The wrestling career of former Hononegah-great Tony Cassioppi, which has unfolded right in front of our eyes, has gone from youth and high school powerhouse to big-time college standout to rising international star and now to Big Ten Conference coach.
And now that Cassioppi, the kingpin of the six-children family of wrestling powers from Rockton, has recently accepted a position as an assistant wrestling coach with the University of Wisconsin, his competitive career just may be over.
More: Tony Cassioppi accepts position as assistant wrestling coach at Wisconsin, a former rival
Most of his siblings are just getting going, though.
His next youngest brother Giovanni is the assistant women's wrestling coach at Chadron State College in Chadron, Nebraska; his next youngest sister Rose is headed into her sophom*ore season as a wrestler on the University of Iowa women's team; his other younger sister Angelina will be a senior at Hononegah this year, and will be going for her fourth straight IHSA state title; and his two younger brothers, twins Bruno and Rocco, are headed into their sophom*ore year at Hononegah after a powerful start for both.
Tony has set the bar high for all of them, though.
He is a four-time USA Wrestling Fargo national champion and a two-time Triple Crown winner. He won gold at the 2021 U23 Men's Freestyle World Championships in Belgrade, Serbia, and he earned bronze at the 2022 U23 World Championships in Pontevedra, Spain. He is a two-time world age-group medalist, and a four-time NCAA All-American during his time with the Iowa Hawkeyes.
He recently returned home to Rockton for a youth wrestling camp, where he sat down with our own Jay Taft and talked about a wide range of subjects. Here are some of the highlights:
So why did it end that way at Iowa? (He was suspended by the NCAA for his final season of eligibility due to a controversial betting probe.)
"I mean, listen, somebody in there, they geofenced the entire campus, and I don't know how, but I got mixed up in it all. So in the end, I guess you could say losing my senior year of eligibilty was not ideal.
"But it is what it is. I moved forward. I can't go back. I can't change anything about it. I'm just moving forward.
"I've kept training, I graduated with my Masters in May — Masters of Finance. And I'm doing great."
What was your experience like at the Olympic trials back in April at Penn State University in University Park, Pennsylvania?
"Oh, man. Well, I lost on criteria in the first match, and never really got it back again. I lost again, and that was it. The winner of that is on the Olympic team, so I had to wrestle my best, and I didn't. And that's it: win that, and you're on the team. Don't win it, and that's it."
What weight did you wrestle at after leaving Iowa?
"I've been walking around at 220 right now. It's crazy, this is the lightest I've been since... yeah, when I was like a freshman in high school."
How excited are you about starting your life as a wrestling coach at the University of Wisconsin?
"This is going to be such an exciting chapter of my life... I've known it's coming, and now it's here."
How weird is it to not have any tournaments or matches coming up? That hasn't happened since, well, since when?
"Since I was like 5. (He laughs.) No tournaments coming up. (He exhales.) Right now I'm more focused on coaching. We'll see if I get that drive to compete again. I'll be wrestling in the room and a lot of stuff, obviously. But right now, I'm kind of focusing on coaching."
How cool is it that your sister is following in your footsteps in wrestling at Iowa, and going for it internationally, too?
"She redshirted last year, and now, she's ready. I let her do her thing, though. If she ever needs anything she just asks me and I'll help her. But I'm just being her brother, mostly. She's in a good place. She's good. She's ready."
(And Tony's sister Rose, who is getting set to start her sophom*ore season on the University of Iowa's women's wrestling team, said about Tony:)
"He's always looking for bigger and better things," Rose said. "And he usually finds it."
Jay Taftis a Rockford Register Star sports reporter. Email him atjtaft@rrstar.comand follow him on X, formerly Twitter, at@JayTaft.Sign upfor the Rockford High School Sports Newsletter here at rrstar.com.Jay has covered a variety of sports, from the Chicago Bears and Blackhawks to local youth sports, since the turn of the century at the Register Star.
This article originally appeared on Rockford Register Star: Q&A: Tony Cassioppi reflects on Hononegah and Iowa wrestling career
