Mike Leta, a 2009 inductee into the New Jersey Chapter of the National Wrestling Hall of Fame, was one of the most successful wrestlers in Rutgers history and claimed the highest NCAA finish since the program's founding in 1930.
Leta began his career by placing third at the Freshman Eastern Championships in 1959 at West Point. A year later in 1960, Leta went undefeated in the regular season under head coach Dick Voliva and captured the top spot at Easterns by defeating NCAA Champion Larry Lauchle, 14-13, in the finals. The EIWA named this the "match of the century" in 2000.
Leta did not stop there, capping off 1960 with a third-place finish at the NCAA Championships, the highest All-America finish in RU history. Following his All-America run in 1960, the 137-pounder went on to qualify for the NCAA Championships again as a senior in 1962, when he also finished fourth at Easterns.
The Branchburg, New Jersey native recorded a 55-7-3 overall record in his Rutgers career and was especially dominant in dual meets, where he went a staggering 41-2-2 in a Scarlet Knight singlet. In addition to wrestling, Leta was a three-time letterwinner on the 150-pound football team at Rutgers and named to the all-league first team in 1961.
Leta graduated from Rutgers in 1962 and enjoyed successful stints as a New Jersey high school wrestling coach at Hillside, Bridgewater-Raritan West and North Plainfield, before returning to Rutgers as an assistant under head coach John Sacchi in 1995, a position he held for 10 years. During his tenure, Leta helped coach former Scarlet Knight Tom Tanis to a fourth-place finish on the All-America podium in 2002.
Leta, former President of the New Jersey Wrestling Coaches Association, was elected to the New Jersey High School and New Jersey Coaches Region 5 Hall of Fame following his numerous accomplishments.
