Jerry Sachsel is an athlete and scholar.

A graduate of Jonathan Dayton High School, he earned a bachelor's degree from Notre Dame University and a master's degree in constitutional history from Seton Hall University.

He ran cross-country in high school and was selected to the Star-Ledger All Century team representing the decade of the 1950s. An outstanding wrestler, he earned a high school record of 52 wins and only had one loss while winning the 106-pound state championship in 1955 and 1956.

At Notre Dame he complied a record of 42-4-2 and earned the distinction of being the first NCAA qualifier from Notre Dame where he was team captain. He was undefeated in dual meet competition in both high school and college, posting a career record of 60-0-2.

Jerry started the wrestling program at Millburn High School where in 15 years his teams posted a combined record of 155-22-3. The record included five undefeated teams, three Essex County tournament teams, eight district team titles, 14 individual region champions, and three state champions.

He is a member of both the Jonathan Dayton and Millburn Halls of Fame. Jerry was voted the NJ Wrestling Coach of the Year in 1978 and won the Harry E. Lake Award for contributions to NJ Wrestling in 1988. He is also a member of the Region III Hall of Fame and the New Jersey State Interscholastic Athletic Association Coaching Hall of Fame. He modestly attributed his successes to his assistant coaches during his career. In addition, he founded the Chatham wrestling program in 1987 and his high school victories in multiple sports totaled well over 1,000.

Although his statistics are impressive, winning was never the only thing. He always held high expectations for his wrestlers, both on and off the mat. He instilled in his athletes competitiveness, technique, conditioning but of equal importance was integrity, compassion, and honesty.

Through wrestling, his students learned life values that are embedded in their character.