Joseph Bastardi
Joe was a member of the wrestling team at Mainland Regional High School, in New Jersey but saw limited action. After high school, Joe attended Penn State University majoring in meteorology, the top rated school for meteorology in the country. While engaging in this very challenging major, Joe walked on to the Nittany Lion Wrestling Team. Hall of Fame Coach, Bill Koll respected Joe’s “grit” as he was the workout partner of talent laden teammates. When Joe graduated in 1978 as a letter winner, he was well respected by his teammates and well-liked, acquiring the nickname of “The Rasslin’ Weatherman!”
After college Joe became a staff meteorologist at AccuWeather in State College and remained there for 32 years, rising to become the Chief Long Range Forecaster. Joe left to join WeatherBell as the Chief Meteorologist in 2011. Joe has developed a national reputation for using his considerable analytical skills and meteorological experience in conjunction computer modeling to formulate his forecasts. He continues to be featured as a guest speaker at numerous national and international conferences and he has incredibly made over 1000 media appearances on national TV! He has been featured on Fox News Live, ABC World News, The O'Reilly Factor, The Colbert Report, CBS' The Early Show, Imus in the Morning, and several others.
Since 1987 Joe has been a volunteer strength and nutrition coach for the Nittany Lion Wrestling Club. He was Kerry McCoy’s personal strength coach when he trained for his two Olympic campaigns. Kerry said of Joe, “…our personal and professional relationship grew stronger with each passing day, and culminated with me choosing Joe as my personal training coach for the 2000 and 2004 Olympic Games. He was 100% committed to helping me reach my goals. Joe’s work ethic and determination to be the best carried over in every area of his life.”
Additionally, Joe is a National Masters Class bodybuilder, winning 5 national and 2 North American titles, and currently training for the Over-60 Nationals! Joe and his wife Jessica continue to reside in Boalsburg. They have two children
Awards:
Year
2019
|
Award
Outstanding American
|
Chapter/Region
Pennsylvania
|
Our Mission: To honor the sport of wrestling by preserving its history, recognizing extraordinary individual achievements, and inspiring future generations