Class of 2007

Joe DeMeo was an outstanding football player and wrestler for Mont Pleasant under HOF coach Larry Mulvaney from 1958 to 1960. Joe went undefeated in dual meets in his three years for the Red Raiders. Joe won the first Section 2 Class A tournament of 1959 and the first Section 2 tournament of 1960 all by pins at 147 Lbs. He was voted the best wrestler in Section 2 in 1960 and received the Mastroianni award. Joe would go on over his career to become a father figure for Section 2 and the sport of wrestling.

DeMeo would go to college at Cornell University where he would be a varsity wrestler for three years. He had two undefeated dual meet seasons and lost just one dual meet in three years. He went undefeated against Ivy League opponents and won the National Freestyle Championships after college. Joe was also 4th in the Olympic trials of 1964.

Following college Joe DeMeo began a long, illustrious coaching career. He was assistant wrestling coach at Michigan State 1967-1969, head coach at Stanford University 1969-1977, head coach at Albany University 1978-1995, 4-time head coach and 16-time assistant coach of the U.S. Senior Greco-Roman World Team, 2-time head coach and 2-time assistant coach of the U.S. Greco-Roman Pan Am Team, 2-time head coach of the U.S. Greco-Roman Junior World Team, and 4-time assistant coach for U.S. Greco-Roman Olympic Team. He was named National Coach of the Year three times and named USA Wrestlings Developmental Coach of the Year for 2005. He founded the Adirondack Three-Style Wrestling Association (ATWA) wrestling club which produced 28 National Champions from the schoolboy, high school, college, and open division tournaments. At Stanford and Albany universities, Coach DeMeos teams won 289 dual meets. At Albany he produced 47 All-Americans and eight times finished in the top ten teams in the NCAA Division III National Tournament. He also produced 4 NCAA Division III champions, and 11 of his former wrestlers made an Olympic team with two Olympic champions, Dave Schultz and Jeff Blatnick.

Four of Coach DeMeos former wrestlers became World Team Coaches: Andy Seras, Shawn Sheldon, Dale Oliver, and Isaac Ramaswamy. Andy Seras and Shawn Sheldon also became Olympic Team coaches.

Coach DeMeo has received many honors. Hes a member of the Mt. Pleasant HS Athletic Hall of Fame, a member of the Schenectady HS Athletic Hall of Fame, a member of the Capital District Sports Hall of Fame. He is also a member of Section 2 Wrestling Hall of Fame, member of NY State Wrestling Hall of Fame, member of NCAA Division III Wrestling Hall of Fame, a member of Cornell University Wrestling Hall of Fame and a member of Cornell University Athletic Hall of Fame and a New York Chapter of the National Wrestling Hall of Fame. He was also awarded the Alan Rice Leadership Award from the Greco-Roman Hall of Champions.

DeMeo currently resides in Niskayuna and has two children, Michael and J. Seph. DeMeos influence in the sport is vast and he continues to remain active in coaching and Section 2 and still operates clubs and clinics in the area.