May 15, 2012
Troy Letters, 29, a 2001 Shaler High grad and former PIAA & NCAA Division I Champion, who was the assistant head coach at Clarion University during the 2011-12 season, was named today as the Interim Head Wrestling Coach for the Golden Eagles by Athletic Director Dave Katis.
 
Letters replaces Matt Dernlan, who was the Golden Eagles head coach in 2012 and accepted the head coaching position at Binghamton University today.
 
“I am very happy to announce the hiring of Troy Letters as the Interim Wrestling Coach at Clarion,” said Katis. “We were impressed this season with the job Troy did in preparing our team for the rigors of NCAA Division I wrestling both on and off the mat. Troy is an outstanding person with strong character and leadership skills, plus brings a strong wrestling expertise to the program. We feel he is the right person to continue to move our program forward and back to national prominence. We are very fortunate to have him leading our program,” he continued. “We are making this announcement today to show how much we believe in Troy and feel it shows Clarion’s commitment to a strong, competitive NCAA Division I Wrestling program.” 
 
“I am truly honored to be named the interim head coach here at Clarion and look forward to continuing the job that Matt (Dernlan) and I started on a year ago, which is returning Clarion’s storied NCAA Division I wrestling tradition back to national prominence,” said Letters. “My dream was to become a Division I head coach at a quality program, and I truly believe I have found a home at Clarion.”
 
Letters came to Clarion a year ago from Penn State, where he spent the previous three years helping develop Nittany Lion wrestlers. In 2008-09 he was the Director of Wrestling Operations, and his last two years (2009-10; 2010-11) as an assistant coach. Penn State won the NCAA Division I National Championship in 2011 with Cael Sanderson as head coach.
 
A native of Pittsburgh and a 2001 graduate of Shaler High School, Letters wrestled under coach Rick Laferriere and compiled a 145-5 record at Shaler and won PIAA State titles as a junior in 2000 (152-pounds) and a senior in 2001 (160-pounds). He also placed second at PIAA’s as a sophomore in 1999 (145-pounds). He had over 100 falls in his high school career and as a senior won the Wade Schalles Pinner Award (former Golden Eagle standout) for most falls in a single season.

 Letters went on to wrestle at Lehigh under coach Greg Strobel and amassed a career record of 115-9 (31 falls) from 2003-2006. Troy was an NCAA runner-up as a freshman in 2003 at 165-pounds with a season record of 34-2, then won the NCAA D-I title at 165 in 2004 with a record of 36-1. He placed third at nationals in 2005 at 165-pounds with a record of 27-1 and qualified for nationals his senior year, but an injury kept him out the second half of the year and hampered him at nationals. Troy was a 3-time EIWA Champion and had a dual meet career record of 65-2.
 
After graduating from Lehigh with a degree in Political Science, he was the head assistant coach at Princeton in 2006-07 and then ran his own wrestling club for a year before joining the Penn State staff.
 
“I have great memories of Clarion – especially coming to wrestling camp here as a youth wrestler, and remember the tradition that Clarion enjoyed then,” reflected Letters. “We used to come to matches and root for Clarion. Hopefully I can take what I’ve learned in the past year here at Clarion, as a coach at Penn State and as a wrestler and apply that knowledge to help our wrestlers become their absolute best. Wrestling is a blue collar sport and Clarion is a blue collar community. I love being part of this community and look forward to working with the administration, staff, faculty, wrestlers and the community and look forward to making Clarion a special place in the wrestling world.”
 
Letters and wife Concepcion have daughters Blythe and Concetta. The family resides in Clarion. Troy is the son of Jeff and Kathy Letters.
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Keith Ferraro, 31, a native of Brookville, Pa. and an assistant coach at Brookville High School since 2006, was named today as the assistant wrestling coach at Clarion University, it was announced by Athletic Director Dave Katis.

Ferraro joins new Clarion Interim Head Wrestling coach Troy Letters, to form a new staff for the 2012-13 wrestling season. Letters replaced former head coach Matt Dernlan on May 15, who took a similar position at Binghamton University.

“I am very happy to announce the hiring of Keith Ferraro as our assistant wrestling coach at Clarion,” said Katis. “We were very impressed with Keith during his interview. He has a strong commitment to Clarion University, to our ideals of what a student-athlete should be, and a dedication to the sport of wrestling that will be extremely beneficial to our student-athletes and our program. The program is in good hands with Troy Letters and Keith Ferraro leading the way.”

Ferraro, the son of legendary Brookville Head Wrestling coach Lenny Ferraro, is a native of Brookville, Pa. and a 1999 Brookville High Grad. He wrestled 2 ½ years for his father, before his passing, and then finished his junior and then senior year under head coach Thad Turner. At Brookville Ferraro was a three-time District Champion 112-Fr.; 125-So.; 135-Sr.) and was part of the 1999 Brookville High School Dual Meet State Championship Team.

Keith went on to attend Lock Haven University, was part of the wrestling program for four seasons (2000 – 2003) and graduated in December of 2003 with a degree in Health and Physical Education. A volunteer coach at Central Mountain in the seasons of 2003 and 2004, Ferraro was the head coach at Brockway in the 2005 season, then took a position to teach at Brookville High School and became the assistant coach under Dave Klepfer since 2006. In the 2011-12 season Brookville advanced 13 wrestlers to regionals, 5 to the PIAA Championships and as a team placed fourth in the state dual meet championships.

“I am thrilled to have Keith Ferraro as my assistant coach,” said Clarion mentor Troy Letters. “I knew after the interviews he was the man for the job. He is fully committed to building Clarion wrestling back to national prominence,” he continued. “I believe Keith will be a strong recruiter, he has close ties with PIAA coaches and wrestlers across the state and has a very unique insight into PA. wrestling. Keith knows the Clarion Tradtion, grew up appreciating it, and is now part of rebuilding our tradition. I know he will dedicate himself to help us reach our national goals and we welcome him into the Clarion family.”

“I first want to thank Coach Letters and Mr. Katis for having faith in me and my abilities and giving me the opportunity to coach here at Clarion University,” said Ferraro. “I am so looking forward to coaching at Clarion and helping Troy build the tradition back at Clarion. “

Why Clarion – Ferraro was asked?

“This is a great opportunity,” said the new Clarion assistant. “I have a lot of faith and respect for Coach Letters – I feel he is the right head coach at the right time here at Clarion. I also have such great memories growing up and watching some of the wrestling greats come through Tippin gym. Guys like Kurt Angle, Sheldon Thomas, Bryan Stout and Mark Angle – just to name a few. And of course what coach Bob Bubb did for wrestling here. I want to be part of building that tradition back.”

Ferraro and wife Meghan reside in Brookville with sons Lenny (2 ½; Vincent – 7 weeks).