Eric Knuutila, the founding wrestling coach at SUNY Niagara who built a program that produced 37 NJCAA All-Americans and four national champions, died in his sleep between Thursday and Friday while attending the NJCAA championships in Council Bluffs, Iowa, sports.yahoo.com reported. He was 79.
Knuutila spent decades shaping collegiate wrestling in Western New York after starting his coaching tenure at the school in 1973. His death came during a national tournament trip with the team he established 53 years ago, closing a career that spanned generations of student-athletes, regional titles, and hall of fame inductions.
Building SUNY Niagara Wrestling from the Ground Up
Originally from Ithaca, Knuutila attended Corning Community College before transferring to the University at Buffalo. SUNY Niagara hired him in 1973 as the inaugural coach of its varsity wrestling program, a post he maintained for nearly four decades until his retirement from the head coaching role in 2011.
During his 382-200-8 career record, Knuutila’s squads secured 17 Region III team championships and 107 individual Region III titles. He developed four national champions: Willie Moore in 1977, Mark Jurek in 1989, Dan Uhteg in 1991, and Rashad Evans in 2000.
Beyond wrestling, Knuutila led the SUNY Niagara golf team for 16 seasons, guiding the program to a sixth-place finish nationally in 2006. After stepping down as head wrestling coach, he remained with the athletic department as an assistant coach and team historian.
Hall of Fame Honors and Community Legacy
Knuutila’s contributions extended deep into local and regional sports organizations. He helped found the Western New York Wrestling Coaches Association and spent decades supporting youth and high school wrestling.
His career earned him inductions into six distinct halls of fame:
* Greater Buffalo Sports Hall of Fame
* National Wrestling Hall of Fame
* SUNY Niagara Athletic Hall of Fame
* Region III Hall of Fame
* New York State Collegiate Hall of Fame
* NJCAA Hall of Fame
“Coach K built our wrestling program 53 years ago as our head coach and remained a proud assistant coach, historian and overall supporter of the team,” SUNY Niagara athletic director Bob McKeown said in a statement reported by sports.yahoo.com. “Eric has had a tremendous impact on the entire college, the wrestling program, the golf program and all of us.”
Frequently Asked Questions
Where did Eric Knuutila pass away?
Knuutila died in his sleep in Council Bluffs, Iowa, where he was traveling with the SUNY Niagara wrestling team for the NJCAA championships.
How many national champions did Knuutila coach at SUNY Niagara?
He coached four national champions during his tenure: Willie Moore (1977), Mark Jurek (1989), Dan Uhteg (1991), and Rashad Evans (2000).
What sports did Knuutila coach at the college?
In addition to his 38-year tenure leading the wrestling program, he coached the SUNY Niagara golf team for 16 seasons.
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