After starring as a three-sport athlete at Burlington High School, John Puleo made a life-changing decision to enroll at Ithaca College. Dick Roche, John's football and baseball coach at Burlington High, was instrumental in persuading John to apply and enroll at Ithaca. Once on campus, John was encouraged to try out for the wrestling team by renowned wrestler Orlando Iacovelli. This was the beginning of a lifelong passion with the sport of wrestling. A successful wrestling career ensued, with John being elected co-captain in his senior year at Ithaca. After college, John won numerous wrestling tournaments, including two New England Freestyle Titles and a National YMCA Freestyle Title.

In 1966, John began his coaching career in upstate New York before returning to Massachusetts to take the helm of the Brookline High School wrestling team, leading the team to a Suburban League Wrestling Title in his second year. John then relinquished his coaching position to pursue graduate studies at Boston University while also assisting Hall of Fame Coach Frank Ball at Melrose High School. Puleo remained at Melrose for the next eleven years before returning to Brookline High School, where he rejuvenated a wrestling program on the brink of elimination. Three years later, Brookline finished 17-0 and once again earned a Suburban League Championship, with John garnering Suburban League Coach-of-the-Year honors. It was during this time that John coached Jung Lee, Brookline's first Lowell Holiday and New England champion.

After several years at Brookline, John once again returned to his hometown of Melrose to assist another Hall of Fame coach - Frank Smith. Wrestling became a family endeavor, with John's son Greg wrestling for Melrose High School and Puleo's two daughters, Jan and Jill, filming matches. When Coach Smith retired, John succeeded him as head coach, a position that he held until his "retirement" in 2009. During John's career, he coached 44 Sectional Champions, eleven State Champions, six Lowell Holiday Champions, two New England champions, and numerous New England, State, and Sectional place winners. Coach Puleo is a member of the 200-Victory Club, an inductee into the Massachusetts Interscholastic Wrestling Coaches Association (MIWCA) Hall of Fame, as well as the Burlington High School Hall of Fame.

A role model and mentor, Coach Puleo has influenced countless youngsters who have benefitted from his dedication to teaching and coaching. Puleo taught in the Brookline School system for thirty-three years before retiring as the Health and Fitness Coordinator. John was also a longtime high school wrestling official and organizer of two youth wrestling programs. Unable to shake the wrestling bug, John has returned to coaching at Belmont High School. After more than forty years, Puleo is still excited to work in the capacity of a wrestling coach.

John resides in Melrose with his wife of forty years, Gail. They have three children, Greg Puleo, Jan Kimball, and Jill Demsey, and four grandchildren (Olivia, Isabella, Danica, and Adriana).

In recognition of his many contributions to the Massachusetts wrestling community, John Puleo is being honored by the Massachusetts Chapter of the National Wrestling Hall of Fame for his Lifetime Achievement in Wrestling.