On Sept. 8, after over a decade-long battle with lung cancer, legendary University of Pitt-Johnstown (UPJ) wrestling coach Pat Pecora passed away. Pecora is the winningest wrestling coach in NCAA history, with 661 dual meet victories. He led the Mountain Cats to two NCAA Division II national championships and twenty-five regional titles. Pecora coached 170 Division II All-Americans and 23 national champions, a resume any coach would dream of having.

Burrell High School, a member of the WPIAL (Western Pennsylvania Interscholastic Athletic League), won its 18th WPIAL championship this past season. Prior to Chris Como taking the helm in 1999, Burrell had only won one WPIAL title. They were not the powerhouse they are now. Burrell has won 17 of the last 20 WPIAL championships, along with two PIAA AA State titles in 2008 and 2011. Como passed the torch after the 2009 season, but Burrell has continued what he started.

Como wrestled for Pecora, earning All-America honors at UPJ in 1994 before becoming an assistant coach under his legendary mentor. He utilized what he learned from Pecora to make Burrell a program to be reckoned with.

MatBoss sat down with Como and talked about Coach Pecora. Como shared what made Coach Pecora an outstanding wrestling coach and an even better man. These  qualities are what he and many other UPJ wrestlers now coach, model and emulate today.

1. Find a map

"Coach would tell us if you wanted to be an All-American or national champion, you simply mapped or followed what the older UPJ wrestlers did," explained Como. Pecora would tell his wrestlers if they were in the weight room, you are in the weight room. If they are studying, you are studying. "At Burrell, I started to incorporate what Coach Pecora did with us at UPJ," said Como.

2. Family

"We had one Golden Rule at UPJ that Coach Pecora made us all abide by, "Don't disrespect the family," said Como. Pecora wanted his wrestlers to be respected and a positive reflection of the program. "Coach's rule was all-encompassing. It was about how we carried ourselves in the classroom, at practice and in the public eye," added Como.

3. Push the right buttons

Como said Pecora had a master's degree in psychology without ever studying the discipline. "He knew what each individual needed, some tough love and others that Coach Pecora just kept even keel before matches," explained Como.

Following Como's tough loss to a top-ranked 142-pounder, Pecora called him into his office the next day. After talking with Coach Pecora, he realized he was sabotaging his efforts with self-doubt. "Coach Pecora said to me, 'Como, you are one of the hardest workers and one of the best guys in the country, but until you believe it, it's never gonna happen,'" reflected Como. "From that day until the end of my career, I changed my beliefs and attitude. By the end of the season, I reached the podium at the NCAA tournament," emphasized Como.

4. "Hold onto the rope"

"Coach would often tell us, if you were hanging off a cliff by a rope, you want a teammate who is gonna let that rope burn through their hands before they let go," described Como. Pecora wanted his wrestlers to fight for each other. It was part of being in a family. You do whatever you can to help your family (teammates).

5. Teach a system

"Coach believed in the idea that when you drilled takedowns, for example, you started with all the finishing positions and worked back to setups and hand-fighting," said Como. Como said the Pecora stressed the "little things." Pecora would tell his wrestlers the little things were the difference between success and failure against high-level competition.

6. Relationships

"Despite the many team trophies, State medals, and banners at Burrell, the thing I truly value are the relationships I have formed with my former athletes," said Como. Como modeled what Pecora did with the UPJ wrestlers. Pecora established a "brotherhood" at UPJ, and Como did the same at Burrell.

On Sept. 17, dozens of former wrestlers met at the UPJ wrestling room to memorialize their beloved coach. Wrestlers from six different decades participated in what was called "Coach's Last Practice." The University of Pitt Johnstown's success was a by-product of Pat Pecora's family's first philosophy. Pecora was a father to all of his wrestlers. Teammates were brothers. He was one of the most successful college wrestling coaches in American history.

"To us, he was a second father, mentor, motivator and good friend. He had a profound impact on so many," said Como.