Darren Goldstein
Darren Goldstein was an all-league wrestler and a member of the Port Jefferson State Cup Champion team in 1985 under Hall of Fame coach Bob Armstrong.
After graduation, he continued his wrestling career under Hall of Fame coach Kevin Gallagher (Minisink Valley-Section 9) at Division I Wagner College. Still a bit small for the 118-pound weight class, Goldstein concentrated on international styles as a competitor, where there was a more suitable 105-pound weight classification.
He continued to wrestle for the New York Athletic Club, becoming an eight-time age group All-American, including winning the National Veterans Greco-Roman Championship in 2003.
Goldstein is the winningest athlete in the now-defunct Empire State Games, winning a record 42 medals, including 22 gold.
He started his coaching career at Rocky Point High School as a junior varsity coach under head coach Robin Winkel. It was here that he started the North Shore Wrestling Club with a federally funded grant, creating a club that opened its doors to everyone who wanted to attend.
Goldstein later took a position under Paul Jendrewski and Don Jantzen at Shoreham-Wading River as a junior varsity coach for several years before returning home to Mt. Sinai. At Mt. Sinai, he worked with the man who started it all for him, Joe Colloca.
Goldstein’s first head coaching position was at Longwood High School, where he coached for three years from 2000-02. He returned as junior varsity coach at Rocky Point for two additional years before Robin Winkel retired.
Currently, Goldstein coaches with two of his former wrestlers and 2010 New York State champions Billy Coggins and Anthony Volpe. He is also grateful for having had excellent assistant coaches, including Division I All-American Charlie Griffin and former NYS champion Steven Hromada.
Goldstein has amassed 232 dual meet wins. His teams have won five dual meet league championships, seven league tournament championships, two Suffolk County dual meet championships, a Suffolk County tournament championship, and the 2010 New York State championship.
To date, Goldstein has coached 21 all-state wrestlers, including six NYS champions. He has also coached 55 all-county wrestlers, including 12 Suffolk County champions. He coached Brandon Escobar, who competed for Honduras at the 2012 London Olympics, and United States Women's World Team member Jenna Burkert.
Goldstein says that, "The wrestling room is just another classroom, so like my classroom students, I want the wrestlers to learn lessons of life that go beyond the four walls of the classroom (or wrestling room).”
Awards:
Year
2018
|
Award
Lifetime Service to Wrestling
|
Chapter/Region
New York - Downstate
|