Ernie Monaco has an Edge, and that is plenty enough to welcome him into the New Jersey Chapter of the National Wrestling Hall of Fame.

Monaco founded The Edge School of Wrestling in 1984, the first wrestling school of its kind in the country. Over the years he has served as a member of the New Jersey Coaches Council, coached national teams at the Schoolboy Cadet and Junior levels, as well as recently coaching girls on cadet and junior women’s national teams.

The club has helped coach 13 NCAA Division I national champions as well as eight Division I NCAA runners-up, 60 NCAA All-Americans, eight NCAA D-III champions, three World/Olympic team members, 54

National Prep champions, 104 state champions, 77 high school coaches, and 20 members became college coaches, including programs at Columbia, Cornell, Princeton, Oklahoma State and Rutgers.

He is also a member of the Asics Corporation Advisory Board and a USA certified coach.

Monaco, who graduated from Nutley High School, went on to Upsala College and graduated in 1984. He received his state Teacher Certification in Technology Education and Industrial Arts School at Montclair State. 

He has been a member of the New Jersey Wrestling Federation Coaches Council where he has been on the executive board. Currently a teacher of technology education at Columbia Middle School in Berkeley Heights, he previously taught at Warren Middle School where he was voted “Teacher of the Year.’’

Monaco and his wife Marisa live in Annandale. They have son, Ernie Jr., and daughter Chloe.