ROANOKE TIMES
Copyright (c) 1997, Roanoke Times
DATE: Sunday, February 16, 1997 TAG: 9702180049
SECTION: SPORTS PAGE: C-11 EDITION: METRO
DATELINE: BLACKSBURG
SOURCE: CHRIS LANG SPECIAL TO THE ROANOKE TIMES
IT'S BEEN A BIG CHANGE for John Dattalo, but he's made the most of it.
When John Dattalo steps on the mat, he wants his wrestling opponents to know he means business.
More times than not, he gets his message across and intimidates his opponents. And more times than not, he wins.
Dattalo, who wrestles in the 167-pound weight class for Virginia Tech, has compiled a career record of 129-25. The first two years of his career were spent at Campbell University in Buies Creek, N.C.
"Coming out of high school I was going to play football," Dattalo said. "But because of my size, I couldn't play [Division I]. I knew I wanted to play Division I sports, but my high school didn't have a prestigious wrestling program. Campbell ended up being a place I could excel."
Two years ago, Datallo made the decision to transfer to Tech, to give him more challenges on the mat and in the classroom. But it wasn't always easy.
"It was a really big step," Dattalo said. "You're looking at the big fish in a little pond and all of a sudden I'm the little fish in the big pond."
Dattalo's social life suffered after his transfer. Moving from the 7,000 student school in southern North Carolina to a campus of 25,000-plus students was a big step for the native of Brigantine, N.J.
"When I came here, I didn't really know anybody," Dattalo said. "I had two agendas - grades and wrestling. I wanted to excel even more at a bigger school."
For Dattalo and Tech, the marriage has been perfect. Dattalo made his third consecutive trip to the NCAA Tournament last season and was the only Tech wrestler to qualify. He lost both of his matches in the tournament, but gained valuable experience which he hopes will propel him back to the NCAAs this season.
Earlier this season, Dattalo was the only representative for Tech at the Midlands Tournament in Chicago, which features some of the best collegiate wrestlers in the country. He was seeded eighth in the 48-man field, and finished fourth, defeating Bart Horton from seventh-ranked Iowa State along the way. And all the while Dattalo, by himself, placed Tech 24th in the 56-team field.
"That was a great experience," Dattalo said. "That was the closest to the championship level I was going to get. Going up there gave me a lot of experience. It was a stepping stone that gave me a lot of confidence."
But what Dattalo has gained most from Tech is his relationship with head coach Keith Mourlam, who replaced Jerry Cheynet after last season.
Mourlam brings a wealth of experience to the Tech program from being both a wrestler and assistant coach at the University of Iowa, a national powerhouse in the sport.
"The biggest thing I've told him is that it takes a lot of heart to win at this level," Mourlam said. "That's where he's changed the most this season is in his intensity level."
Dattalo's success has not been confined to just the 167-pound weight class. Up until Tech's appearance in the Slippery Rock Invitational in early December, Dattalo wrestled in the 177-pound class. After that meet, the coaches sat down with Dattalo and discussed moving him down in weight classes.
"It was a decision my coaches had made after the Slippery Rock Invitational," Dattalo said. "We were driving back and they thought I should drop to 167. They thought I had a better shot at winning at 167. I made the weight and I feel great. I feel a lot more energy. I feel I'm in very good condition."
Dattalo would like to continue on at Tech, as a graduate assistant and possibly as an assistant coach in the future, a future that looks bright for the Tech program.
"I think this could be the Iowa of the East Coast," Dattalo says with confidence. "Give us five years."
LENGTH: Medium: 77 lines ILLUSTRATION: PHOTO: ALAN KIM STAFF. Virginia Tech wrestler John Dattaloby CNB(right) has a 129-25 record for the Hokies since transferring from
Campbell University.