10/23/2015 By Gary M. Baranec On Friday, longtime Altoona wrestling coach Marty Rusnak snuck up behind Brad Benson as Benson was signing autographs near the entrance to Mansion Park. Rusnak coached Benson at Altoona High School, where Benson became the school's first state wrestling champion. Benson is best known as a former NFL player.
Written by John Hartsock
jhartsock@altoonamirror.com
During his 36 years as the head wrestling coach at Altoona Regional High School, Marty Rusnak's contributions to the sport at the local, state and even national levels were monumental.
But perhaps more importantly, Rusnak's contribution to the growth and personal development of the corps of wrestlers he coached was even deeper.
Rusnak was injured in a fall at his home several weeks ago and died Saturday at UPMC Altoona. He was 81 years old.
Rusnak's former wrestlers and fellow coaches, who have been inducted into the National High School Wrestling Hall of Fame, the Pennsylvania Wrestling Coaches Hall of Fame and the District 6 Wrestling Hall of Fame, remembered Rusnak with deep love and respect when they heard from the Mirror. .
“I have a lot of memories with Marty,” said Doug Rosenberry, a 1987 Altoona Area High School standout who was a PIAA Class 3A state medalist and, after graduating from Harvard, became an English teacher at Altoona College. . “He always did everything he could to advance the sport of wrestling and was like a father figure to the wrestlers he coached.
“He influenced my decision to get into teaching and coaching,” Rosenberry added. He served as an assistant coach under Rusnak and currently serves as a public address announcer and sings the national anthem at wrestling events in Altoona.
Rusnak, who won a total of 317 two-game games at Altoona during his coaching period from the mid-1960s to 2001, coached 44 District 6 championships, 16 regional championships and two PIAA state champions.
One of the state champions was heavyweight Brad Benson (1973), a football star who played at Penn State and then became a Pro Bowl tackle during a long career with the New York Giants.
Benson, the eldest of four children who fought for Altoona, posted a heartfelt tribute on Facebook over the weekend.
“Marty was, and still is, one of the few people responsible for my sports career,” Benson wrote. “He and I have been close friends since we graduated from high school in 1973. I truly loved this man. I will miss him very much. He was my best friend and It was also a role model. See you on the other side.”
Another PIAA state champion was Steve Morley, who won the 112-pound title in 1974, Altoona's last.
Rusnak also coached wrestling at Altoona. He coached all three of his sons, PIAA state tournament participants Marty “Racer” Rusnak and JJ Rusnak, and his youngest son Mark, as well as future Blair County Sports Hall of Famers Johnny Orr and Jason Katz. . They were PIAA medalists and NCAA standouts.
Rusnak was a great coach and devoted a great deal of energy to the sport of wrestling, but his greatest influence was the personal influence he had on the wrestlers under his tutelage and his fellow coaches. .
“Racer Rusnak and I graduated from Altoona (1988) in the same year. When I heard about Marty's passing, I sent Racer a text message and said, “I want to share my father with so many wrestlers and so many people.'' I was grateful for that,” Rosenberry said. To keep his calm. “Thanks to spending years with Marty as an assistant coach, I already had a high opinion of him, but it allowed me to see him in an even different light and appreciate how much he It made me realize how much I care.”
Rosenberry said Rusnak and his late wife Mary Ann, who passed away in 2013, always had a place in their hearts and families for wrestlers who are underprivileged or going through particularly difficult times. He said he left room inside.
For Rusnak, giving his all for the people in his life, both on and off the wrestling mat, has been something he has always done.
“He was involved in our lives outside of wrestling,” Rosenberry said. “In high school, I was in a school musical, and Marty and Mary Ann also attended, even though Marty said he had never been to a musical event before.
“That was a big step for him. He cared about the wrestlers more than what they did on the mat, and even admitted to me after the musical was over that he enjoyed the musical,” Rosenberry laughed. he added.
As a coach, Rusnak, a Phillipsburg-Osceola High School and Slippery Rock University graduate who taught physical education in Altoona, was a fierce competitor who brought the same type of genuine emotion to all of his personal interactions.
“I've never heard anyone say anything bad about Marty Rusnak. He was an outstanding human being,” said Altoona, who has been the head wrestling coach since 2008 after previously serving as Rusnak's assistant coach for two years. said Joel Gilbert. “All of his wrestlers loved him. He would do anything to help you, and he was a straight shooter who often wore his heart on his sleeve.
“I know he was heartbroken when he lost his wife, but now he's there enjoying the reunion,” Gilbert added. “But this is a great loss to our entire wrestling program and, in fact, to our entire community.”
Other former wrestlers under Rusnak also spoke highly of their former coach.
“Marty was a good guy and a really good coach who took me to the state championship,” said Morley, who still lives in Altoona. “He knew the art of the sport of wrestling, and he was a good guy who remained my friend after high school.”
Former longtime Phillipsburg-Osceola coach Dave Caslow, another member of the Pennsylvania Wrestling Coaches Association Hall of Fame, remembered Rusnak's dedication and passion for the sport of wrestling.
“Marty loved the sport and coached it for a long time,” Caslow said. “He put himself into it and definitely left a mark not only on the sport of wrestling, but also on the lives of the wrestlers he coached. He wasn't in the sport just to win wrestling matches. He was also there to improve people's lives, and I respect that a lot.”
Kutz, who now lives in Colorado Springs, was a two-time PIAA state medalist at Altoona in the early 1990s and an Eastern Wrestling League champion at Lehigh University. Kutz went on to place second, third, and fifth in the freestyle competition at the U.S. World Team Trials, sixth in freestyle at the Olympic Team Trials, and won a gold medal at the World Military Freestyle Championships.
Kutz also pointed to Rusnak as a huge influence both personally and athletically.
“I think he definitely built personal relationships and truly cared about every athlete he coached,” Kutz said. “He was passionate about the sport and I remember putting out a mat in his front garden so I could train.
“And he and his wife would take the wrestlers over to their house and feed us before they left for the state tournament,” Kutz added. He was also participating in offseason freestyle competitions as a high school wrestler when Rusnak ended up with Penn State great Troy Sunderland holding a clinic for wrestlers in Altoona. “(Rusnak's death) is unfortunate for all of us, but I know that the death of his wife was a huge shock to him. And it's a blessing for him to be back with her now. .”
Friends will be received at Santella Funeral Home on Thursday, May 2nd, and funeral services are scheduled for Friday, May 3rd at Our Lady of Mount Carmel. A complete obituary will be posted next week.
