*ED ROONEY, Syracuse ’55, nicknamed "The Whizzer Man of the East," Ed placed NCAA 2^nd and 4^th and 3^rd, 2^nd, 1^st, 1^st in the EIWA. His two conference losses were to Olympian, Frank Bettucci, and Donald Rumsfeld. His freshman bout with Bettucci made the Top 10 list of EIWA bouts. In 1954 Rooney and his coach drove to Nationals in Oklahoma, where Ed placed second. They drove on to the AAUs in San Diego, where Ed placed second with the most falls.  Rooney was the OW at the Wilkes and EIWA tourneys. 

      At open events, Rooney pinned three NCAA champions; seven of his nine college losses came vs. national champs. Ed became a Navy carrier pilot aviator, then returned to Syracuse where his freshman teams formed the nucleus of the 1963 Syracuse EIWA team champion which placed 4^th at NCAAs. A teacher, coach and life guard during his life on Long Island, Rooney is survived by widow, Nora, four children and eight grandchildren.