John Nemetz is one of the most influential coaches in developing the sport of wrestling in the New Jersey shore area.

A graduate of Bloomsburg State College, Nemetz was an excellent athlete in his own right earning All-East, Little All-American and and Associated Press All-Teacher’s honors in football. He earned a master’s degree in education from Montclair State University.

Although Nemetz never wrestled, in his heart he always had an interest in coaching wrestling. His interest grew as he became a student of the sport and soon a love affair with wrestling began and continues to this day. For more than 30 years, he taught world civilization and coached wrestling and football at Toms River High School S (now South) and Toms River North High School.

In 2017, the sportswriters of The Star-Ledger named him as one of four faces of TR North’s “Mount Rushmore.” Called the “Godfather of Jersey Shore Wrestling” for his early advocacy of the sport, Nemetz started the wrestling program for the Toms River Indians in 1959 and then moved to the Mariners in 1969 to begin their program. 

Nemetz was the varsity wrestling coach at Toms River North for 25 years. His teams had a record of 212-62-8, including a string of 58 consecutive Shore Conference victories. During his tenure, Toms River North never had a losing season and went undefeated three times. His teams captured seven district titles and finished second on seven occasions. Individually, he coached 58 district champions, seven region champions and one state champion.

He was awarded the prestigious Harry E. Lake Award for outstanding contributions to New Jersey wrestling and was also a member of the Shore Conference Hall of Fame and the South Jersey Wrestling Hall of Fame. He is also a member of the Bloomsburg University Hall of Fame.