Clarkstown’s Laurenzi Earns Enshrinement in National Wrestling Hall of Fame

By Jamie Kempton

Just as Odysseus’ life was divided into three parts in Homer’s epic poem The Odyssey, you could say John Laurenzi’s odyssey through the world of wrestling has also been split into three major stages: as an athlete, as a high school coach, and as a mentor to grapplers of all ages through his wrestling academy and his affiliation with the New York Athletic Club. For his 40 years of dedication to the sport, John is to be inducted into the downstate New York chapter of the National Wrestling Hall of Fame & Museum.

John will be honored with a lifetime service award and will join seven other individuals at a ceremony on Sunday, Sept. 20 at the Melville Marriott in Melville, Long Island. A plaque bearing the names of the eight enshrinees will be installed in a display at the National Hall of Fame, based in Stillwater, Oklahoma.

“I never expected something like this to happen,” says John, a 64-year-old Congers resident. “To earn a lifetime service award and go into the downstate New York chapter of the National Hall of Fame with the people who have gone before me is humbling. I’m flattered by the recognition I’ve received by the committee, to put me in with all the great individuals who have gone before me.”

Star Wrestler at Clarkstown North

John was a three-time All-Rockland County wrestler at Clarkstown North (class of 1980) who was voted Most Outstanding Wrestler en route to victory at the 1979 Rockland County championship and who amassed an outstanding career record of 69 wins, 17 losses and 1 tie. John went on to wrestle for two seasons at SUNY Cortland, where he placed in several tournaments and recorded wins over All-America wrestlers.

Guiding Clarkstown South to Team and Individual Success

It was in the coaching ranks, however, that John made his largest impact in the sport. After a volunteer stint at Harrison High School in Westchester and a one-year head coaching post at Felix Festa Junior High, which he had attended, John embarked on a successful 12-year head coaching career at Clarkstown South. During that time, John coached 28 Rockland County individual champions, 9 Section 1 titleholders, three All-State wrestlers and one New York State champion – David Hirsch, a two-time All-America and 1994 NCAA Div. I champion for Cornell. Others stars under his tutelage included Andrei Rodzianko, an All-State high school and All-America college wrestler at Penn, and Eric Gould, a two-time All-America at Springfield. The only Rockland and Section team titles for Clarkstown South since 1970 were achieved by Laurenzi-led squads in 1994 (Rockland) and 1995 (Section 1). His teams also finished second place three times in the County tournament and third five times. Upon retirement as head coach of the Vikings, John continued to volunteer for another 11 years in support of the program.

Pied Piper of Youth and Mat Clubs

During his tenure at Clarkstown South, John founded the Clarkstown Kids wrestling program for his school district, a program that produced numerous champions for both Clarkstown North and South. He welcomed wrestlers of all ages from outside his district to benefit from his coaching acumen, both in the Kids program and the Clarkstown South mat club. John hosted an international competition between a traveling team from Russia and an all-star unit from his club in the 1990s in an effort to introduce local wrestlers to Freestyle wrestling. He has also brought his athletes to tournaments in countries such as Italy and Bulgaria to broaden their cultural perspective and develop “global students.”

Founder of Rockland International Wrestling Academy

After securing facilities permits for his mat and youth clubs for 28 years in the Clarkstown district, John left the school environment and launched a private club outside the district. The Rockland International Wrestling Academy (RIWA) teaches all three styles of wrestling to boys and girls in youth, scholastic and open division age groups. RIWA has produced New York State champions and All-State wrestlers. John also joined BOCES to become an official for the newly sanctioned girls’ freestyle wrestling in an attempt to continue to grow the sport of women’s wrestling. “It’s the fastest-growing sport in America,” John says proudly. “Success on the grassroots level has filtered up domestically and has led to international success for the national team. “I’ve dedicated myself to continuing that growth.” John traveled to Paris for the 2024 Olympics with one of his female wrestlers who he has been training for the past three years, Odunayo Adekuoroye, a 2023 World Championships bronze medalist representing Nigeria.

Parlaying Success at NYAC

During the early 1990s John was introduced to the prestigious New York Athletic Club by one of his high school wrestlers. While wrestling at the NYAC with its members and guests from foreign delegations, John honed his coaching skills and developed as an athlete as well. Representing the NYAC, John won silver medals at the U.S. Open Masters division tournaments in 2012 (Greco-Roman, 151.5 lbs.) and 2024 (Freestyle, 154 lbs.). He also captured the gold medal in the 2024 U.S. Open Masters division in Greco-Roman at 154 lbs. As a member of the NYAC John served as recording secretary for the Wrestling Intra-Club, was appointed co-president of the Wrestling Club, and currently serves as president of that club. It is in this role that he has become known in the sport both in the U.S. and beyond. John plays an integral role every year facilitating the NYAC Bill Farrell International Tournament, and is the Freestyle and Greco-Roman coach for the club. His deep involvement in the sport also is reflected in his role as an official for USA Wrestling, in which he referees local, state and national competitions.

For his four decades of service, dedication and commitment to the sport of wrestling, we salute John on his enshrinement into the National Wrestling Hall of Fame. Well done, Coach Laurenzi!