William Racich, Ursinus College
Wrestling College – 1980-2018
William Racich was a legend in collegiate wrestling. Racich had been the Bears head coach since 1980 before passing away in the fall of 2018. He ranks first in wins among all men's single-sport coaches ever to serve at the college, fourth on the NCAA's all-time list for all divisions, and second among all active coaches. Under Racich, Ursinus established itself as the flagship program of the Centennial Conference. The Bears won 11 CC championships, including five in a row from 2003-07 to become the only school in league history to accomplish that feat. Racich coached 56 Centennial Conference champions and over two hundred Middle Atlantic Conference and Centennial Conference place-winners, and has seen 17 All-Americans and two CoSIDA Academic All-Americans go through his program. Five Ursinus wrestlers have won the prestigious Chris Clifford Award, while six others were named Outstanding Wrestler at the CC championship meet. A coach for the better part of four decades, Racich brought an incredible enthusiasm for his role as a teacher and mentor, and leaves behind a legion of student-athletes who were forever changed for the better by his presence.
As a head coach, Racich was named Coach of the Year 13 times over his time in the Pennsylvania Ches-Mont League, Middle Atlantic Conference, Centennial Conference, and NCAA East Regional. During Racich's storied career at Ursinus, the Bears never had a losing season; his 1988-89 team set the current standard of 21 dual-meet wins. Racich was inducted into the Ursinus College Hall of Fame for Athletics in 2005.
Ursinus HOF Page