Hofstra University Athletics

Dennis Papadatos enters his 10th season as the Hofstra Head Wrestling Coach in 2023-24. A two-time NCAA Division I NCAA National Championship qualifier for the Pride, Papadatos was named the 12th head coach in the history of the Hofstra University Wrestling program on August 4, 2014.

During the 2022-23 season, Papadatos led the Pride to a 5-6 record and a 12th-place EIWA finish with four placewinners. Two wrestlers - Jacob Ferreira and Trey Rogers - qualified for the NCAA Championships. He completed his eighth season as head coach in 2021-22, as the Pride went 4-11 in dual meets against a schedule that featured five nationally-ranked opponents. Hofstra placed 12th in the team competition at the 2022 EIWA Championships with three placewinners. Zachary Knighton-Ward represented the Pride at the 2022 NCAA Championships. 

In his seventh season at the helm in 2020-21, the Pride finished 2-1 in dual meets and scored their best finish at an EIWA Championship - 4th - since 2014 and saw Holden Heller win the 157-pound weight class to become the first Hofstra wrestler to win a conference title since 2014. In addition, seven Hofstra wrestlers - Vinny Vespa, Greg Gaxiola, Holden Heller, Ricky Stamm, Charles Small, Trey Rogers, and Zachary Knighton-Ward - qualified for the 2021 NCAA Championships, the most since 2011.

He completed his sixth season in charge of the Pride's fortunes in 2019-20 and has brought a renewed atmosphere of dedication and commitment, both on and off the mat, to the Hofstra wrestling program. Under his direction, the Pride posted a 7-0 EIWA record and an 11-5 overall mark in 2019-20. He coached the Pride to a 10th-place finish at the EIWA Championships. The Pride had five wrestlers place at the EIWA's and two wrestlers - Ricky Stamm and Zachary Knighton-Ward - earn bids to NCAA Championships. A third, Sage Heller, was selected as a first alternate. In addition, Hofstra had its first All-American since 2012 in Michael Hughes at 285 in 2018.

The team has also fared well academically under Papadatos' watch. Hofstra has consistently been at the top of the rankings in team grade point average in the country among Division I programs, and has produced numerous NWCA Scholar All-Americans and EIWA Academic Achievement Award recipients. 

Papadatos, a native of Bethpage, New York, was a four-year starter at Hofstra under then-head coach Tom Ryan from 1997 to 2001 and recorded 95 career victories. At 157 pounds, he qualified for the NCAA Championships in 1999-00 after earning a New York State championship and a second-place finish in the ECWA Championships. He returned to nationals as a senior in 2000-01 after winning the ECWA title with three straight victories.

Papadatos has served an assistant coach with three well-respected Division I wrestling programs, including two seasons at North Carolina under head coach C.D. Mock before coming back to his alma mater. At Chapel Hill Papadatos served as the recruiting coordinator, where he helped the Tar Heels post a top-10 recruiting class for 2014 following a top-20 ranked class in 2013. He was also responsible for the program’s budget, travel logistics, compliance and the student-athletes’ academic progress.

As a key member of Mock’s staff in running practices, he helped work with the upper weight classes and was part of a coaching unit that saw nine North Carolina wresters qualify for the NCAA Championships. Under his tutelage, North Carolina earned its first All-America selection in eight seasons when Evan Henderson earned the spot at 141 pounds in 2013. Henderson would follow that up with another All-America selection in 2014, becoming UNC's first two-time All-American since 2005 and also the highest finisher in nearly two decades as he finished in fourth place.

North Carolina also finished in the top 25 at the NCAA Championships in 2013 and 2014, marking the first time since 1996 and 1997 that the Tar Heels had finished in the top 25 in back-to-back seasons. He helped coach Tar Heels to a 21st-place team finish in 2013, which was the program’s best showing since 1996.

The Tar Heels had success in the classroom as well as Alex Utley earned NWCA All-Academic Team honors in both 2012-13 and 2013-14, while also being a member of the Atlantic Coast Conference All-Academic Team.

Before going to North Carolina, Papadatos spent five years as an assistant at Binghamton from 2006 through 2011 and helped produce 16 NCAA individual qualifiers and the first four All-America selections in school history. Binghamton saw six wrestlers make it to the NCAA Championships in each of his final two seasons, culminating with a 21st-place national finish in 2010. In the classroom, Papadatos helped Binghamton improve its academic progress rate (APR) score over a four-year period and helped recruit a 2008 class that was ranked in the top 25. He was also part of a staff that led the Bearcats to their first and only Colonial Athletic Association (CAA) title in 2010.

Papadatos earned his first assistant wrestling coach position at Northern Illinois, where he helped coach four NCAA Championship qualifiers and Josh Wooton to a Mid-American Conference (MAC) championship at 141 pounds.

Papadatos started his collegiate coaching career as a strength and conditioning assistant at Hofstra from 2001 to 2004 following his graduation. As a certified personal trainer, Papadatos structured team and individual lifts and conditioning programs. Hofstra won the Colonial Athletic Association title in all three of his seasons.

As a wrestler, Papadatos, a graduate of Island Trees High School on Long Island, was named to the ECWA All-Freshman team in 1998 and was a three-time NWCA All-Academic selection. He graduated from Hofstra in 2000 with a degree in exercise physiology and completed a master's in health education at Hofstra in 2002.

Dennis and his wife, Angela, have three children (Gabriella, Apostoli, and Yianni).