PISCATAWAY, N.J. – An influential presence in the Rutgers wrestling room for more than a decade,
Joe Pollard has been elevated to assistant coach, announced today by head coach
Scott Goodale. Now entering his 12th season with the Scarlet Knights, Pollard has spent the past five seasons as the program's director of operations and has been "On the Banks" since 2011.
"Nobody deserves this role more than Joe, who has been the heart and soul of this program for more than a decade," Goodale said. "He has dedicated his life to Rutgers Wrestling and the success of our student-athletes both on and off the mat. We're excited for Joe to take on this new opportunity within our program as we continue to build this team into one of the best in the country."
"I'm extremely grateful for the belief Scott and Donny have in me to continue to help elevate Rutgers wrestling," Pollard said. "My passion for this program runs through my veins, and I look forward to recruiting student-athletes to Rutgers and helping them develop in my new role on the staff. The 'Relentless Pursuit' continues."
With Pollard on staff, Rutgers has become one of the most recognizable programs in the country, as the Scarlet Knights have produced two individual national champions, five individual conference titles, 17 All-Americans in the past nine seasons and multiple All-Americans at the last six NCAA Championships. Since his first season with RU in 2011-12, Rutgers has earned eight top 25 finishes in the NWCA Division I Coaches Poll.
Rutgers closed the 2021-22 season with its most dual wins (16) since 2012-13 and its highest final ranking in the NWCA Coaches Poll (14) since 2017. RU qualified seven to the 2022 NCAA Championships – the most since 2017 – and had all participants score at the national tournament.
Greg Bulsak (197) and
Sebastian Rivera (141) added All-America honors to make it seven consecutive seasons with multiple All-Americans at NCAAs. With his bronze medal, Rivera became the fourth individual to secure a top-three finish at nationals in program history.
Pollard joined the Scarlet Knights for the 2011-12 season after spending seven seasons as an assistant coach at The College of New Jersey under legendary coach Dave Icenhower. While at TCNJ, Pollard helped the Lions reach new heights as 18 wrestlers earned All-America honors under Pollard's tutelage. For his successes at TCNJ, Pollard was named NCAA Division III National Assistant Coach of the Year in 2007.
Prior to accepting the position at TCNJ, Pollard was a three-year varsity starter at Rider University. While at Rider, Pollard was a two-time Josh Hanson Award winner, given to the wrestler who demonstrates exceptional leadership, work ethic and academics.
A placewinner at the Prep Nationals as a student at the Peddie School, Pollard was a New Jersey State qualifier. A two-time first-team All-County selection, he was also a three-time County Champion and earned Most Outstanding Wrestler honors at the Mercer County tournament.
Pollard currently resides in Hamilton, New Jersey with his wife, Britt. They are the proud parents of their son, Duke, daughter, Mila, and son, Crew.
