Back on the Mat

restling is a sport that changes lives, and western Pennsylvania is a place where the best wrestlers are born and raised. Now, thanks to support of loyal alumni, Slippery Rock University is once again a place where college wrestlers can thrive and develop the skills they need to succeed in life.

When SRU announced in November 2025 that the University is bringing back wrestling as a varsity sport for the 2027-28 season, former Rock wrestlers like Robert Dudley could not have been more excited because he knows how important the sport is to not only his fellow alumni but the people of western Pennsylvania and wrestling enthusiasts and, above all, for the opportunities that young men will once again have to succeed on the mat and in life.

“The sport itself changed my life,” said Dudley, ’77, a retired sales manager who began his career as a physical education teacher. “It changed my outlook and allowed me to pivot from just being able to teach to understanding how to learn. There’s a deep appreciation from one wrestler to another, because you know the toughness, hard work and everything that goes along with wrestling and what it takes to succeed.”

Pennsylvania is a hotbed of wrestling with nearly 500 high school wrestling programs, but more noteworthy is how colleges from across the country come the state to recruit the best wrestlers. Pennsylvania high schools produced nearly 300 NCAA Division I All-Americans from 1961-2011. No other state can claim more than 200.

SRU contributed to this rich history with a successful program from 1958-2006, including a 24-year run under legendary coach Fred Powell in which the team won 66 percent of its matches and placed 10th at Division I nationals in 1974. Starting with a 19-0 season in 1969-70, Powell led the team to a seven-year stretch with a dazzling 98-9 record with nine All-Americans at both the Division I and College Division levels.

“Coach Powell was the antithesis of what casual observers would think of a wrestling coach; he was a gentle soul,” Dudley said. “He was tough and strong, but he could say the right things without shouting or screaming.”

Among the many prominent wrestlers in program history is Stan Dziedzic, ’72, a national champion in 1971 who compiled a 118-2 career record and went on to win a bronze medal at the 1976 Olympic Games and a gold medal in the 1980 World Championships.

The Rock will compete in NCAA Division II when wrestling returns, the team’s level when the program went on hiatus two decades ago. NCAA rules have changed since the last time SRU fielded a wrestling team and a return to the Division I level is no longer possible.

Still, the excitement and potential for success around the sport has been building. Several supporters banded together to form SRU Wrestling Alumni and Friends Committee, now chaired by John Butch, ’72, and the University recently launched a wrestling campaign with an initial goal of $2 million.

“The passion of the past is coming back and whoever comes to Slippery Rock to wrestle will have a wealth of people supporting their work and effort,” Dudley said. “We’ve got the opportunity to bring back a very successful and respected program, and one that impacted a generation of wrestlers.”

Dudley has created a dollar-for-dollar match challenge (up to $250,000) to effectively double the impact of each additional dollar raised to help bring the program’s return to the next level.

“Through the support of the alumni and the University, we now can support the sport the way we felt that we should have been able to have before,” said Dudley, referencing how donations will provide better equipment and facilities. “We can certainly make sure that whoever comes to Slippery Rock is going to have the best equipment and the best support.”

“SRU is excited to revive its storied wrestling tradition, and counts on the support of alumni, fans, and friends to get us to the mat,” said Roberta Page, SRU director of athletics. “The campaign will help fund essential needs such as equipment, coaching, travel and scholarships, ensuring SRU wrestlers can compete among the nation’s best once again.”

“Every gift directly strengthens the program’s long-term success by creating a program that attracts and develops top-tier student-athletes,” said John Stroup ’80, a former Rock wrestler. “Your support today does not determine if Slippery Rock wrestling returns — it determines how strong it returns.”