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• 9 conference titles
• 11 Top-25 NCAA finishes
• Four-time WAC Coach of the Year
• 1993 National Coach of the Year Runner-Up
Dennis DeLiddo had gained national respect the old fashioned way.
He's earned it.
In his 23 seasons DeLiddo has taken a once struggling program and turned it into a national powerhouse. And he's done it the only way he knows how - through hard work, perseverance and dedication.
In 1981 DeLiddo took over a Fresno State wrestling program that had not seen a winning season in over a decade. But it didn't take long for him to shift the focus from simply posting wins to grabbing conference titles and national rankings. These days DeLiddo has Fresno State at its highest level ever. Under his reign Fresno State has captured 11 Top 25 NCAA team finishes, 10 of them from 1992-02.
While in the Western Athletic Conference the Bulldogs won seven straight championships from 1993-99.
DeLiddo's highlights are many. He was named WAC Coach of the Year four times. He nabbed win No. 200 in 1995 and will soon reach 300. In 1994 he sent a school-record eight wrestlers to the NCAA Championships (he has sent seven wrestlers five times) while winning another WAC title.
In 1993 DeLiddo was runner-up for the National Coach of the Year award when he led Fresno State to a best-ever eighth place finish at the NCAA's and its first WAC title. The previous year Fresno State seized its third Top 25 finish and racked up a 19-1 dual meet record.
His first conference title came in 1985, his fourth year as a coach, when Fresno State was a member of the Pacific Coast Athletic Association. DeLiddo was also a two-time coach of the year while in the PCAA.
In 1996 DeLiddo was honored when he was asked to be an assistant coach for the U.S. Olympic wrestling team. Unfortunately, because of his commitments as the Fresno State coach he was unable to assume the position.
The 1999 season saw DeLiddo guide his team to its seventh consecutive WAC team title and he garnished his first national champion wrestler in Stephen Abas at 125 pounds. DeLiddo is far and away the only Fresno State wrestling coach to lead his team to nine conference titles and the second coach to have developed a Division 1 national champion at Fresno State.
Last season Fresno State has a less than stellar year, going 7-11 in dual meets. However, DeLiddo and his Bulldog squad still reveled in many great feats. Fresno State set a West Coast attendance record when it attracted 9,750 fans to the dual against second-ranked Iowa State held in the Save Mart Center on Jan. 6, 2004. DeLiddo also earned his 300th career win when the Bulldogs beat Cal State Fullerton at home. DeLiddo's winning record is among the best in the nation as he is believed to be only the 14th collegiate to reach 300 wins.
During his 23 years at the helm, DeLiddo has produced 27 All-Americans, 55 individual conference champions, and has placed the Bulldogs at every NCAA meet since his second season in 1983. In addition, he has coached nine of the 10 career win leaders in school history. His 304-165-3 career record makes him the winningest coach in Fresno State history.
Prior to coming to Fresno State, DeLiddo built nearby Clovis High School into a state powerhouse. He accumulated a 145-7-1 record and a winning percentage of 95 percent. In ten years he won three consecutive state titles (1974-76) and took one second place state finish (1973). While at Clovis High, DeLiddo was also crowned Valley Wrestling Coach of the Year five times.
