Tony Scordo

Wrestling, Coaching, Class of 2010

Tony Scordo built an outstanding career as both a wrestler and a coach, dedicating decades to developing athletes in Warren County. As a high school athlete, Scordo excelled in baseball, football, and wrestling, earning four varsity letters in wrestling. Known as “Tiny Tony Scordo,” he was an all-star catcher and a dynamic running back who averaged more than six yards per carry. Wrestling, however, proved to be his greatest strength. Competing at 120 pounds, he won District championships in 1956 and 1957, followed by a regional championship in 1957. At the PIAA State Championships, Scordo pinned the defending state champion and earned a silver medal.

His accomplishments later earned him induction into the Tyrone Wrestling Hall of Fame in 2002. Scordo continued his wrestling career at Penn State University on a scholarship, becoming a four-year starter at 130 pounds for the Nittany Lions. In 1960, he helped Penn State capture the Eastern Intercollegiate Wrestling Championship, and in 1961 he earned a fourth-place finish in the conference tournament.

Scordo began his coaching career in 1964 as a physical education teacher at Beaty Junior High School in Warren, coaching junior high football and track and field. He later spent approximately a decade as an assistant wrestling coach at Warren Area High School before taking over as head coach. Under his leadership, the Dragons achieved significant success, including winning the prestigious Christmas Tournament team championship in 1970. Throughout his coaching tenure, he guided numerous district, sectional, and regional champions to the PIAA State Championships.

One notable accomplishment came in 1984, when Jerry Graziano earned a fourth-place finish at the state tournament. Scordo’s teams also demonstrated their dominance in dual-meet competition, recording shutout victories over Bradford, 60-0, and Venango Christian, 66-0, during the mid-1980s. Beyond victories and championships, Scordo was known for praising his wrestlers, encouraging them to reach their potential, and serving as a mentor to generations of young athletes. His lifelong ambition was to become a coach, a goal he fulfilled through years of teaching, leading, and inspiring others. To his students and athletes, he was more than a teacher or mentor—he was simply known as “Coach.”