SCRANTON, Pa. -- The Lackawanna College Athletics Department is happy to announce the hiring of the coach who started it all, as John Fox makes his triumphant return to the Lackawanna College wrestling program as head coach for both the men's and women's teams.

"I am very grateful for the opportunity to come back to Lackawanna College," says Fox, who helped start the men's program and was the coach for the first four seasons of its existence, "I had such a wonderful experience helping the athletics department build the wrestling program from the ground up."

A northeast PA native, Fox has the respect of the local sports and wrestling communities. A graduate of West Scranton HS, Fox was a four-year starter for the Invaders on the mat, serving as team captain for three years. He won 105 matches in his career, and was a four-time Lackawanna League All-Star, while winning a pair of district championships and qualifying for the Northeast Regionals all four seasons of competition. Fox attended Wilkes, where he wrestled for two years and was a starter for the Colonels before an injury ended his career. Fox earned a Bachelor's degree in Education, then got a Master's degree in Classroom Technology from Wilkes. He currently lives in Taylor and is a teacher in the Riverside School District.

Fox came to Lackawanna as an accomplished local wrestling coach in NEPA, starting at Scranton Preparatory School in 1998, before joining his alma mater at West Scranton to take over as the junior high coach. Fox built the junior Invaders into a local power house, capturing four league championships in six seasons. He would go on to become an assistant with the varsity program in 2005, then took over as head coach in the 06-07 season. Fox was the head coach and co-head coach for the next eleven years, winning a pair of district championships, compiling 83 wins in dual meets, and helping 28 student-athletes become regional qualifiers.

"We are thrilled to welcome John Fox back to our team," says Erik Larson, Director of Athletics at Lackawanna College. "With a proven track record of success and a passion for excellence, coach Fox is poised to rejuvenate our men's and women's wrestling programs. His vision and leadership will undoubtedly inspire our athletes and take our programs to new heights."

Fox originally left the West Scranton program to become the first-ever head coach for Lackawanna College wrestling back in 2017. He helped put the Lackawanna College program on the map, immediately sending five wrestlers to the NJCAA Championship tournament in year one. By year two, Fox had eight national qualifiers, including Nate White, who finished eighth at 133 lbs., the best finish in school history at a national tournament. In all, Fox had 20 national qualifiers in his four years in charge, and secured a Region XIX championship for the Falcons, before stepping aside after the 2021 spring season.

"The reason why Lackawanna College is a great place to be a student-athlete is because of the people that work here," said Fox. "It's an environment that genuinely cares about people, and it's why I'm so excited to work here again."

Fox will head both the men's and women's wrestling programs for Lackawanna College. He will have assistants for both squads, as Kevin Roginski will help on the men's team, and Kate Fox will return to Lackawanna College as the assistant for the women's side. Kate, who is John Fox's wife, was an assistant with the program previously.

"I want them to be the best students, best wrestlers, and best people that they can be," says Fox about his vision for his student-athletes at Lackawanna College, "I want them to enjoy themselves in this process.

"I can't wait to see what the futures holds for this program."

Last year's Lackawanna squad was sophomore-laden, and sent six student-athletes to the national tournament, the second straight year where the Falcons had six qualifiers. Coach Fox will begin work immediately on recruiting and putting a roster together to compete for the 2024-2025 season.