John Grey, Jr. receives the USA Wrestling Developmental Coach of the Year award during the ASICS/Vaughan Junior & Cadet Nationals in Fargo, N.D. John Sachs photo

John Grey, Jr. of Rockaway, N.J. has been named Developmental Coach of the Year by USA Wrestling, the national governing body for amateur wrestling in the United States. The award honors the top coach in the nation working with age-group wrestlers and programs.

Grey first began coaching in 2003 with USA Wrestling-New Jersey’s state chairperson Rich Santoli at the successful Pascack Hills Wrestling Club. Grey helped coach over 80 New Jersey Kids State Champions in a four year period. They also won three grade-school national championships. 

In 2007, Grey moved onto to Whippany Park Regional High School. In his first year on staff, Whippany Park won its first ever New Jersey State Sectional Team Championship and was in the Group I State Semi-Finals. In 2008, Whippany Park won its second Colonial Hills Conference Championship, and went 15-3.

Grey is currently an assistant coach at Blair Academy coaching under legend Jeff Buxton for the last two years. Blair is considered one of the nation’s top high school programs, producing Prep School national champions and All-Americans each year, and producing many of the nation’s best competitors within USA Wrestling age-group programs.

On the national level, John Grey, Jr. has served as Head Coach for the New Jersey Schoolboy National Team since 2005. He has been a coach for New Jersey’s Cadet and Junior National Teams competing in Fargo, N.D. since 2006. In 2006, Grey helped coach New Jersey to a Junior National Team Championship in Fargo, and in 2008, Grey helped coach New Jersey to a Cadet National Team Championship in Fargo. 

In 2009, he served as the 2009 U.S. Freestyle Coach for the FILA Cadet Pan-American Championships, and the United States won the team championship. 

Grey has been a USA-NJ Board Member since 2004 and has been the Kids/Cadet Director since 2007.

Grey is a 2006 magna cum laude graduate from Seton Hall University with a BA in Political Science. He then went on to Widener Law School where he graduated in 2009. 

His younger brothers are talented wrestlers. Mike Grey wrestles for Cornell Univ., won four New Jersey state high school titles and was a Junior Nationals freestyle champion. Mark Grey competes for Blair Academy and has won numerous USA Wrestling age-group titles in both freestyle and Greco-Roman.

“We are in this for the kids, but it is nice to see our state recognized for what we are doing,” said Grey. “The satisfaction comes from watching kids develop and move to a higher level. I have been able to work with and follow athletes from youth wrestling to college. It is rewarding to see them develop.”

Developmental Coach of the Year
1989 - Al Kastl, Michigan 
1990 - Kevin McCleary, Pennsylvania 
1991 - J. D. Robbins, California 
1992 - Tony Jones, Oregon 
1993 - Morrie Geselter, Illinois 
1994 - Jerry Kuntz, Oklahoma 
1995 - Mike Hagerty, Missouri 
1996 - Bob Kopnisky, Indiana 
1997 - John Leone, New York 
1998 - Mike Rial, Iowa 
1999 - Greg Strobel, Pennsylvania 
2000 - John Hohman, Pennsylvania 
2001 - Randy Baker, Minnesota 
2002 - Archie Randall, Oklahoma 
2003 – John Matthews, Arizona
2004 – Sean Bormet, Illinois
2005 – Joe DeMeo, New York
2006 – Russ Cozart, Florida
2007 - Jason Christenson, Iowa
2008 – David Gonzalez, Arizona
2009 – Rick Gumble, New York
2010 – John Grey, Jr., New Jersey