Gary Pesko's first wrestling experience was in 1975, in his 4th grade Phys Ed class at Green Avenue Elementary School in Sayville, NY. Getting pinned in his first match did not sit well with him, and having now learned the rules, he was determined to get better. The following year, he won his weight class. Then in 6th grade, he had to wrestle his best friend, Peter Yozzo, in the finals. Losing that match to someone so close to him taught him that wrestling was as much about heart and preparation as it was about skill, a lesson that stuck with him for the rest of his career.

Gary Pesko began his wrestling career in 1978 as a 7th grader at Sayville Middle School, under coaches Barry Fitzpatrick and Ed Alber. When he reached 9th grade in 1980, he was brought up to the varsity level by Head Coach Bill Fitzgerald and his assistant Ed Metzger. In his first year on varsity, he made All-Conference. After that he was a three-time All-League selection, and in his senior year, 1983, he was League 5 Champ (Tournament MOW) and All-County, finishing with a season record of 30-3. The off-season training and competitions paid off as well. He competed in numerous freestyle tournaments locally and around the country, including a memorable trip to the Southeastern regional tournament in North Carolina, packed in a van with Neil Duncan, Bill Starke Sr., Bill Starke, Jim Fox, Glenn Lanham, Peter Yozzo, Wayne Catan, Scott Wilson, Tom and Paul Mankowitz, Carl and Brien Eye, Terry Finnerty, and Jon Romeo. This was a memorable experience that influenced his commitment and love of the sport. He was a three-time qualifier for the Jr. Nationals in Iowa, and in his senior year he was a NY Freestyle State Champion.

In the spring of 1983, Gary Pesko was recruited by Nick Gallo, the Head Coach at Hofstra University, and committed to wrestle there on a partial scholarship. Gallo was soon succeeded by new head coach Joe Bavaro, for whom Pesko wrestled all four of his years on the team. Pesko was a four-year starter and Co-Captain with Michael Arena in his senior year. He earned All-Conference twice and was a Runner-Up in the New York State Collegian Tournament. He graduated in December of 1987 with a degree in Engineering Science.

Pesko's first job was at Dayton T. Brown in Bohemia, where he was an Engineer from 1988-89. When he left there, he returned to Sayville HS as a volunteer to assist the new head coach, Charles Russo, with the wrestling team. From 1990-1994, Pesko was Sayville's JV coach, and in 1995 he became the Varsity Head Coach. After 12 years of coaching, he earned his teaching degree. He has since been teaching Technology Education at Connetquot High School for the past 24 years. 

In his tenure at Sayville for the past 31 years, Coach Pesko has coached and mentored nearly a thousand wrestlers, leading his teams to: 300 dual meet wins, 53 individual League Champions, 57 All-County wrestlers, 7 County Champions, 10 All-State wrestlers, and one State Champion. The team accomplishments included: League Dual Meet Champs in 1996, 2023, 2025, and 2026; League Tournament Champions in 2022, 2025, and 2026; and Suffolk County D1 Tournament Champions in 2022, with a Runner-Up finish in 2026.

He will continue coaching and giving back to the sport that has given him so much.