Azzariti, Paul A.

 

Paul A. Azzariti – (1997)

 

When the Azzariti twins, Paul and Robert Jr., were born to Catherine and Robert Azzariti Sr. on May 19, 1949, little did anyone realize what an “Athletic Tandem” they would become when they enrolled at Lorain High School in 1963.

Both were excellent football players and wrestlers. But while Bob leaned toward football, Paul became best known as a wrestling heavyweight under LHS Wrestling Coach Tom Kane until graduation in 1967. Bob tipped the scales at about 235 pounds while “big brother” Paul grew and grew, to about 265 pounds by his senior year.

As often happens, sometimes a brotherly “feud” would develop. While their parents enjoyed their high school wrestling meets, Mom Azzariti “frowned” on those household “matches.” And when they happened, to be matched up against each other as collegians, their parents understandably would root “for the one on the bottom” while hoping for a draw decision.

As high school graduation drew near, the LHS Booster Club received permission to stage a “wrestle down” between the twin brothers. Unbeknownst to their audience, they contrived a format to liven the match and provide excitement in the first and second periods. It went something like this: “You take me down, I escape and take you down. Then you escape and take me down.” It was a huge success.

Following graduation, Paul enrolled at Lorain County Community College both for education purposes and also to continue his wrestling career. Under the guidance of Coach Frank Fiore, he compiled a record of 9-0-1 in 1967-68. The following year, under new Coach Frank Giganti, Paul logged a 13-1 won-loss record. The lone defeat came at the hands of Chris Taylor, a 390-pound behemoth who was National Junior College Heavyweight Champion and the United States’ 1972 Olympic team heavyweight.

Paul was selected on the 1969 National Junior College All American team before moving on to Cleveland State University where he had been coveted by Coach Dick Bonaci. In his first three seasons at CSU (1969-70-71), he recorded an over-all dual meet record of 14 victories and five losses. Following the 1971 campaign, he was Lake Erie AAU Heavyweight Champion, voted CSU Wrestler of the Year and won NCAA College Division All American honors at the national championships held at Fargo, N.D. His over-all dual meet record at LCCC and CSU was 36 wins, six losses and one tie.

Perhaps his single most notable victory occurred during the 1971 season at CSU when he handed Len Pettigrew, Ashland College’s 3-time All American heavyweight champion and 1971 NCAA College Division national heavyweight runner-up, a stunning 18-7 defeat.

Sporting a boyish look that belied his massive 290-pound frame, Paul said his biggest hang-up as a collegian was being involved in the featured final match in almost every meet.

“You didn’t just wrestle your own match,” Paul recalled. “You wrestled nine. Especially if you’re in the match that’s going to decide whether your team wins or loses the meet. A lot of times you may be facing a 400-pound champion.”

LCCC Coach Giganti agreed and is quick to lavish praise on Azzariti. He said, “If it wasn’t for Paul, we would not have had that 8-6 season in 1969. He pulled out a few meets for us when things weren’t going well and would win a big match when we needed it most. He always worked hard and had the desire to win. He’s a winner.

Bonaci reiterated Giganti’s praise, pointing out how Azzariti’s clutch victories helped the CSU Vikings come from behind to defeat Ball State and Wayne State in key dual meets in the 1970 season.

While Paul continued to pursue his wrestling career in college, brother Bob was more inclined to play and coach football. A defensive tackle at LHS, Bob opted to enroll at Akron University where he excelled as a middle guard-linebacker in helping the Zips record a 9-1 record in 1969 enroute to the Division II College National Championship. He is now assistant principal at Lorain Middle School.

Even so, Bob also competed on the Zips’ wrestling team as a heavyweight his first three years, and it was in that capacity that he found himself battling his “big” brother on the grappling mats.

“I had the misfortune of wrestling Paul twice in college,” Bob said. “The first one we were freshman and Paul was at LCCC. The second match was when he was at CSU. I lost both matches. But now my claim to fame is that he was an All-American.”

Paul earned his BS Degree in Business Management from CSU and his Masters Degree at Bowling Green State University. He and his wife, Mary, a Baldwin-Wallace College grad, currently reside in Dearborn, Mich., where he is employed by Ford Motor Co. as a labor relations supervisor.