MELVILLE, L.I. -- Dave Ironman is humble, and he expects others to follow suit.
There were plenty of stories being swapped about the longtime Monsignor Farrell coach and tournament director Friday night at the Melville Marriott Hotel, where Ironman was one of eight deserving honorees to be inducted into the National Wrestling Hall of Fame by the organization's Downstate New York chapter.
Many dealt with all of the behind-the-scenes work he's done over the last 32 years -- from taking time out to encourage a novice to stick with it, to running scholastic and collegiate events, to leading the charge for recognition of New York City high school wrestling.
"He's a true coach," said Monsignor Edmund Whalen, the principal of the Oakwood school. "He recognizes the potential in each student and challenges them to reach that potential. He has a remarkable ability to see what that kid can do. And for him, it's not about the stats; it's about the young man."
"He's the type of person who does all the work and doesn't want any of the credit," said Steve Paradiso, an Advance All Star in 1986 and one of the numerous former and current Farrell grapplers to turn out for the coach.
For Ironman, however, modesty should be a shared trait.
TOUGH LOVE
"I remember one time I did something stupid, and Dave made it a point of wrestling me on the sunniest spot on the mat the next morning for everyone to see," chuckled Paradiso, now an associate court clerk at Stapleton Criminal Court. "He gave me an old-fashioned wrestling beating.
There was another time when Paradiso was named Most Valuable Wrestler at the Horace Mann tournament.
"Dave wasn't there, so I wanted to let him know what I did the next day in practice," recalled Paradiso. "I guess he didn't want me to get a big head because the first thing he said to me was, 'How many pounds are you over weight today?'"
"He's a great coach and everything, but he doesn't give a lot of compliments," laughed Farrell senior and two-time All Star Karl Wiesner. "I've been wrestling since I was in kindergarten, and I've only gotten one from him."
That laurel from Ironman came when Wiesner was in seventh grade competing for Farrell's youth program.
"It was 'The War at the Shore' and I lost my match by one point to the defending state champion. So I walked over to Dave, looking to see if he would give me some praise, and all he said was, 'That was kind of good, I guess.'"
DEFLECTING PRAISE
So it was no surprise that when it was Ironman's time to step to the stage and pick up his award, he gave the shortest speech, and he spent most of that time not tooting his own horn but speaking of the merits of others -- including two tales about master of ceremonies Tom Ryan, the former Hofstra head coach who just led Ohio State University to the national championship.
"I'm feeling very humbled and very proud to receive the honor," said Ironman, a former grappler for North Babylon HS and Florida International University, whose association with the Lions began in 1983. "I'm happy for Monsignor Farrell High School, Staten Island and New York City wrestling because this honor really goes to those three entities rather than me. I'm merely the conduit."
Maybe the greatest testament to Ironman is how many of his pupils have followed in his footsteps. The branches of his coaching tree includes most of the Farrell staff, led by the triumvirate of Phil Squatrito, Rob Pavis and Kevin Hartnett. There's also former Lions mentor John Gallucci, Lou DeStefano (Poly Prep), Rosario Miano (CSI/McCown) and Rich Delgado (coaching in Pennsylvania).
"Dave would come in on Saturdays and run the practice," reflected Squatrito, another former All Star. "And when he ran it, you knew it was going to be a long, hard practice."
For Ironman, not doing so would've been cheating both the kids and the sport, and there are few things in this world that he treats with more reverence.
As Monsignor Emmet Nevin, the former coach and moderator of the program stated: "Dave didn't graduate from Farrell, but more than most he lives up to the motto of the school, 'Vir Fidelis' ... 'the faithful man.'"
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