Dennis began his wrestling career at Woodrow Wilson High in Levittown, Pa., under Hall of Fame coach Donald Wise (Pennsylvania Wrestling Coaches Association). After graduating in 1964, Dennis attended Bloomsburg State where he wrestled under another Hall of Fame coach Russ Houk (PA chapter of National Wrestling HOF), wrestling on a team that won the NAIA national title in 1965.

After graduation, he was the head coach at Bristol Borough (Pa.) for three years before heading to Bristol Central, where he coached for 23 years. He led the Rams to two Class L titles (1985, 1998) and 11 league championships. Bristol Central was 348-109-12 under Dennis and he coached three All-Americans, 31 state champions and one New England champion.

He was the chair of the CIAC wrestling committee for 10 years and the tournament director of the New England championships for four years. He founded the Bristol Central Invitational and was the tournament director for years. He also founded the Gladiators wrestling program at the Bristol Boys and Girls Club and the middle school wrestling program in Bristol. He was a member of the National Federation of State High School Association's wrestling rules committee from 2006-09.

Dennis was inducted into the New England High School Wrestling Hall of Fame and the Connecticut High School Coaches Association Hall of Fame. He also coached girls track and field and girls soccer at Bristol Central and boys soccer at Nonnewaug in Woodbury, leading the Chiefs to the state finals.

Dennis was an assistant wrestling coach at Labette Community College in Parsons, Kansas, under head coach Joe Renfo from 2011-13 helping Labette win two NJCAA national championships (2012, 2013). Again with Renfo, he was an assistant coach at Northeastern Oklahoma A&M College for three years (2014-17) helping lead Northeastern Oklahoma to two NJCAA national titles in 2014 and 2016. In six years, Dennis helped coach 50 All-American and 10 national champion wrestlers.

Dennis now lives in Sarasota, Florida, as the primary caretaker for his older brother, Sonny, who has cancer and Parkinson's. But Dennis found the time this winter (2019) to serve as an assistant coach for a local high school team in Sarasota, the Riverview High School Rams.

He has two grown children, Jaime and Kyla, who lives in Connecticut with two children Azayda and Cyer.

Published by the Connecticut Chapter of the National Wrestling Hall of Fame, April 2019
Profile photo taken April 2019