A 1994 graduate of Springfield College and founder of Journeymen Wrestling, Frank Popolizio joins the PrideCast from Albany, NY! Coach  Popolizio sits down to discuss the wrestling empire he's built, his coaching philosophy, the growth of his wrestling club, and the impact that fellow alumnus and Olympic Gold Medalist, Jeff Blatnick has had on his career.   

Coach Popolizio was inducted into the Upstate New York Chapter of the  National Wrestling Hall of Fame and receive the Lifetime Service Award in 2018. He was also a member of the coaching staff for the 2018 USA Cadet World Team. In this episode, Popolizio unpacks the impact that his events have had on the current landscape and the challenges and rewards associated with running large scale international competitions, and the influence of his younger brother, Pat Popolizio, the Head Wrestling Coach at North Carolina State University, has had on his career.

Frank graduated from Hudson Valley Community College in 1992, and during those two years, Frank successfully reinstated HVCC's NJCAA wrestling  program, as well as being a volunteer coach at Niskayuna HS. He would  later attend Springfield College and graduate summa cum alude in 1994. While at Springfield, he acted as volunteer coach at Cathedral High School in Springfield, and in 1995, Popolizio returned back to Niskayuna and coached with Joe Bena from 1995 to 2003. Fellow Springfield alumnus, Rob Weeks, successfully recruited Frank in 2004 to join him and Shenendehowa High School, and he has been at Shen since. While at Shenendehowa, the team has enjoyed great success, winning multiple Section II titles and garnering multiple New York State Team Championships along with multiple individuals winning NYS titles during his tenure.

In the 2008-09 wrestling season, Frank was selected by the National Wrestling Coaches Association as the NY State Assistant Coach of the  Year. In 1999 Frank launched the "Journeymen Wrestling" in Albany area whose main mission statement was to promote, teach, advocate and  showcase wrestling throughout the northeast. The main concentration of the early Journeymen Wrestling was to bring first class wrestling  clinics and tournaments to the Northeast. Popolizio has brought great coaches as Dan Gable, John Smith, Jay Robinson, Cael Sanderson, the  Brands brothers, Tom and Terry and other great wrestlers to the Albany area, including world champion Jordan Burroughs.

Some of Popolizio's major events include Pop & Flo Mini-Man Nationals, Pop & Flo National Duals held each year in May at Lake Placid and Pop & Flo Wrestling Duals. He also established the Journeymen World Classic--which has brought traditionally powerful wrestling countries Russia, Kazakhstan, Korea and Mongolia to the USA. In addition, he has coached Nick Gwiazdowski, 2018 Senior World team member, and Jesse Porter, 2018 U23 World Greco team member.   

Follow Coach Popolizio and Journeymen Wrestling on Facebook, Instagram and Twitter at @Journeymenwrestling or at journeymenwrestling.com  

Read more about Coach Popolizio here: https://nwhof.org/hall_of_fame/bio/4498

This episode was recorded on May 24, 2022.  

**The thoughts and views expressed by the guest on their own social media platforms or in this podcast episode do not reflect those of the host or the Springfield College Wrestling program**  

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