Hall of Fame
Tim Fitzgerald was the first Longwood wrestler to compete in the NCAA Division II Wresting Championships, qualifying for the 1984 National Championships in Baltimore, Maryland. A sophomore that year, he was the Southern Regional runner-up at 118 pounds (19-11-1), and finished among the Top 12 with a 1-2 record at the National Championships. Fitzgerald holds the school record for career wins (84), compiling an impressive four-year record of 84-38-1. He missed the 1985-86 season while injured and student-teaching, but returned in 1986-87 and was named the Most Outstanding Wrestler at 1987 Virginia State College Division Championships, winning a State Title at 118 pounds. Fitzgerald posted a season record of 25-4 that year (1986-87), a mark that ranks third-best all-time at Longwood. He was the 1987 Southern Regional runner-up and an alternate for that year's National Championship.
"I'd like to say how honored I am to be here and what a humbling experience this is. I would like to thank the nominating committee and everyone who is involved in the selection process. My coach, Steve Nelson, gave me an opportunity … the only one, and he gave me a chance … Coach, I cannot thank you enough for that, because nobody wanted to give me a chance. Coach is like a second father to me … from the day I got here, he told me I could." -- Tim Fitzgerald '87
