The U.S. wrestling community is saddened to hear of the passing of Coach Roman Ruderman, 61, of Stanhope, N.J., who passed away unexpectedly today.

Ruderman has been a coach with the New York Athletic Club for many years, and has also helped coach many U.S. teams in international competition.

One of the athletes he mentored is 2008 U.S. Olympian Steve Mocco, who was coached by Ruderman throughout his career from youth programs in New Jersey, through two NCAA titles and onto the Olympic Games

His daughter Dorothy Ruderman posted on Roman’s Facebook page the following information about his service and funeral.

“The service for my father Roman Ruderman will be held tomorrow from 2-5pm at Par Troy Funeral Home- 95 Parsippany Road, Parsippany NJ, 07054. The funeral will be held on Monday afternoon at 12:30 at Restland Memorial Park - 77 Deforest Avenue, East Hanover NJ, 07936. Thank you family and friends, NYAC, USA Wrestling, and the entire wrestling community. Loved many and loved by many, the greatest man there ever was.”

Below is a remembrance of Roman Ruderman written by Sonny Greenhalgh and sent out via email. Greenhalgh served as Wrestling Chairman for the New York AC for 30 years

I am afraid I have bad news regarding a wrestling brother of the NYAC Wrestling Club.

Roman Ruderman died this morning of a fatal heart attack while at work at his Paterson Middle School. The Paterson Eastside coach called to say that Roman had been working all night last night taking water out of his flooded home in Hopatcong NJ, and showed up to work this morning to meet his teaching obligation. He collapsed and died.... apparently of a heart attack, and that is all the Eastside Wrestling Coach knows.

Roman was a very special guy with everyone that knew him.  He was a great wrestler in the Soviet Union....having won the Tblisi Tournament several times....and having beaten such U.S. greats as Russ Hellickson and Ben Peterson competing in the Soviet Union.. Roman was not allowed to leave the Soviet Union when he was competing, so the world never got to see his greatness. In Russia (Belarus) he is very well respected for his wrestling and coaching abilities. Roman finally was able to leave the Soviet Union where he went to Poland and established himself as a great freestyle wrestling coach.

Roman, as NYAC Freestyle Coach, coached many great NYAC wrestlers. The greatest probably was Steve Mocco. Roman coached Steve from Junior High School through Blair Academy, Iowa and Oklahoma State (two NCAA Championships), and on to the 2008 US Olympic Team. 

Roman coached at many private wrestling schools throughtout New Jersey and New York, and he was well respected by both wrestlers and coaches.

Coach Ruderman spent many Tuesday evenings coaching wrestlers at our NYAC wrestling room, and he was a huge asset to our program.

Roman used to say that as he was getting older, his best times were working in his garden outside his house in Hopatcong New Jersey. We will miss Roman Ruderman.

-- Sonny Greenhalgh