The late Don Elia ’69 got his start at Maryville College and went on to the wrestling record books
April 13, 2024
Don Elia ’69, a standout in three Maryville College Athletics sports during his undergraduate career and the school’s wrestling coach for seven seasons who was inducted into the MC Wall of Fame in 2000, passed away on March 27 in Savannah, Georgia. He was 83.
A native of New Jersey, he was the son of a single mother, the late Dorothy Beatty, and graduated from Hackettstown High School in 1958. He enrolled in Maryville College the same year, competing for three seasons in football, wrestling and track, lettering for three years in all three sports. On the football field, he competed in Maryville College’s first (and only) bowl win, playing in the 1960 Rocket Bowl and helping the Scots defeat Millsaps College 19-0.
On the track team, he competed in the shot put, javelin and discus matches, but it was the wrestling mat on which he excelled. With a three-year record of 58 wins and six losses, he led the team every year in pins and wins, notching a 28-match consecutive winning streak and eventually leaving MC early to return to coach at his high school alma mater. He returned to Maryville College in 1967, however, completing his degree in Elementary Education in 1969, as well as a master’s in college student personnel and counseling from the University of Tennessee in 1973.
Beginning his collegiate coaching career as an assistant on both the football and wrestling teams, he was named head wrestling coach in 1970, and over the course of seven seasons led his teams to a 93-35-1 record with six All-Americans. After MC, he was named head wrestling coach at Carson-Newman College (now Carson-Newman University), where over the course of 30 years, he established the school’s wrestling program and served as director of financial aid.
After retiring from Carson-Newman in 1978, he created a nonprofit to support wrestling in East Tennessee and spent another six seasons leading the wrestling team at East Tennessee State University, eventually retiring in 2016. He’s one of only seven coaches in the history of collegiate wrestling to reach or surpass 500 wins, and in addition to the MC Wall of Fame, was inducted into the NAIA Wrestling Hall of Fame (in 2000) and the NCAA National Wrestling Hall of Fame (in 2007). For 41 years straight, he coached wrestlers who consistently qualified for the National Championships, eventually helping 203 of them participate, 28 earn All-American honors and 21 others win National Championships.
He is survived by his wife Colleen; children Christy Brooks and John Elia; and five grandchildren. A private celebration of life was organized by the family.
