Six Long Islanders inducted into National Wrestling Hall of Fame

Joe Condon will go down in Long Island wrestling lore as one of the great ones. He’s a genuine coach who puts his all into everything he does. And that’s what has made him such a successful varsity wrestling coach at Shoreham-Wading River.

For the past 24 years, including 18 as the head coach, Condon has guided and taught the wrestlers at Shoreham-Wading River how to win on and off the mat.

For his accomplishments, he was one of six men inducted into the National Wrestling Hall of Fame through the Friends of Long Island Wrestling's New York State Downstate Chapter for their lifetime contributions to the sport of wrestling. He was honored with Kevin Brodsky, Glen Lanham, Leo Palacio, Rob Shaver and Dave Warren on Saturday at a brunch held at the Melville Marriott.

“It’s a tremendous honor to be recognized with such a special group of people,” Condon said. “I’m blessed that I have been able to come home and coach in the district where I fell in love with the sport of wrestling. I learned and followed in the footsteps of people like Don Jantzen, Paul Jendrewski, Tony Perna, Paul Cathey and Rocky Davey.”

Condon, who is still an active head coach, has led the Wildcats to 317 dual meet wins, three Suffolk league titles and three county championships. He’s coached 23 Suffolk champions, including six state titlists. His latest state champion, sophomore Gavin Mangano, won the 138-pound crown in Division II despite suffering a broken ankle in the first period of the final.

“The heart of a champion to overcome that kind of adversity,” Condon said. “Never seen anything like it. Wrestling is such a tough sport. It teaches you how to overcome adversity of all kinds and achieve big things.”

Condon’s first taste of coaching came as an assistant to Brentwood’s Bob Panariello.

“For five years he showed me the blueprint to become a successful coach,” Condon said. “And it wasn’t just about the wins, but more about life’s journey. I watched Bob mentor so many kids and guide them through the high school experience and send them on the right path in life.”

Condon has seen generations of wrestlers come through his program and is proud he was part of their journey.

“I always wanted to help kids,” he said. “There’s nothing more gratifying than seeing a young wrestler grow into a man and then into a family man — it’s incredible. A real dream-come-true at Shoreham-Wading River.”

Shaver first taught physics and biology then got into physical education, health and sports medicine at Plainedge High School. He recently retired from the classroom and as the wrestling coach. He also was thankful for the recognition.

“It’s a tremendous honor to be in the same category with guys I idolized like my high school coach Ted Peterson and coach Russ Cellan,” Shaver said. “Those guys steered me to coaching and teaching. It’s a great feeling.”

Shaver produced 125 place winners in the Nassau tournament, including 22 champions in his 32 seasons as head coach (29 at Plainedge and three at Island Trees). He also had 20 state place winners, including four state champions and guided the Red Devils to the state dual meet championship in 2024. His career record was 542-96-3.

“I wouldn’t be where I am without great assistants by my side,” Shaver said. “My last assistant Matt Rich helped me get here.”

When it comes to assistants there is none finer than Leo Palacio at Long Beach. The corner man at the state tournament has helped fuel the Marines wrestling juggernaut. His latest contribution came in the Division I 116-pound state final two months ago.

He tipped Long Beach junior Dunia Sibomana-Rodriguez to a move that helped him win his second state championship in overtime.

“Leo is a special kind of coach that sees things on the mat that others don’t,” Long Beach coach Ray Adams said. “Our program is so lucky to have him. He’s a student of the sport, studying film and watching opponents to find weakness.”

Palacio, who immigrated to the USA from Colombia in 1977, wrestled for Long Beach from 1979-1982. He was a four-time All-County wrestler for the Marines and won the 126-pound Nassau title in 1981.

Palacio, who works as an administrative assistant in physical education at Long Beach, has been an assistant wrestling coach at the school for 36 years.

“He’s an unbelievable human being, a great coach and mentor to our student athletes,” Adams said. “I learn from him every day. He’s always one step ahead of our opponents with our kids, just an amazing tactician.”

Lanham, of Lindenhurst, is currently the head coach at Duke University where he's had two Top 25 team finishes, the best in program history. He has coached five ACC Champions, three All-Americans and 28 Academic All-Americans, the most in program history. He previously was the head coach at the University of North Carolina and Purdue University.

Lanham won a high school state title for Lindenhurst in 1982 and went on to wrestle for Tennessee and Oklahoma State. The two-time All-American went into coaching as an assistant at Oklahoma State before taking the helm at Midwest High School in Oklahoma where he coached 14 state champions.

Brodsky, the Jericho coach, just finished his 27th season as head coach of the Jayhawks. He’s won 317 dual meets and guided 23 All-County wrestlers and one champion in Jaison White.

Warren, a referee, was recognized for his 47 years of service to the sport. The Sayville graduate was a Nassau official for 10 years before moving up into the Rockland/Westchester area to officiate for another 37 years. He is highly regarded as one of the top officials in the state.

“He was a solid official here in Nassau County for a long time," Adams said, "and then he moved up to the Westchester area to officiate."

With Andy Slawson

By Gregg Sarra

gregg.sarra@newsday.com@Gregg_Sarra

Gregg Sarra is Newsday's high school sports editor and has been on the beat since the mid-1980s.