With the new state-of-the-art Lorenzo Wrestling Complex, The Nittany Lions have moved to elite status when it comes to wrestling facilities
By Andy Elder – TWM Freelance Writer
UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. – In 1964, Penn State University had just completed an addition to the south side of Recreation Building, or Rec Hall as its more commonly known.
Part of that new construction was a gleaming new wrestling room that held two full mats.
Rich Lorenzo, a walk-on from New Jersey, remembers the first time he walked into the room.
“I came in here and we walked into the wrestling room. It was the biggest wrestling room I had ever seen. It was brand new,” he recalled. “In our high school, we were the No. 1 sport. We outdrew football, basketball and everything. They moved us out to a garage and we could only put down one mat for 65 kids. We were falling over each other. To come in and see that new room in 1964, the new lockers, it was like ‘wow, this is like the Taj Mahal.'”
Now, 42 years later, Rec Hall has undergone another facelift. A glass and steel facade, that allows a look into a new faculty and student fitness facility, greets drivers on South Atherton Street.
Walk down the hall a bit to the north of the two-level fitness facility and you’ll come to the newly expanded Penn State wrestling facilities. Above the entrance to the hallway it reads Lorenzo Wrestling Complex.
The entrance to the Lorenzo Wrestling Complex. The facility is named after Rich Lorenzo, who coached the Nittany Lions from 1979 through 1992.
The Complex is a a $4 million training center funded by an estimated 18 to 24 donors, with the bulk of the funds coming from an anonymous donor who requested the facility be named after the former Penn State head coach.
A lot can change in 42 years.
Even though Lorenzo couldn’t make the team that first year (freshmen weren’t eligible to compete anyway), he went on to become an All-American for Penn State. Lorenzo then coached the Nittany Lions from 1979 through 1992, guiding them to 11 Top 10 NCAA finishes, including three top three finishes. He coached five national champions and 53 All-Americans.
He did it all in that wrestling room that first opened in 1964.
“I don’t think that image ever left me, even though times changed and other people got bigger rooms. Our room was always a palace to me when I was wrestling and coaching.”
Lorenzo, who’s now the executive director of the Nittany Lion Wrestling Club, said “I figured, you don’t need anything else. It’s right here. Now that I see the new facility, it’s like ‘holy mackerel, how did we make it work?’ It’s just a neat experience to see it come around that way.”
To have a $4 million facility named after you is obviously an honor, something to revel in, and be proud of. If he had his druthers, Lorenzo would remove his name.
“To be perfectly honest with you, I don’t like my name there. I never felt it was Rich Lorenzo’s wrestling team at Penn State. It’s always been Penn State’s wrestling team,” he said.
“I feel the same way about football. It’s not Joe Paterno’s team, it’s Penn State’s team. It’s Penn State University. That’s what we’re all about. I would prefer that my name wouldn’t be there. ”
Lorenzo says that with such force, such conviction, you have no choice but to believe him. That’s why, he said, it pleases him to see the names of other Penn State greats adorn so many other facets of the facilities.
There’s the Charlie Speidel Walk of Honor, the Bill Koll Team Locker Room, the John Fritz Strength and Conditioning Room, the Hachiro Oishi Recruiting Lounge and the Ed Sulkowski Training Room.
“That was made possible by people who wanted to honor their contribution to Penn State wrestling. I’m very proud of that. I love seeing all of those names. I just don’t like seeing my name,” Lorenzo said. “It’s like your family. It’s a family kind of atmosphere. It’s been a family thing at Penn State every since I’ve been involved with it. Once you become involved with Penn State wrestling, it’s with you for life. As a coach, I never said it was a job – it was my life.”
Once you walk under the Lorenzo Wrestling Complex sign, you first notice this is no ordinary wrestling room..
To the right are glass trophy cases where, eventually, all of the hardware Penn State has won over the years will be displayed. To the left will be pictures of Nittany Lion greats from the past. Just down the hall, past the trophy cases, is a glass door with a card swipe feature, which eventually will include a number pad, to gain access to the actual 10,000-square-foot wrestling room.
Behind the trophy cases is a 30-40 feet wooden bench, that allows for storage of equipment. Along a side wall are a series of chin-up bars, a staple of the old Penn State wrestling room.
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