Ernie Monaco Sr.
OWNER & FOUNDER
WARREN SITE DIRECTOR
HEAD INSTRUCTOR
Ernie is an alumnus of Upsala College, where he earned a B.A. degree in Business Administration. He attended graduate school at Montclair State University, receiving his teaching certificate in Technology Education and Industrial Arts after completing 72 credits beyond his bachelor's degree. In 2012, Ernie was named "Teacher of the Year" at Warren Middle School (see article), but it was in 1984 that he revolutionized the concept of wrestling training when he founded The Edge School of Wrestling. He has been training wrestlers of all age groups ever since.
Ernie has been inducted into the National Wrestling Hall of Fame as part of the Class of 2022. He received the Lifetime Service to Wrestling Award for his contributions to the sport of wrestling. Ernie has been a member of the New Jersey Wrestling Federation Coaches Council and a Member at Large on the executive board of the New Jersey Wrestling Federation. He has coached at the Junior, Cadet (16U), and Schoolboy (14U) levels for both boys and girls for the New Jersey Wrestling Federation National Teams for 25+ years. He was an Asics Corporation Advisory Board member and a USA Wrestling certified coach. Ernie was coined "The Godfather" and "The Originator" of club wrestling by "FloWrestling's" founder Martin Floreani in 2009 (watch here) for being the first person to mainstream amateur wrestling as a full-time private wrestling school (The Edge School of Wrestling est. 1984) in the United States.
Ernie's long list of coaching accomplishments has made Edge Wrestling one of the country's most highly respected and nationally recognized programs. The success of his students on every level has made "The Edge" a common name among college recruiters. His coaching record speaks for itself, having coached more New Jersey High School State Champions (114) and more New Jersey State Runners-ups (94). For a complete list of the impact Ernie's Edge Wrestling program has had on wrestling nationally and its results, visit our Honors page.