Joe Begala, Kent State (Wrestling)
Joe Begala was born March 4, 1906 in Struthers, Ohio and came to Kent State in 1929. He served 42 years at Kent State before retiring from coaching in 1971. He was known as the “Ironman” for having coached six different sports including football, tennis, golf, cross country, and track, and he also served as the head trainer from 1929 to 1952.
Begala produced the best collegiate wrestling coaching mark in history as his teams won 307, lost 69, tied 5 matches and had seven undefeated seasons. Begala developed more that 200 champions at all levels. He was named to Hall of Fame of Ohio High School Wrestling Coaches, Helms Foundation and Ohio University.
Begala graduated from Ohio University (B.A., 1929) and also earned a second degree from Kent State (B.S. Ed., 1933), along with a Master's degree from Ohio State (1935). He was an outstanding high school and collegiate wrestler. He won the Buckeye state heavyweight title in 1927, 175-pound championship in 1928 and 165-pound title in 1929. Begala served four years in U.S. Navy and wrote a book on hand-to-hand combat.
