For more than half a century, there has been an esteemed gentleman who has left his undeniable fingerprint on the scope of Long Island wrestling time and time again…And that remarkable individual is the Warriors’ own current Head Coach, Mr. Paul Gillespie…
A standout as a competitor, earning the Most Outstanding Athlete Award at his scholastic alma mater, Baldwin High School, following runner-up honors at the 1969 County Championships, Gillespie took his skills to the next level in college, procuring NCAA Division I All-American status twice ((4th in 1974; 6th in 1971) during his decorated career at West Chester University (PA)…
However, the realm in which the Section 8 hero (both figuratively and literally given his career as a Chief Lifeguard in Long Beach) made his biggest impact on the World’s Oldest and Greatest sport (to quote Mike Chapman) has been on the sidelines, molding, mentoring, inspiring, and imparting wisdom/lessons that have produced not simply quality student-athletes, but also well-rounded, intelligent, persons of the highest character!
Joining the Black & Gold tribe in 2011 after an immensely successful stint at Long Beach (252 dual victories; 17 county titles; 2 NYS titles; top-10 national ranking in 1982) and a brief, but productive, stopover at Oceanside, so modest is our present-day leader/program architect that when asked about his career win total, he did not have the slightest guess because personal glory has always been held secondary to the growth and achievement of his “adopted sons”…
Unofficially (still waiting on data from Oceanside), between his first (LB) and last (Wantagh) stays, Gillespie has amassed a mind-blowing tally of 483-62-2….When his seasons at the helm of the Sailors are eventually factored in, it is believed that he will formally be recognized as a member of the yet another exclusive circle, the 500 WIN CLUB!
Accolades and milestones have become second nature to Coach Gillespie…In addition to being credited as claiming more County crowns than any of his peers and being a multiple-time recipient of the Nassau Coach of the Year award, he was selected as the 2013 National Coach of the Year!!!
Further evidence of his brilliance is that he has been inducted into no fewer than FOUR Halls of Fame—West Chester University Athletics, New York State Wrestling Coaches (2005), The National Wrestling HOF (2006), and most recently, the Nassau County High School Athletics HOF (2018)…
For the man who lives and teaches the mantra, ““Fail to prepare, or prepare to fail,” failure has NEVER been an option; so we rest assured in knowing that he is 100% busy preparing to write more chapters in his timeless legacy!