Dennis Papadatos Opens Up About His New Role

“My heart and soul is Hofstra wrestling.” These are the words that were repeated a handful of times by former Hofstra Head Coach, Dennis Papadatos. He continued, “I was the head coach for my alma mater where I also grew up, in my backyard. While I was the head coach, we hosted the NCAA tournament at Madison Square Garden. Not many people get to say that.” 

The passion and emotion in his voice were very clear, as he discussed his newly acquired role in the athletic department – stepping away from coaching entirely. His new role as Assistant Director of Athletics for Athletic Development and Strategic Partnerships may sound intimidating to some, but Dennis was the guy the athletic department wanted for the job since it became available. When it comes to developing (and keeping) relationships, fundraising, and strategizing long-term, Dennis proved over his 20 years of experience that he was the best man for this role. He has all the tools a head coach needs outside of the wrestling aspect, including a Master’s in Higher Education Leadership – which is his second master’s degree. He worked in sales before getting into coaching as well. 

Years of coaching at a mid-major school takes “a grinder” as the coach put it. You need to fundraise nonstop, put in the miles for recruiting, and keep current wrestlers happy to avoid the possibility of them going into the dreaded transfer portal – which has become almost the norm as of late. The job is almost never-ending when you want to compete, and win. “I was so wrapped up in this life, I feel like I missed out on family. I was there, but I wasn’t THERE” Coach Papadatos explained with emphasis on the latter “there.”

Then he continued, “My mind was always spinning – I need to call this alum back. I need to send this quick email. I need to call this recruit. This week’s practice plan isn’t done yet…” I envisioned the inside of Coach’s head spinning like the classic cartoon of a hamster running on a hamster wheel until it becomes too much and just goes for a ride on the wheel. If you know Dennis, you know his high-energy personality. He will still be able to be himself in his new role, but he’ll be able to “shut it off” much more often in comparison to being a coach. 

Dennis always had a dream of taking on an athletic director-type role. He had a plan of doing this at around age 55 (then eventually – age 50), but when the opportunity arose shortly after his 46th birthday, it was hard to turn down. “I knew I didn’t want to retire as a coach. I could not see myself being in the room at like age 60. That’s just not me.” His future plans to potentially move down south once his three kids are in college were taken into consideration. “An administration role is a lot easier to transfer down south compared to a wrestling coach. There are many more options in this type of role, across many levels of higher education.

The athletic department approached Dennis in April. After turning down the job a handful of times, it finally set in that this may be the opportunity he was looking for. The key turning point could have been when Dennis was still the head coach. He was recruiting five or six recruits from the transfer portal only a few weeks after NCAAs. Within a few days, they all committed to Power-5 schools. The “grind” mentioned earlier comes with a heavy price when things do not turn out in your favor. Shortly after this - with some nudging from his wife and multiple people within the athletic department, plus some further self-reflection - Dennis accepted the job in late April. 

“How can I pass up an opportunity that’s better for my future, just because it’s not on the exact timeline I wanted to do it?” When the coach puts it this way, it makes too much sense. He even jokingly asked if the department could hold the position for him for two more years – as he laughed knowing how silly that question must have been in the moment. It takes great courage to admit what Dennis did when he said “I am just not sure how much longer I can put all of this emotional energy into coaching. I did not want to be a disservice to the university and wrestling program that I love.” 

Along the same lines, he continued, “There are not a ton of people in administration who support wrestling… maybe the best thing I can do for Hofstra wrestling, and for the sport, is to bite the bullet and step back from the position that everyone wants. Maybe the best thing for me to do is be an advocate for the sport on ‘the other side.’” Dennis was much more philosophical than I anticipated coming into this discussion. It goes to show how deeply he has thought about this and how hard the decision was for him and his family. 

As with any major decision, Dennis had questioned if this was the best option moving forward. Will he regret it? Did he make the right choice? In the end, he believes he can be of more assistance to the wrestling program (and other non-revenue sports) at Hofstra in his current role. He can help fundraise for multiple sports – not just wrestling. He can help coordinate NIL deals for all athletes – not just wrestlers. Corporate sponsorship can go a long way to helping create revenue for sports like wrestling. Hofstra has a contract with Madison Square Garden. You can bet Dennis will be pushing to have NCAA’s back at the historic venue in the future. Things like this can help bring many eyes (and money) to an athletic department like Hofstra. 

Of course, it should be noted that he will not have a direct report to wrestling – due to the obvious conflict of interest and allowing the new coach to come in with a fresh mindset and “make it his program.” Maybe down the line, things will change. Dennis was in agreement with this rationale, as he feels he should step away and possibly come back in a few years once the new coach is up and running full steam ahead. “Ultimately, my goal is to alleviate the headache of excessive fundraising for the next coach.” Without this emphasis, more focus can be turned toward recruiting, developing wrestlers, and other things that make a wrestling program great. 

Although Dennis is not officially on the search committee for the new coach, he will be able to voice his opinion on future candidates. The athletic department trusts Dennis enough to offer his honest opinion on potential options. It is still very early in the coaching search, as the job is still open. There have not been any initial phone calls or interviews, but Dennis has a general idea of who the likely candidate would be. Papadatos stated “The new coach will need to get his hands dirty and fundraise. You need that at a small school.” His opinion is that the new coach would have experience with the administrative aspect at a similar-sized school. The ideal candidate would be younger and be ready to grind. He’s expecting a quick decision and no drastic changes to the resources – meaning do not expect a David Taylor to Oklahoma State type of hire. This is important to understand. The new coach will need to recognize this and work with the available resources. Let’s not get it twisted - Hofstra does not lack traditional resources. The program is a fully funded (9.9 scholarship) program with two full-time assistants. The extra resources mentioned are the extravagant multi-million-dollar facilities that are a drop in the bucket at larger schools – just as an example. 

When asked if the new coach needs connections to Long Island, Dennis was not married to that idea. “Long Island is down. I’m a Long Island guy – it’s down. I hate to admit it” East Coast ties are important, according to him. “You must be able to recruit New York, Pennsylvania, and New Jersey,” he mentioned. “The New England states are improving also.” This makes sense, as these areas are drivable to Hofstra’s campus on Long Island. 

Hopefully, in a month we will have a better understanding of who will be picked to be the new head coach. No matter who becomes the next coach Dennis explained, “I want the next coach to come in and win. I want the kids I recruited to win. I will do everything I can to help support them while being a fan in the stands.” I’m sure this will be a bittersweet but refreshing change of pace for him. On behalf of all wrestling fans, thank you, Dennis, for your contributions as a coach – and for your future contributions to the sport of wrestling in your next role.