A visit with WPIAL champion coach Chuck Tursky

Former Kiski Area coach Chuck Tursky (right) with current coach Chris Heater (left)

Background Info: Former Kiski Area coach Chuck Tursky is the WPIAL's all-time winningest wrestling coach. Turky compiled a 505-143-2 record in 36 years. His coaching career began with a 7-year stint at Burrell, where he posted a 50-66-1 record. He took over at Kiski Area in 1987 and led the Cavaliers to a 455-77 record in 29 seasons. He led the Cavaliers to two WPIAL Class 3A titles in 1997 and 2003, and was named WPIAL Coach of the Year both years. He was also voted PIAA Coach of the Year in 2003. He has been inducted into the Pennsylvania Wrestling Coaches Association Hall of Fame, Southwestern Pennsylvania Wrestling Hall of Fame, Slippery Rock Athletic Hall of Fame, Alle-Kiski Valley Sports Hall of Fame, Kiski Area High School Hall of Fame, and was recognized with a Lifetime Service to Wrestling Award from the Pennsylvania chapter of the National Wrestling Hall of Fame. Tursky, a graduate of Riverview High School and Slippery Rock University, is now serving as Chris Heater's assistant at Kiski Area. Heater was Tursky's assistant for 386 of his career victories."

How Chuck Tursky got into wrestling?
"The summer before my freshman year at Riverview High School, I practiced basketball all summer long. Before the basketball season began, the wrestling coach came to me and said they needed a heavyweight. He asked if I could do this? I wasn't even sure how the scoring went when I lost my first wrestle-off. I won the next wrestle-off and started all four years."

Tursky relates his college wrestling experience
"I went to Slippery Rock with thoughts of wrestling and playing football, but decided to concentrate on wrestling. It was too demanding to do both sports. I was a better football player than a wrestler, but college had an unlimited weight class at the time. I wrestled guys who were 320-340 pounds, or even bigger. That forced me to really learn how to wrestle. I'm only 6-foot-1 and in college I was 245 pounds. I had to learn how to not get under people. Weight is leverage and height is leverage, and I didn't have either. I had to be a good wrestler. I had to really learn how to wrestle. That has helped me as a coach. I started all four years in college and placed second, third, and fourth in the Eastern Region, but didn't qualify for nationals."

Tursky's WPIAL championship experience
"We've been to the WPIAL Team Tournament final four as many times as any school since the tournament began. The first year we won was 1997. That title pushed the program to the next level. They didn't have the PIAA Team Tournament back then. Our second WPIAL title was in 2003. We also placed second in the state that year. People always ask me which team was better. I can't pick between the two. Both are very special to me."

Tursky's thoughts on the 2003 PIAA Team Tournament
"That was our first appearance in the PIAA Team Tournament. We faced State College in the semifinals. Everybody expected State College to be in the finals, but we pulled the upset. We were still celebrating in the locker room when the PIAA officials told us we had to wrestle in the title match. We just were not ready to wrestle that quickly and lost to Easton in the finals. If we had an hour to get ready for that match, it would have been different."

Tursky's thoughts on winning two more WPIAL team titles as an assistant coach
"Chris Heater has done a great job as the head coach. We've been together for 29 years. The two WPIAL titles we've won with me as an assistant (2017 and 2018) mean just as much to me as the other two titles. All four have special meaning. And I'm sure Chris would say the same thing. I also want to recognize Don Toy, who has been a loyal assistant for 26 years. Having three coaches around as long as the three of us has given Kiski's wrestling program stability."

Tursky's thoughts on being the winningest coach in WPIAL history
"It is a great feat. I never had goals like this when I started coaching and never thought I would be coaching this long. I just kept on accumulating more and more wins. I was suprised to see that I reached 300, then 400, and then 500. I really enjoy coaching the kids. This is my 40th year of coaching. I've enjoyed it so much. I've been so lucky and blessed to be in this sport."