Few Long Island coaches have spent more time in the epicenter of success than Joseph Patrovich.

He began his wrestling career in 1970 at Farmingdale High School and competed on the mat for three years, culminating his career with a Section VIII championship.

After attending college at C.W. Post and having his football career cut short by a serious knee injury, Patrovich began his coaching career with a two-year stint at Plainview – Old Bethpage John F. Kennedy High School in Plainview, New York. He became head wrestling coach at Levittown Division High School in 1978 and had great success, coaching several Nassau County champions and a New York State champion in 1985.

He created and coached the middle school and high school wrestling programs in Islip from 1989 to 1996. Patrovich spent the next 15 years as the head coach of Islip High School in Long Island's Suffolk County.

It was at Isplip where his "meet the best of the best in America" program began. Patrovich had his teams wrestle teams from across the country, including El Reno (Oklahoma) High School, St. Edwards Prep (Ohio) and Bergen Catholic (New Jersey), and compete in the National High School Championships.

Patrovich's determination to compete with the best and to be the best enabled him to establish Islip’s program as one of the finest in the nation.

Joe was named National Wrestling Coaches Association Regional Coach of the Year and Coach of the Year in both Nassau County and Suffolk County. He was also selected to coach the New York USA Junior Dual Meet team.

He and his wife, Kathy, believe that among his greatest coaching achievements are the great success their sons (Joe Jr., Mike and Ryan) had in their wrestling careers. All three were National High School Coaches Association tournament finalists.

He coached nine New York State champions and 13 New York State finalists while having 24 wrestlers achieve all-state status and nine others become High School All-Americans. Patrovich also coached 37 county finalists and 78 county place-winners. He led his teams to the New York State championship and the New York State Dual Meet championship while also having a pair of runner-up finishes.

Patrovich served on the board of the Downstate New York Chapter of the National Wrestling Hall of Fame.