colorado. I always thought he walked with great pride as a result of what he had invested in the sport."

A former U.S. Marine, DeAugustino was named PIAA Coach of the Year twice and WPIAL Coach of the Year four times.

The 1987-88 North Allegheny squad was named the top team in the nation by Amateur Wrestling News and DeAugustino was named National Coach of the Year by that same publication. NA scored 100 points in the state tourney, the first of three straight 100+ efforts by the WPIAL representative. In 1997, DeAugustino received the Lifetime National Achievement Award on behalf of the National Wrestling Hall of Fame. The NWCA also named him its Coach of the Year in 1990.

At least five halls of fame - Western Pennsylvania, Pennsylvania Wrestling Coaches Assoc., Lock Haven University, North Allegheny High and Mercer County - list DeAugustino among their inductees.

Of all his accomplishments, DeAugustino was asked to comment in early October as to which one brought the most satisfaction.

"I’ll never forget all the friendships and the good times," he said. "You can’t beat those things. They’ve been like family. I learned lots of wrestling from my brother Steve (a two-time PIAA champ at Grove City, a four-time PSAC champ at Lock Haven and a one-time NCAA placer. My wife (Beverly) and my sons (Mark, Mike and Scott) provided valuable support throughout. And I can’t thank the parents of all my wrestlers enough. You need a good fan base and we had that at North Allegheny."

Two of Gus’ sons, Mike and Scott, wrestled at Penn State after they won PIAA titles in the late 1970s. Mike earned All-America status in ‘78 after winning three schoolboy titles. Scott won his state title in ‘76, the same year Mike won #3 in a row.

Another three-time state winner at NA was Ray Brinzer. He enrolled at Oklahoma State, but later transferred to Iowa where he placed third in two

NCAA meets and first in two Big Ten Conference

tournaments.

Other ex-NA wrestlers who won state titles under DeAugustino and then placed in NCAA Division I competition were Doug Wyland and Rich Catalano. Wyland attended North Carolina and finished second one year and fourth another. Catalano, meanwhile, switched from Iowa to Pitt and earned NCAA All-America status his senior year.

Matt White never won a PIAA title under DeAugustino, but after graduating from Penn State he had two NCAA placings to his credit.

NA’s only four-time state champ, Ty Moore, posted a record of 146-1 and then wrestled for Coach Bill Lam at North Carolina.

Ty’s brother, Teague, won PIAA honors under Coach George DeAugustino in 1995. Teague then enrolled at Oklahoma State and won an NCAA title last March in Cleveland.

Nephew George DeAugustino, who replaced his uncle as NA’s head coach in the early 1990s, said in the November 6 Pittsburgh Post-Gazette’s obituary: "Gus was always recognized as a great wrestling coach, but he had contact with even more students and motivated many non-wrestling kids."

Ty Moore, who works in sales for North American Van Lines, says the reason for Coach Gus’ success was simple.

"He was able to get the best out of each wrestler," Moore said. "A good example of that was Jamie Kiriazis. He never came out for wrestling until ninth grade. We sent five guys into the 1990 state finals and four of us, Brinzer, Jamie, myself and Ken Bauer, won. We scored 133 points at states, which is still a record. Bauer wrestled at Edinboro and Kiriazis went to Syracuse. Coach made each individual realize what his strength was. I’ve always said wrestlers aren’t cookie cutters."

Moore said he was just one of many ex-NA wrestlers who visited their coach, either at home or in the hospital.

"I know I wouldn’t be where I am today if it wasn’t for him," said Ty. "The same goes for all the other guys. I know I thank my lucky stars. I’d travel to Mars to see him."

Entering the 1998-99 scholastic season, DeAugustino ranks seventh in Pennsylvania in victories.

Finally, DeAugustino ranks second all-time when it comes to producing PIAA champion wrestlers. Only the legendary Art Weiss of Clearfield has more at 31.

Memorial contributions can be made to the Gus DeAugustino Trust Fund, 601 Grant Street, Suite 240, Pittsburgh, PA 15219

with Joe Baranik

From the staff of PWN, our sincere condolences to the DeAugustino family. Leonard "Gus" DeAugustino was a legend at Lock Haven University where he was the schools first NCAA champion in 1953 at 137 pounds. He is also a legend at North Allegheny HS where he started the program and developed 21 state champions and four state team titles in a row, one national title, and two national runner-ups. He produced an astounding record of 380-104-2 in 33 years at NA.

I had the privilege of knowing Gus, and what an asset to the sport he was. He was very colorful, energetic and always tried to move the sport of wrestling to another level of popularity.

Former wrestling coach and long time professor in the Health and Phys. Ed. department at Lock Haven University, Dr. Ken Cox, called DeAugustino’s death, "a fantastic loss for wrestling." Cox told Chris Nagy, of the Express newspaper out of Lock Haven, that "he was just awful good and tough, very tough. In 1953, when he was a senior, he was the premier wrestler in the country."

Current LHU wrestling coach, Carl Poff, stated that "Gus cared a great deal about the wrestling program at Lock Haven and kept in touch with how the program was progressing. Poff, called DeAugustino a great ambassador of wrestling and a great human being. He will be missed by LHU."

Interestingly enough, Nagy points out that Gus also started on the football team at Lock Haven University under Hubert Jack and is remembered by everyone as just being a fantastic athlete.

Cox also wondered what it would be like to have a wrestling match between DeAugustino and two-time NCAA Champion Cary Kolat. Cox told the Express that "it would be the match of the century".

10.Tony Iasiello, 33 years at Bethlehem Catholic (370-179-3