Greg Strobel’s wrestling career began at Scappoose High School in Oregon, where he won three state championships at 191 pounds. Staying close to home, he wrestled at Oregon State under Hall of Fame coach Dale Thomas. Strobel was a three-time All-American and twice an NCAA champion, compiling a 124-5-1 record. He was named the Outstanding Wrestler in the 1973 tournament and finished his collegiate career with 77 consecutive victories.
Prior to accepting the head coaching position at Lehigh University, Strobel was an assistant coach at Oregon State, the head wrestling coach at Roseburg (OR) High School, the National Teams Director at USA Wrestling, and the head wrestling coach of Team Foxcatcher.
Taking over a storied wrestling program that had fallen on hard times during the 1985-1994 decade, Strobel quickly returned Lehigh to the prominence that fans were accustomed to on Old South Mountain. From 1994 through 2008, Strobel’s teams compiled a 189-83-1 dual meet record. He led the Mountain Hawks to six EIWA championships, including five in a row from 2002 through 2006. His wrestlers captured 28 individual EIWA titles and 30 All-American honors. Strobel also coached two NCAA champions: Rob Rohn in 2002 and Troy Letters in 2004.
Awards have not eluded Greg Strobel. He was named the EIWA Coach of the Year four times. In the 2003-2004 season, when Lehigh finished third in the NCAA team race, he was voted the NWCA National Coach of the Year. USA Wrestling named him Man of the Year in 2010. He was inducted into the Oregon State Sports Hall of Fame in 1993 and into the National Wrestling Hall of Fame in 2012 as a Distinguished Member.
Strobel currently is an Assistant Athletic Director at Lehigh and the Executive Director of the EIWA. He and his wife Donna continue to reside in Bethlehem.
