Derek DelPorto, a member of SRU’s Class of 1999, compiled the third highest win total in Rock wrestling history with a 116-38 career record. He was a three-time regional champion (177 pounds in 1996, heavyweight in both 1998 and 1999), won the Pennsylvania State Athletic Conference heavyweight title in 1998 and capped off his collegiate competitive career with an eighth-place finish in the 1999 NCAA Division I national tournament.
A native of Erie and graduate of Cathedral Prep High School, DelPorto began his coaching career as graduate assistant coach at The Rock in the 1999-2000 season. He then served two seasons as an assistant coach on the Oklahoma University staff headed by 1992 SRU Athletic Hall of Fame inductee Jack Spates.
DelPorto was an assistant coach at Cornell University for two seasons before returning to The Rock as head wrestling coach in 2004. He compiled a 24-25 record in two seasons as The Rock’s head coach before the University decided to discontinue sponsorship of the wrestling program in February 2006.
The DelPorto-coached Rock made the most of their final season of competition as they sent a tournament-record 10 wrestlers into regional-final matches, won a school-record four regional individual championships and claimed the team title in the 2006 NCAA Division I East Regional tournament hosted by SRU.
The Rock also recorded 14 wins in its final season of competition, which ranked as the highest victory total for a Green and White squad since the 1972-73 team coached by SRU Athletic Hall of Famer Fred Powell had a 16-1 final record.
For his efforts, DelPorto was named as the 2006 regional “Coach of the Year.” He also had the honor of coaching a school-record five wrestlers in the 2006 NCAA Division I national tournament.
One season earlier, DelPorto led The Rock to a regional runner-up finish and had three individuals earn berths in the national tournament.
DelPorto’s success at The Rock catapulted him into his current position as head coach at Eastern Michigan University, where he was compiled a 51-49-2 record in five seasons. He has coached two NCAA Division I national qualifiers in each of the last two seasons and has tutored seven national qualifiers during his stint as the Eagles’ head coach.
In 2006-07, DelPorto’s first season as EMU’s head coach, the Eagles recorded their first winning season since 1991. The following season, the Eagles set a school record with their 15-8-1 dual-match mark.
Hand-in-hand with the on-mat success of EMU wrestlers has come academic honors. DelPorto’s 2009-10 team was listed in the top 20 in the Academic Performance Rankings.
DelPorto, in addition to earning his bachelor’s degree from SRU, is the proud owner of a master’s degree from Eastern Michigan.
