Paul C. Petrella '79 graduated from Baldwin Wallace College in 1979 and was inducted into the Alumni Athletic Association Hall of Fame in 1990. He is an All-American in football and wrestling.

The 1975 graduate of Mansfield Senior High School was a four-year lettermen and B-W's first national champion in wrestling in 1978 at 177 pounds. He also was a three-year starter and a mainstay on the 1978 NCAA Division III National Championship football team that defeated Wittenberg University, 24-10, in the Amos Alonzo Stagg Bowl in Chatahoochee, Alabama.

As a wrestler, Petrella was a two-time NCAA Division III All-American and B-W's first-ever champion at 177 pounds in 1978. He also finished third at 177 pounds at the NCAA Div. III National Championship Tournament as a senior. Paul also won two Ohio Athletic Conference individual titles at 177 pounds. The two-time B-W John Summa Most Valuable Wrestler had a career record of 68-12 with an .850 winning percentage.

As a member of the Yellow Jacket football team, Paul was a defensive tackle. Petrella's football honors include being B-W's Most Valuable Defensive Player, the Ray E. Watts Outstanding Defensive Lineman, the OAC's Most Valuable Defensive Lineman, the first unanimous winner of the Coca Cola Golden Helmet Award and B-W's Outstanding Senior Male Athlete in 1979. He also was the ABC TV Chevrolet Defensive MVP of the Amos Alonzo Stagg Bowl -- the Div. III National Championship Game.

Following graduation with a degree in science, Petrella became an outstanding teacher and coach in Louisville, Lancaster, West Jefferson and Columbus, currently teaches at Columbus Bishop Watterson High School, coaches at Columbus Bishop Hartley High School and serves on the board of directors at the Patriot Preparatory Academy in Licking Heights, Ohio.

He and his wife, Barbara, live in Reynoldsburg and have six children: Kevin, Kristin, Anthony, Vincent, Michael and Joey. Michael will attend Baldwin Wallace in the Fall of 2020.

This page was updated by KR on May 22, 2020