Milford native Daryl Arroyo was inducted into the Massachusetts Chapter of the National Wrestling Hall of Fame over the weekend. From left: Michael Testa, William Wassel, Barry Greener, Jack Jones, Daryl Arroyo and granddaughters of the late Samuel Ruggeri. More photos
FOXBOROUGH, Mass., Nov. 12, 2022 — Six years ago, the Connecticut Chapter of the National Wrestling Hall of Fame honored Milford native Darryl Arroyo with induction into the chapter’s Hall of Fame.
Each chapter is tasked with honoring the men and women in their respective state who have helped the sport of wrestling to grow and thrive.
Arroyo collected a unique honor on Saturday night at Gillette Stadium in Foxboro as he was one of five men to be inducted into the Massachusetts Chapter of the National Wrestling Hall of Fame in front of a crowd of more than 200.
There is no rule against people being honored by multiple state chapters but it is not common. The only member of the Connecticut chapter who has been honored multiple times is Eric Weihenmayer, who was also recognized by the National Wrestling Hall of Fame itself.
Also honored with Arroyo at the Massachusetts event were Barry Greener, who coached 27 years a Walpole High; Jack Jones, a long-time official; the late Sam Ruggeri, who began the Tufts University wrestling program as a student and returned after World War I to coach the team for four decades; William Wassel, who served on the Massachusetts International Athletic Association (MIAA) for 40 years on the wrestling committee, and Michael Testa, a wrestler and event organizer who helped establish the Massachusetts chapter in 1998 and coordinate several international wrestling competitions with teams from Japan and Armenia.
Arroyo wrestled at Jonathan Law in Milford and won a State Open title in 1980 before going on to wrestle at Springfield College where he was a NCAA Division II All-American in 1984 when he finished sixth at 118 pounds.
After college, he was an assistant coach at California State Fullerton and Central Connecticut State (three years – 1984-85, 1988-89, 1989-90) before taking over at Springfield in 1990-91. He coached Springfield for 21 years, leading the Pride to a record of 303-167-6. He coached 27 NCAA All-Americans, 70 national tournament qualifiers, 67 Scholar All-Americans and 45 conference champions.
His teams won 10 New England Wrestling Association (NEWA) titles and one Division II Northeast Regional title. Springfield finished in the top 10 at the NCAA Division III national championships five times. was named NEWA Coach of the Year five times (2011, 2006, 2004, 2003, 1997). He coached wrestlers from around New England but many Massachusetts wrestlers.
There were dozens of former Springfield College wrestlers at the banquet, sharing stories of their days together on the mat.
Arroyo founded the Springfield Wrestling School in 1997 and ran this week-long wrestling camp for hundreds of athletes through 2011.
He was president of the NCAA Division III National Wrestling Coaches Association from 2004-07 and a committee member from 2001-11.
Arroyo completed a PhD in Sports Psychology from UConn in 1996. In 2011, he left Springfield to become the Director of Athletics, Physical Education, Recreaton and Intramurals at Alfred State University in New York.
In 2013, Arroyo moved to Stockton, California to become the Athletic Director at San Joaquin Delta College in Stockton, California, one of 100 colleges in the California Community College Athletic Association. In 2017, he became Dean of Instruction for Humanities, Social Science, Education, Kinesiology and Athletics.
In the fall of 2020, restructuring of the academic divisions at the school left Arroyo as the Dean of Social Science, Education and Public Service at San Joaquin Delta College.
