Michael Suk
When it comes to lifetime service to wrestling, Mike Suk has certainly served as much as anyone. Assistant coach, head coach, clinician, fundraising, recreation board, and association president and treasurer are among the contributions he has made to the sport.
And so it comes as no surprise that he has been honored by the New Jersey Chapter of the National Wrestling Hall of Fame.
With stops at Somerville High School and Randolph High School, Suk amassed a record of 471-282-1. That ranks him ninth in the state for most high school victories.
He arrived at Somerville, his alma mater, one year after entering the business as an assistant coach at Glassboro High School. From 1985-95 his Somerville teams went 111-63-1.
The Pioneers won four conference championships, six Somerset County championships, were six-time district champs and twice were State Sectional champions. While there he also helped out with the Somerville/Branchburg Recreation and Middle School programs, as a clinician, recruiter and advisor.
He coached 26 District champions, 10 Region champions and five wrestlers placed in states.
For two years he was president of the Region 5 Coaches Association.
His next stop was Randolph, where he was head coach from 1995 to 2020. The Rams went 360-219.
Suk coached them to six conference championships, seven county championships, eight district titles, and they were state sectional champions four times. Thirty-eight wrestlers won county championships, 69 won districts, 16 won region titles, 22 placed in the states and two went on to be state champions: Ali Hakin in 2000 and Patrick Dattalo in 2001 and 2002.
Suk was the Region I Coaches Association Treasurer 15 years.
In 1999 Suk was inducted into the Somerville High School Hall of Fame, and he was inducted into the New Jersey Scholastic Coaches Hall of Fame in 2022.
A graduate of Glassboro State College (now Rowan), he earned All-America honors in 1984 with a third-place finish at the NCAAs. Suk is also a member of the Glassboro Athletic Hall of Fame having wrestled and played football.
He and his wife Sharon live in Columbia NJ. They have three children - Michael, Adrianna and Christian.
Awards:
Year
2023
|
Award
Lifetime Service to Wrestling
|
Chapter/Region
New Jersey
|
All American Awards:
Season
1984
|
School
Glassboro
|
Tournament
Division III
|
Weight
UNL
|
Place
3
|