Who was Al Bevilacqua? Wrestling coach known for Seinfeld passes away at 85

Wrestling coach Al Bevilacqua, 85, passed away on August 10, 2025. Apart from being a wrestling coach, Bevilacqua was pursuing a career as a businessman and was a mentor to six individuals who turned out to be winners at the Olympics, as revealed in an obituary posted on Massapequa Funeral Home.

Notably, Bevilacqua’s cause of death has not been made official, as of this writing. However, Massapequa High Schools Hall of Fame shared a post on Facebook along with a link to the aforementioned obituary.

The tribute stated that the Hall of Fame is offering its condolences to the family members and all those who were close to Al Bevilacqua over the years. The statement also reads:

“Al’s passion for athletics, his dedication to coaching, and his unwavering commitment to mentoring youth left an indelible mark not only on Massapequa, but on countless lives across the country.”

Speaking to the New York Post on Tuesday, August 12, Al Bevilacqua’s son, Christopher, said that it is hard for anyone to describe his father’s achievements in a few minutes. Christopher also opened up on how wrestling became an important part of Al’s life, as he said:

“Wrestling was really his vessel for who he was as a person. He thought of himself first as an educator who was teaching kids and youth on the subject of life. … He had humanity about him, and his soul was all about, ‘How do I create better people?’”

Actor Billy Baldwin also expressed his grief in a statement shared with the New York Post. Billy’s father, Al, and Bevilacqua were employed together at Massapequa High. Billy said that Bevilacqua was an individual who inspired him a lot.

Al Bevilacqua was active in the world of wrestling for many years: Career and other details explained

Bevilacqua’s obituary on the website of Massapequa Funeral Home says that he was a famous figure in the world of sports and wrestling for a long time. He even played an important role in the decision of the Supreme Court, leading to the separation of wrestling from AAU.

Notably, Al Bevilacqua was also mentioned by Jerry in an episode of the show Seinfeld in 1994. The latter was recalling a match in which he participated during his high school days, and Bevilacqua was invited to officiate the rematch.

According to his biography on the National Wrestling Hall of Fame’s website, he was previously working at Hofstra University as the head wrestling coach. In addition, he was a part of the USA Wrestling National Coaching and became a coach for the US at various events like the Espoir World Championships and the Tbilisi Tournament.

For more than 10 years, he was associated with the USA Wrestling Board of Directors. In 1990, he was inducted into the National Wrestling Hall of Fame Long Island Chapter for his services. He even contributed to the formation of wrestling programs for various high schools and middle schools.

Al Bevilacqua also joined the Living the Dream Medal Fund, another initiative of USA Wrestling, which works for the sponsorship of players who have won medals in the Olympics and other events. Starting from 1971, he also became the USA Wrestling State Chairperson for New York, serving for almost eight years.

The Massapequa Funeral Home obituary stated that Al Bevilacqua trained Ron Kovic, who had the opportunity to share the screen with Tom Cruise in the war drama film, Born on the Fourth of July. Al even helped introduce wrestling in different cities in the US through a program called Beat The Streets Wrestling.

Meanwhile, the obituary disclosed that a Celebration of Life event is scheduled to be organized in the Fall in New York City. Furthermore, a Catholic Mass has been planned on August 14, 2025, following which Bevilacqua will be buried at the Amityville Cemetery.