Photos by Joe D'Aquila of phototens.com
On Friday, October 15th, 2012, the Friends of Massapequa Wrestling unveiled their new Wrestling Room and dedicated it to longtime Teacher and Coach Al Bevilacqua. Al was a teacher in the Massapequa Public Schools from 1961-1994 and the Head HS Wrestling Coach from 1963-1977. In 1977 Al took his coaching talents to Hofstra University and his assistant Gary Mims took over at Massapequa. Over the years, Al continued to help out at Massapequa while also serving in many different roles within wrestling at the National and International levels.
In 2004, Al was part of a team who founded Beat the Streets Wrestling in New York City. Once it was on solid ground in the Big Apple, Al began helping to take the model nationwide. BTS now has programs in Chicago, Columbus, New Haven, Norfolk, San Francisco, Philadelphia, Dallas, St. Louis, Detroit, Toledo, Milwaukee, and Los Angeles.
In Al’s many years of service he has been able to positively affect the lives of many people, and as a result, the event was very well attended. Beat the Streets staff members Justin Hoch, Bill Crum, and Jim Fallis were in the audience and shared some thoughts.
“It was a great evening, filled with lots of anecdotes about 'Bevi' from over the years. There were a couple hundred people there and at least a dozen got up to speak to the impact Al had on them growing up. It was a great outpouring of support and love.” – Justin Hoch
"Al has been involved since the inception of Beat the Streets. In the midst of a campaign to begin the first Middle School wrestling program in New York City, he gave the initial pitch to the PTA of Baruch Middle School to sell them on beginning what was to be the first BTS program in 2004 -- back then, it was under the auspices of the Metropolitan Wrestling Association. In conjunction with the efforts of several other key MWA board members and friends, everything blossomed from there. Al brought a tireless effort and marketing prowess, calling the sport "magic for kids." Together, they helped convince dozens of schools and benefactors that wrestling was the greatest teacher for our developing youth, laying the groundwork for our mission to develop the full human and athletic potential of our youth and strengthen the culture of wrestling in New York City." – Jim Fallis
In an interview following the event, he said he wanted to thank the Beat the Streets Staff and Coaches for coming to the ceremony. He added, "(Massapequa) was an example of a community that comes together and has built a terrific organization to support wrestling on all levels. We have Youth Parents, Middle School Parents, and High School Parents with separate organizations all doing their individual fundraising and support for their kids. The umbrella organization is the Friends of Massapequa Wrestling Inc. that helps to support their initiatives and programs by reaching out to the Alumni of Massapequa Wrestling.
"The system has worked very well with over 250 kids every year who are involved in wrestling in an after-school program well aware of the tradition of excellence. The Alumni Newsletters and the banners in the main gymnasium is truly a remarkable community program designed for the pursuit of excellence in education and life.
"The Al Bevilacqua Wrestling Room is the best classroom in the school.”
This honor is one of a long list of awards Al has received during his many years of service to our sport. In 2005, Al was honored as USA Wrestling’s Man of the Year, and earlier this year, Al was inducted into the National Wrestling Hall of Fame in Stillwater, OK, alongside his son Chris Bevilacqua.
Al’s extensive wrestling resume has been provided by the Friends of Massapequa Wrestling:
- Massapequa High School Educator 1961 - 1994
- Massapequa High School Head Coach 1963 – 1977
- USA Wrestling Eastern Development Director 1972 - 1979
- USA Wrestling Board of Directors 1972 - 1986
- USA Wrestling New York State Chairperson 1973 – 1979
- Hofstra University Coach 1977 – 1979
- US Wrestling Federation Vice President 1978 - 1980
- US Wrestling Federation Assistant Director 1979 – 1981
- US Wrestling Federation Special Service Award 1981
- USA Wrestling National Coach 1983 – 1991
- FILA World Cup 1983
- FILA Junior World Championships Head Coach 1983
- USA Wrestling Coach of the Year 1983
- FILA Espoir World Cup Head Coach 1984
- FILA Coaches Commission 1985 – 1991
- Tbilisi Games Team Leader 1985
- Tbilisi Championships Head Coach 1986, 1987, 1988
- New York State Wrestling Hall of Fame 1987
- USOC Finalist Freestyle Head Coach Olympic Games 1988
- Metropolitan Wrestling Association Man of the Year 1990
- Cerro-Pelado Championships Head Coach 1991
- New York University Sports Hall of Fame 1992
- Massapequa High School Hall of Fame 1996
- National Wrestling Hall of Fame Lifetime Achievement Award 1996
- National High School Wrestling Coaches Association Assistant Director 1996 - 1999
- FILA President Pin World Championships Madison Square Garden 2003
- Co-Founder Beat the Streets Wrestling Program 2004
- USA Wrestling Man of the Year 2005
- WIN Magazine Impact Award Winner 2005
- Wrestling USA Magazine Man of the Year 2006
- Friends of Massapequa Wrestling, Director 2004 - 2010
- Friends of Massapequa Wrestling, Honorary Director 2010
- National Wrestling Hall of Fame Order of Merit 2012
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