‘Indiana needs Perry Meridian to be something special’: Ed Pendoski and his return to coaching
Ed Pendoski retired last year after three decades of coaching wrestling. Last week, he became the fourth head coach for Perry Meridian wrestling.
Ed Pendoski retired from coaching last June. His 30-year voyage in the high school wrestling scene, which featured the last 12 seasons at Carmel, had ended. That's until the head coaching job at Perry Meridian became available.
His original decision to step away came down to his health. His body, which had endured multiple knee surgeries, was in rough shape. He took about year off to get healthy.
He decided to pursue real estate and even helped Warren Central on the mat during that time. After some advice from a mentor, he realized that he belonged back on the mat. “I did get my real estate license, but the reality is that God wanted me to be a wrestling coach,” Pendoski said.
Since its inception in 1973 and before Pendoski joined the ranks, Perry Meridian wrestling had three different head coaches over its history. Phil Strader. Jim Tonte.