Rochester Institute of Technology Athletics

Dr. Mark Ellingson was the first wrestling coach at RIT. His teams (1927-1936) compiled a record of 37-25-2. Although he gave up coaching after becoming president of the Institute, Ellingson continued to work out with the squad periodically until the late 1950's. Ellingson served as president at RIT from 1936-69 and during his tenure, enrollment in day and evening classes rose from 2,250 to 16,000. He also oversaw the planning, construction, and 1968 transfer to the current campus in Henrietta, along with the National Technical Institute for the Deaf, which admitted its first students in 1968. There is an annual award bestowed in his honor that is given to an upperclassman student-athlete with the highest grade-point average and strong leadership skills.