BLOOMSBURG, Pennsylvania – Bloomsburg Athletic Director Dr. Michael McFarland has announced John Stutzman as the next head coach of the Bloomsburg wrestling program.
“We are excited to have Coach Stutzman return to Bloomsburg and look forward to supporting him as the head coach of Husky wrestling. Coach Stutzman has a remarkable track record and we look forward to him continuing his winning streak as coach of the Huskies. Most importantly, Coach Stutzman is a proven mentor to his student-athletes, guiding them to excellence on and off the mat. We look forward to all he will accomplish in Bloomsburg,” said President Hanna.
“We are very excited to welcome Coach Stutzman back to Bloomsburg and the Husky wrestling program,” noted Athletic Director Dr. Michael McFarland. “Coach Stutzman is a proven winner and I have full confidence that he will return Bloomsburg to its rightful place at the top not only in Pennsylvania wrestling, but also in the Mid-American Conference and the NCAA.”
Coach Stutzman returns to Bloomsburg after a successful 11-year tenure at his alma mater, the University of Buffalo. During his time with the Bulls, Stutzman led the team to an 89-107 record in dual meets and a 36-50 record in MAC matches. During his time in Buffalo, Stutzman sent 25 wrestlers to the NCAA Championships.
“We are excited to welcome Coach Stutzman back to Bloomsburg,” noted Erik Evans, Vice President of Advancement. “Coach Stutzman has extensive knowledge of collegiate wrestling and the Pennsylvania wrestling landscape. He has demonstrated a remarkable ability to inspire his student-athletes, both on and off the mat!”
“My family and I are extremely excited to return to Bloomsburg University. I want to thank President Hanna, Dr. McFarland, Erik Evans and the entire search committee for this incredible opportunity,” noted Coach Stutzman.
Before taking over the University of Buffalo program in 2013, Stutzman had a stellar career in Bloomsburg. During his eight seasons with the Huskies, Stutzman posted a record of 97-56-1 in dual matches and a 27-20 record in EWL games.
The team finished with double-digit wins in six of his eight seasons as head coach. During his first tenure, he coached three NCAA Division I All-Americans, eight Eastern Wrestling League (EWL) champions, 76 EWL placers and 33 NCAA Division I national qualifiers for the Huskies.
The Huskies finished second in seven PSAC tournaments and third in three EWL tournaments. Bloomsburg finished 26th at the NCAA Championships during the 2007-08 season.
Stutzman himself was named EWL Coach of the Year in 2007, 2010 and 2013, and also produced the 2007 EWL and PSAC Rookie of the Year, the 2009 EWL Championship Most Outstanding Wrestler and the 2011 PSAC Rookie of the Year.
In 2012-13, Stutzman’s Huskies posted a record of 17-3, capturing the first EWL Dual Meet Championships in program history while beating three nationally ranked teams in Maryland, Pittsburgh and Edinboro. The 17 wins are the most in program history. As a team, the Huskies finished 15th nationally according to the NWCA. At the EWL Championships, Stutzman led the Huskies to a third-place finish overall with two EWL Champions and qualified six wrestlers for the NCAA Championships.
In the 2008-09 season, Bloomsburg finished third at the EWL Championships and had Matt Moley as the tournament’s top wrestler. At the NCAA Championships, Moley was named an All-American for the second year in a row. It was the first time since the 1988-89 season that a BU wrestler was named an All-American in two consecutive seasons.
In the 2006-07 season, Stutzman was named EWL Coach of the Year after helping Moley become EWL and PSAC Rookie of the Year and making heavyweight Mike Spaid the school’s first All-American since the 1993 season.
In his first eight seasons at UB, Stutzman led the program to 71 dual meet victories and was named MAC Coach of the Year in 2019. Last season, Stutzman posted a 10-12 record and finished 5-3 in MAC dual meet competition while sending two wrestlers to the NCAA championships – Sam Mitchell (197 pounds) and Nick Stampoulos (157 pounds).
In arguably one of his most successful seasons at UB, Stutzman led the Bulls to a 12-6 dual meet record in 2021-22. The 12 wins were the program’s most win totals since 2018 and 2004, and UB went 7-2 in MAC dual meets, their best finish since joining the conference. They finished fourth at the MAC Championships after putting eight on the podium. Three wrestlers qualified for the NCAA Championships, including John Arceri (149), Michael Petite (157) and Jay Nivison (174). The Bulls finished 14th in the final NWCA Mid-Major Poll.
In the 2018-19 season, Stutzman led the Bulls to their most successful season since joining the Mid-American Conference in 1998. UB’s 12 dual-game victories were the most since 2004 and the five conference wins were the most since joining the Mid-American Conference in 1998. Two Bulls, Troy Keller (165) and Brett Perry (197), were MAC champions. Buffalo produced six national qualifiers, the most since 2011, including Bryan Lantry, UB’s first four-time national qualifier.
Buffalo finished second at the 2019 MAC Championships, the best finish in program history. Stutzman was named the 2019 Mid-American Conference Coach of the Year.
Bryan Lantry (133) and Jake Gunning (285) both qualified for the 2018 NCAA Championships. Lantry also became the first wrestler in school history to make it to the finals at Midlands, defeating the second and third ranked wrestlers in the country along the way.
Before becoming the head wrestling coach at Bloomsburg University, he spent seven years as an assistant coach at the Division I level. During those seven seasons, he worked at UB and MAC rival Northern Illinois University before coming to Bloomsburg as an assistant coach.
Stutzman, who graduated from UB in 1998, went 95-27 in his three-year career with the Bulls and left the school as the all-time career wins record holder. His best year for the Bulls was the 1996-97 season, when he went 35-4, the fourth-best single-season winning percentage in program history. Statistically, he is tied with recent graduate John-Martin Cannon for fourth in career takedowns with 135. He also became a three-time East Coast Wrestling Association champion.
In addition to his collegiate coaching duties, Stutzman coached the New York Athletic Club at the 2004, 2008 and 2012 USA Olympic Freestyle Trials and the 2006, 2007, 2009, 2010 and 2011 Senior World Team Trials, where he coached six World Team Trials competitors, three Olympic Team Trials competitors and one U.S. National Team member. He also served as an assistant wrestling coach at the 2009 NWCA All-American Tour in Seoul, South Korea.
Stutzman has also been a member of the USA Wrestling coaching staff since 2009. He has served as head coach of the University World Team in Warsaw, Poland; the Ziolkowski International in Spala, Poland; the Stephen Sargsyan International in Armenia; the 2011 Fila Junior World Championships; the Dimtry Korkin International in Yakutsk, Russia and the Ramzan Kadirov Cup in Chechnya, Russia. He was also an assistant coach for Team USA at the University Team Championships in Poland in 2009.
Stutzman is from New Castle, DE. He and his wife Annette have two daughters, Alexa Bryanna and Torin Valera, and a son, Paxton.
“I look forward to working with our strong alumni base, restoring our wrestling culture and producing All-American student-athletes both on and off the mat and in the classroom,” Stutzman added. “Time to get to work.”
