A three-sport athlete at Burlington High School, Joe LeVasseur starred in football at the University of Maine before returning to his alma mater to teach and coach. In 1973, Joe was hired by Athletic Director Dick Verzone to start a club wrestling program, with the hope of wrestling a full varsity schedule within three years. With no formal wrestling experience, Joe learned the sport by reading books, attending clinics, and taking advice from the area's more experienced coaches. Three years later, when the Burlington team finished its first varsity campaign with a winning record (8-5), it was obvious that "Coach Lev" was learning the sport of wrestling.

Under Joe's tutelage, Burlington would become a force on the Massachusetts wrestling scene, winning a New England team championship in just its eighth year of varsity competition. Throughout Coach Lev's 34-year career as a wrestling coach, Burlington would consistently compete for individual and team honors at the sectional, state, and New England levels. Joe compiled a career record of 329-230-6, which included six Middlesex League championships, one state runner-up finish, one Division 3 North Sectional championship, one Lowell Holiday championship, and one New England championship.

Coach Lev, who understands that good coaches are first and foremost good teachers, always used sound teaching principles and effective motivational techniques to instruct his athletes. Joe firmly believes that a good listener (i.e. a good learner) can be taught to be a champion. More importantly, Coach Lev treated all of his wrestlers with the same love and devotion, regardless of ability. Joe's prowess as a coach is evident in the success of his wrestlers: 41 Sectional champions, 18 individual champions, six All-State champions, two New England Champions, and two high school All-Americans.

In addition to coaching, Joe served for 14 years on the Executive Board of the Massachusetts Interscholastic Wrestling Coaches Association (MIWCA) and for ten years with the Massachusetts Interscholastic Athletic Association (MIAA) State Wrestling Committee. Joe was proud to represent the views of his fellow coaches during a time when Massachusetts high school wrestling experienced dramatic growth. For this service, Joe was inducted into the MIWCA Hall of Fame, as well as the New England Wrestling Hall of Fame.

Joe, who worked for 33 years as a health and physical education teacher in Burlington, is still going strong, continuing to coach football and track. Coach Lev, who has been a head coach of five different athletic programs at Burlington, was recently honored as the Lowell Sun Girls Track Coach-of-the-Year. Joe is pleased to share his induction honors with his brother Billy, his daughter Michel and her new husband, Mark, and with his fiancee Nancy, who is the love of his life.

In recognition of his many contributions to the Massachusetts wrestling community, Joe LeVasseur is being honored by the Massachusetts Chapter of the National Wrestling Hall of Fame for his Lifetime Achievement in Wrestling.