Ted Oczkowski

August 04, 1960 - Present

Ted has been involved in wrestling for more than 50 years as a participant, coach, official and administrator.  

In 1974, as a freshman, Ted wrestled at Holy Cross High School in Waterbury, Connecticut. He was team MVP as a junior, returning as a captain his senior year (1978). Ted wrestled for Ithaca College, until his junior year due to an ankle injury, and this is when Ted’s coaching career began. 

Ted coached six teams in Connecticut, New York and Washington state for 18 seasons with a combined record of 297-112. In Connecticut, he coached at Holy Cross, Bunnell in Stratford, Bridgeport Central and Trumbull. 

At Bridgeport Central, Ted's squad won a then-state record 32 matches in 2002 (32-1), finished second in the FCIAC Tournament and fourth in Class LL - their best finishes in the respective tournaments. Bridgeport’s accomplishments were in three years with student athletes that had never wrestled before. At Trumbull, he had four consecutive winning seasons, including the 2004 campaign (25-8) that set a new school record for wins in a season. 

Ted founded two programs -- the Greenwood Boys and Girls Club youth wrestling program in Seattle, Wash., and the varsity program at Bridgeport Central. In his career, Ted has taken over two programs that dismissed a coach for student hazing infractions. Ted demonstrated a keen ability to reshape, re-culture or build programs from scratch with positive results not just competitively, but in establishing standards and life-long skills. 

He served as an official in Washington state for two years and has been an official in Connecticut for more than 20 years (1989-91, 2007-24). He was the athletic director at New Milford for five years (2007-11).  

Ted has been a member of the CIAC Wrestling Committee for the last 13 years (2011-24), a member of the executive board of the Connecticut Interscholastic Wrestling Officials Association (2009-24) and the president of the Connecticut Chapter of the National Wrestling Hall of Fame since 2009. Ted spearheaded the effort to reinstate the Connecticut chapter and begin recognizing worthy individuals for their achievements in wrestling. 

Ted has volunteered in many capacities, with promoting and supporting Oxford’s host country, Latvia, in the Special Olympics World Summer Games in 1995, as well as a sitting member of the Seattle Sports Advisory Council, in part, negotiating venues and planning the Goodwill Games with Seattle, WA as the host city. 

Ted and his wife, Jo, live in Oxford and have three children, Courtney, Nicolette and Theodore.

Posted by Connecticut Chapter of the National Wrestling Hall of Fame, May 2025
Profile photo taken April 2022

Awards:

Year
2025
Award
Lifetime Service to Wrestling
Chapter/Region
Connecticut

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