Class of 2018

Bob Coppola is a graduate of Watertown High School in 1968. He was a three sport athlete lettering in football, wrestling, and baseball. Coached by Hall of Fame coach Bob Ridall, he became a Northern Region Champion in 1967 at 133 pounds and was a part of the 1968 Watertown High School's 1st undefeated team. He is a graduate of Oswego State University. During his first year at SUNY Oswego he was named as captain of the freshmen wrestling team. He started teaching Industrial Arts at Central Square Central Schools in 1973 and retired thirty five years later in 2008. In 1978, he started coaching JV wrestling at Central Square and within a year was coaching the Varsity wrestling team. He is retiring from coaching wrestling after serving thirty nine years. Bob has two children, Stephanie, a hair stylist/designer; and Jamie, an educational administrator. He is married to his wife Joyce and stepfather to her son Adam.

During Bob's thirty nine years coaching wrestling he has amassed over six hundred wins which currently places him number one in Section 3 and number 3 in NYS. Bob coached one NYS Champion in 1985 and 4 NYS place finishers. He has 15 Section 3 Champions, 10 runner up Section 3 Champions, and 76 Section 3 place finishers. He has coached 5 League Championship Teams which was accompanied by 41 individual league champions. He has coached 2 Class AA Championship teams and 43 individual class champions. He has coached 26 individual wrestlers to well over 100 wins and 2 wrestlers to over 200 wins.

Bob is the recipient of the Section 3 Service Award and the Syracuse Chamber of Commerce award as well. He has also been named Coach of the Year by his wrestling peers 8 times! He was also a finalist in the National High School Athletic Coaches Association for Coach of the Year in 2009.

Coach Bob Coppola has coached hundreds of young men in wrestling and if you add in the other sports he has coached football, and baseball; the number would be upwards of a thousand or so young men. He has instilled work ethic, commitment, determination, drive, loyalty, sportsmanship, and character into his athletes. Bob has used these tools to coach athletes both on and off the field driving home life long lessons to be successful in the moment and also in life.

He has forged relationships with his athletes that have gone well beyond the sports world. He has helped many of his athletes graduate from high school. He has helped many of his athletes get into college, the military and or the working world. He has always been there to take phone calls, and emails from his former athletes and even the team managers over the years. He has provided a home, athletic equipment, clothing, footwear, money, bus fare back to college, meals and more for many. He has been a father figure, counselor, dietician, friend, and mentor in addition to the title of coach. His compassion for the sport and more importantly his athletes never stops. He truly cares about all that have had the honor to be coached by him.

One amongs many of Bob's greatest coaching memories was coaching his son Jamie. With Bob, his family ALWAYS came first. In his last year coaching for the Central Square Redmen/Redhawks, he added two more great memories: accomplishing his 600th win and coaching his grandson Dante. Coach Bob Cope Coppola has already been inducted into the Central Square Wall of Fame where he will leave his mark forever.