Class of 2022

When Greg's young friends would get together to play, all Greg wanted to do was wrestle in the backyard. Fast forward to middle school. When Greg would play basketball in P.E. class, he often would get the rebounds under the boards. The teacher would remind him, "This isn't wrestling." Sadly, there wasn't wrestling in Lincoln Jr High School in 1964. Greg lacked the confidence to join wrestling until his senior year when his friends convinced him to join the team. They needed to fill the 155 pound weight class. Greg finished with an 11-9 record that season and a love for the sport of wrestling that only continued to grow. If only he had been encouraged to participate sooner.

Greg Savas graduated from Henninger High School in Syracuse where he lettered in football, swimming, wrestling, and track. He graduated from SUNY at Cortland as a Biology major with a minor in Chemistry and Secondary Science Education in 1974. His first day in the dorm, while unpacking, his roommate Scott arrived from Auburn. Greg commented, "Hey. We wrestled each other." Scott confirmed this by reminding Greg that he defeated Greg on the mat. A lifetime friendship began in that high school wrestling match.

In 1974, Greg landed a biology teaching position at Little Falls Jr Sr High School. In 1975, Charlie Young, a 1989 wrestling Hall of Famer, and varsity coach at the time, asked Greg if he would start a modified wrestling program. Greg coached modified for two years. During that time he built the program to twenty plus eager wrestlers. To encourage the wrestlers throughout the years, Coach Savas kept seasonal wrestling stats of the fastest pin, pins, points, escapes, takedowns, reversals, near falls, and awarded the winner of each category. Charlie stepped down and asked Greg to coach the varsity team. Charlie advised Greg to find a few boys who were interested and focus on their success. He reminded Greg that the turnout for wrestling was historically a problem in Little Falls. Remembering his own lack of confidence in high school, Greg determined he would fill all the weight classes by recruiting athletes including those that were hesitant. Two years later Little Falls fielded a team of thirty plus competitive wrestlers, three deep in some weight classes requiring weekly wrestle offs.

Contributing to Greg's success were other coaches like Hank Palczynski, the Herkimer wrestling coach and 2000 Hall of Famer, who would encourage the Little Falls wrestlers. At a home meet, Charlie Young, congratulated Greg for fielding a complete team. In 1982 Greg, with momentum in the wrestling program on his side, had to step down to help with his growing family. In 1989, to keep the program alive, Greg returned to coaching until 2009. His love of the sport never waned. Greg started the Little Falls Wrestling Tournament that ran from 1977 to 2009. Greg never had the winning success that many coaches have experienced during his coaching career. He would like to think that his wrestlers walked away with the love he has of the sport and that wrestling will impact them for ever in their daily lives.

Greg continually checked report cards and academic standings to be sure his athletes were working to their ability and was proud when his team would earn the Scholar Athlete Award. Greg had individual league champs and a few sectional place winners. Tony Scaparo, Coach Savas's former wrestler, became his assistant coach his last five years and like Greg, encouraged kids to participate in extracurricular activities. Coincidentally, Tony Scaparo encouraged three seniors to wrestle Greg's last year of coaching and the Mounties won the Bronze League Championship. That year, those boys, like Greg, who never wrestled before, developed a love of the sport and wished they had wrestled from a much earlier age.

Greg's love and appreciation for wrestling and athletics carried into his personal life. His two sons participated in wrestling programs. His two daughters participated in athletics in high school and collegian levels. Without the understanding and support of his wife JoAnn, neither Greg nor his children would have been as actively involved as they were.