Courtesy: ASU Athletics Paul Mance, who spent 33 seasons as ASU wrestling's head coach, will now serve as the program's director of development.

BOONE, N.C. — Paul Mance, who retired as Appalachian State University’s head wrestling coach this year, will remain involved with ASU wrestling as the program’s director of development, director of athletics Charlie Cobb has announced.

In the position, Mance will work directly with senior associate A.D. Rick Beasley to oversee the fundraising efforts for Appalachian’s wrestling program.

Mance has spent 38 of the past 42 years at Appalachian, including the last 33 as head wrestling coach. He was a four-year letterwinner in wrestling, he graduated from ASU in 1969 and spent one year as an assistant coach before becoming the head coach at Herkimer County (N.Y.) Community College. After compiling a 39-16 record in four seasons at Herkimer, Mance returned to Appalachian as head wrestling coach in 1976.

In 33 seasons as ASU’s head coach, Mance compiled a 348-219-10 record, shattering the previous Southern Conference record for coaching victories of 239, which was held by ASU legend Red Watkins. Mance also guided the Mountaineers to 22 winning seasons, eight regular-season SoCon championships and five SoCon Tournament titles while coaching 75 league champions, 87 NCAA qualifiers, three all-Americans and two Olympians. For his efforts, Mance was named the SoCon Coach of the Year six times, spanning three different decades (1989, 1993, 1994, 1996, 2001 and 2003).

“We are excited to have Coach Mance in this position,” Cobb said. “Having someone in this position like Coach Mance — a person who has such passion for ASU wrestling and has positively influenced the lives of hundreds of Mountaineer student-athletes over the past four decades — will help us reach our goal of fielding the Southern Conference’s top wrestling program for many more decades to come.”

““I want to thank ASU athletics for the opportunity to continue to work with the program and the sport that I love,” Mance said. “Wrestling at ASU has given me and countless others the opportunity to receive an education and to develop a love for the University and the High Country and I look forward to being able to build on the future of the great sport of wrestling and of Appalachian State University. Lastly, I wish to thank everyone who provided such wonderful support over my 33 years as head coach and I look forward to their continued support in the future.”