Takedown Report

Former wrestlers raising funds for legendary Pitt-Johnstown coach Pecora’s family

JOHNSTOWN, Pa. – A GoFundMe page to help support the family of University of Pittsburgh at Johnstown wrestling coach Pat Pecora, who has been battling lung cancer in a Pittsburgh hospital for nearly a month, raised almost $15,000 within a few hours of being posted Friday.
The Mountain Cat Wrestling Club, a 501(c)(3) organization, created the online fundraiser for the family. It can be found at https://www.gofundme.com/f/rally-for-coach-pecora-never-let-go-of-the-rope. For decades, Pecora has encouraged his wrestlers to support each other and “never let go of the rope” that connects them.
During his 48 years as coach of the Mountain Cats, Pecora has created an atmosphere in which he considers his wrestlers “sons” and his student-athletes regularly refer to themselves as “brothers for life.”
That was evident Friday as Isaac Greeley and Mike Corcetti, former All-American wrestlers at Pitt-Johnstown who now serve on the MCWC board, talked about what Pecora has meant to them and many others. “Coach has generations of men and women that he’s affected,” Greeley said. “After my parents, he’s probably the most influential human on my life, and (the same is probably true) for hundreds of other people.”
Corcetti and Greeley discussed financial support for Pecora’s family members, who have been at his side at UPMC Presbyterian’s cardiothoracic intensive care unit. “I said, ‘We need to be there for him like he was there for us,’ ” Corcetti said. “And that ‘us’ is literally thousands of people – from wrestlers to people in the Johnstown community.”
‘Amazing humans’
Corcetti owes a debt of gratitude not only to his legendary mentor, but also to the coach’s wife, Tracy Pecora, as she introduced Corcetti to the woman who would become his wife, Lindsey. “I married the love of my life and have kids because of Tracy Pecora,” Corcetti said. … more at … https://www.tribdem.com/news/former-wrestlers-raising-funds-for-legendary-pitt-johnstown-coachs-family/article_4fd927a2-4b8f-11ef-8012-ef0b08c31c31.html

July 28, 2024 - Posted by The TakeDown Report | Uncategorized