St. Edward Wrestling Coach Greg Urbas Announces Retirement, John Heffernan ’84 Named Head Coach

Legendary St. Edward Head Wrestling Coach Greg Urbas announced today that he will be retiring. Urbas' longtime assistant, John Heffernan '84, has been named head coach.

In his 29 years as the head wrestling coach at St. Edward, Urbas has been one of the most decorated and most successful scholastic coaches in the United States, regardless of sport. Under his leadership, St. Edward teams won 4 national championships, 24 state championships, 25 district championships and 29 sectional championships. He has coached 76 individual state champions. Urbas has also put his stamp on an unprecedented and unmatched streak of St. Edward High School producing at least one NCAA All-American wrestler in each of the past 35 years.

"Greg Urbas is a man of incredible character, integrity and wisdom," said Jim Kubacki, St. Edward President. "He is the model for generations of students for living a life rooted in faith, genuine relationships, and a commitment to service. It is a privilege to have Coach Urbas as a colleague. He is a true servant leader. The excellence he has achieved speaks for itself."

Urbas, who has taught mathematics at St. Edward for the entirety of his career, will continue to serve the wrestling program in a support capacity. He will also continue to serve students at the school daily in his retirement as a math tutor.

Urbas will be succeeded by his longtime assistant John Heffernan. Heffernan is a 1984 graduate of St. Edward High School, where he won an individual wrestling state championship his senior year. He was a two-time All American wrestler at the University of Iowa. He has been an assistant coach at St. Edward since 1991 and was recently named the 2017-2018 Scholastic Assistant Coach of the Year by the National Wrestling Coaches Association.

"John is the heart and soul of St. Ed's Wrestling," said Urbas. "As head coach, he will ensure that our student-athletes continue to compete at the highest levels and represent the best of St. Edward High School."