National Wrestling Director Connolly is a product of the great wrestling tradition of Iowa.

As a high school wrestler he:

• Wrestled 138
• Team Captain (two years)
• District Champion and District Runner-Up
• Never was pinned his entire high school career
• Pinned 70% of opponents his senior year

After high school Connolly wrestled at 150 as he helped Coe College (Iowa) win a conference championship. He also was a member of “Guts Club” during his time at Coe and never missed a practice. He brought this determination and success to his coaching career. Coach Connolly’s Dubuque Senior High School teams accomplished the following:

• 28 State Qualifiers
• 1 State Champion 145 pounds
• 6 State Finalists: 103, 130, 145, 145, 145, 152
• 19 State Place Winners

A testament to his success as a coach and a mentor is the fact that all of his assistants are his former wrestlers that went to college and came back to be part of the Ram’s wrestling program.

Connolly also has a very impressive educational resume as he earned a BS in Industrial Technology Education from Northern Iowa University, a Masters in Teaching Technology Education AND a Masters in Principal and Evaluating K-12.