Class of 2019

Sam Elia was born, attended the local public schools, later taught and coached at those same schools, and eventually died in Norwich, NY. So, it is only fitting that he should be the first Norwich High School coach or athlete to be inducted into the Section III Wrestling Hall of Fame.

After graduating from NHS in 1932, Sam matriculated at La Crosse State College in Wisconsin, took graduate courses at the University of Minnesota, married in 1940 and eventually came back to Norwich before World War II took him away again. He returned to his roots in 1946 and began a 32-year love affair there as teacher, coach and Athletic Director. Sadly, he died on Aug. 29, 1997 at the age of 84.

Sam, who took over the Norwich wrestling program in 1946, was the coach of the Purple Tornado for 19 years the first six in Section IV and subsequent 13 in Section III, where he compiled a record of 87-36-4 (.707) between 1952 and 1965. Those latter 13 are why we are here today.

In search of a league with a solid base in all sports, Norwich was one of the original six members of the Iroquois League at the start of the 1952-53 school year. The Purple matmen, obviously, found the new alliance to their liking as they captured the first seven Iroquois team championships. During that seven-year run, Norwich compiled a 61-9-3 record (.871), going undefeated at 10-0 on three occasions in 1952-53, 1954-55 and 1955-56. And, it was in the midst of those unblemished campaigns, that the Tornado ran off an impressive 29-match win streak that was finally halted by Ilion in 1957.

That initial 1952-53 campaign was especially successful as Norwich not only went undefeated but outscored its 10 opponents 398-26. During the course of 100 individual matches that year, NHS lost only four and drew in four others. Following the regular season, the Tornado crowned seven Iroquois League champs, had two others win Section III titles and gained one intersectional champion.

In addition to those seven consecutive league titles, the Elia-led Purple matmen also raised the flag on two Section III championships (1956 and 1959) and finished runners-up four other times in 1953, 1954, 1957 and 1958. Sams overall record at Norwich was 124-54-5 (.697), and includes a Section IV team title in 1947.

During Sams 13-year Section 3 coaching run, he produced 14 sectional champions four of whom were victorious in intersectional competition and 12 runners-up; and 42 Iroquois League winners and 26 second place finishers.

After retiring as NHS wrestling coach at the conclusion of the 1964-65 season, Sam continued on as golf coach until 1976, a position he held for 31 years, and Athletic Director, which he oversaw from 1959-77 (18 years).

Sam received two other posthumous honors in 2015 when he was inducted into the Norwich High School Sports Hall of Fame in May and the Upstate New York Chapter of the National Wrestling Hall of Fame in September.