Of all the great wrestlers that graced the Alumni Gym mat, only
15 achieved All-New England four times. Tony Masullo was one of two
who accomplished the feat first.
Masullo began his career at 126 pounds. As a freshman he posted
a record of 12-3-1 in dual meets with three pins, and began his
string of All-New England performances with a fifth-place showing
at the conference meet. A year later he registered 13 wins and a
draw in 15 dual bouts and improved his All-New England finish by a
spot.
“Tony, coupled with teammate Dave Wilson, made an
immediate impact on the WPI wrestling team,” recalls Hall of
Fame Coach Phil Grebinar. Their success and leadership was the
turning point in creating the success of WPI wrestling.”
Victories continued to follow him as he moved to 134 pounds
during his final two years on Boynton Hill. He amassed a record of
14-3 as a junior during the 1978-79 campaign and placed third at
the New Englands. Predictably, Masullo had even more success as a
senior, winning a career-best 15 matches and earning his fourth
All-New England distinction by reaching the championship match at
the conference championships.
“Crusher was the most disciplined teammate I knew in all
my years wrestling,” says teammate and fellow Hall of Famer
Dave Wilson. “He was a great team leader with the mental
toughness and pound-for-pound strength that elevated him to the
great WPI career he had. He was a pleasure to have as a four-year
teammate and I will treasure our friendship for a
lifetime.”
Despite tremendous accomplishments by dozens of outstanding
wrestlers since, Masullo’s name still stands prominently in
the WPI record book. He is fourth all-time in wins with 54 and he
amassed the third-highest point total in program history with
252.
“During his four years at WPI, Tony may have been the
inventor of time management,” continues Grebinar. “You
could set your watch by Tony’s rigorous schedule as a
chemical engineering major. From his daily morning runs and weight
lifting, to his time in class, along with his work study job in the
equipment room with Jan B., to the daily wrestling practices, he
may have been the most structured WPI wrestler ever. This supreme
work effort made Tony both an outstanding student and an
outstanding wrestler.
Tony graduated from WPI with a degree in chemical engineering
and in 1985 received an MBA from Rensselaer. He has spent his
career with Pfizer, where he currently serves as director of
enterprise resource planning. He and his wife, Ann, reside in
Mystic, Conn., and are the proud parents of Stephen, Cara, and
Andrea.
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