Heidelberg University Athletics

Building momentum in the early 2000s under energetic head coach Jason Miller, the Heidelberg wrestling program needed a superstar to vault the program into national acclaim.  In the fall of 2005, that superstar arrived. 

Joe Pflug was a highly decorated wrestler at Maple Heights High School, one of the most prestigious programs in the state, going 154-4 for the Mustangs.  When he transferred to Heidelberg, he came to a program that had hovered around .500 in dual meets, but had sent wrestlers to the NCAA Championships in each of the three seasons prior.  

Pflug and the Student Princes rocketed up the standings and into the national conversation.  The squad went 16-3 in duals, and sent three wrestlers to nationals (Pflug, Tim Maxworthy, Nick Sanchez), the most in a single season in 15 years.  

At the 2006 National Championships in Ewing, N.J., Pflug slotted in as the No. 4 seed in the 157-pound bracket and promptly majored his first opponent, 15-4.  The second round was Pflug’s closest match of his title run, a 5-2 win.  In the semifinals, he majored the No. 8 seed, 12-4, and advanced to the title bout.  There, facing Augsburg’s Jeremy Anderson, Pflug prevailed with an 11-5 decision -- clinching Heidelberg’s first and, to date, only wrestling national championship.  

During the 2006-07 season, Pflug moved down to 149.  Though he battled injuries throughout the campaign, he found himself back at the national tournament.  In one of the most loaded brackets in NCAA history, Pflug fought his way to a third-place finish. In doing so, he became the fourth two-time All-American in school history. 

In total, Pflug went 52-4 (.929) in his time for the Tricolor.  He helped lift the team to three OAC Tournament championships and two OAC Regular Season titles.

Since his graduation from Heidelberg, Pflug has had stints as an assistant wrestling coach at Eastern Michigan University and Cleveland State University.  Presently, he is the head wrestling coach for the Longwood Wrestling Club and a material planner for the Greater Cleveland Regional Transit Authority.  

This biography appeared in the 2022 Hall of Fame induction ceremony program.