Few people can say that they have built a dynasty. Seldom does a person win 12 Conference titles. Rarely does someone coach a national champion and very few people are named a national Coach of the Year.
Former Citadel wrestler Tom Borrelli can claim all of that, and then some.
Borrelli, head wrestling coach at Central Michigan University, has coached 36 All-Americans, the eighth-most most among active NCAA coaches. He's had 124 national qualifiers, one national champion, eight MAC Wrestler of the Year honorees and 78 MAC champions. He's also had seven top-15 national finishes in the last eight years.
In 1998, Borrelli was named the National Coach of the Year by The NWCA. In that same year, he was also honored alongside Minnesota's J Robinson with the Dan Gable Coach of the Year award by W.I.N.
Borrelli's success in wrestling is very obvious, but to him, his wrestlers' achievements in the classroom are equally as important as their performance on the mat. Under Borrelli, Central Michigan has had two recipients of NCAA Postgraduate Scholarships. In eleven seasons, his team has also finished in the top 10 nationally in team GPA.
Before all of his success at Central Michigan, Borrelli coached at Clemson University and Lake Superior State University, and was a student-athlete at The Citadel.
Borrelli graduated from The Citadel in 1979 with a bachelor of science degree in physical education. At The Citadel, he was a standout wrestler and finished his college career with a 58-27-2 record. Borrelli twice was named the Bulldogs' Most Outstanding Wrestler.
More important than his wrestling career at The Citadel are the lessons that he learned while attending school there. These lessons have stayed with him throughout the years and have helped make him so successful.
At The Citadel, you learn about leadership, sacrifice and discipline every single day. You do things you never imagined you would do. You are pushed to your limits. Ironically enough, those experiences are a lot like the sport of wrestling.
Wrestling is a lifestyle and no one knows this better than Tom Borrelli. The lessons that he learned at The Citadel have made it possible for him to be where he is today. He has built a dynasty, and not many people can say that.