John Fox, the man who started the Lackawanna College Wrestling program in 2017 and coached the Falcons for four seasons, returned to the program for a second stint ahead of the 2024-2025 campaign, his fifth year in charge of wrestling at Lackawanna.
Fox came to Lackawanna as an accomplished local wrestling coach in NEPA, starting at Scranton Preparatory School in 1998, before joining his alma mater at West Scranton to take over as the junior high coach. Fox built the junior Invaders into a local power house, capturing four league championships in six seasons. He would go on to become an assistant with the varsity program in 2005, then took over as head coach in the 06-07 season. Fox was the head coach and co-head coach for the next eleven years, winning a pair of district championships, compiling 83 wins in dual meets, and helping 28 student-athletes become regional qualifiers.
Fox originally left the West Scranton program to become the first-ever head coach for Lackawanna College wrestling back in 2017. He helped put the Lackawanna College program on the map, immediately sending five wrestlers to the NJCAA Championship tournament in year one. By year two, Fox had eight national qualifiers, including Nate White, who finished eighth at 133 lbs., the best finish in school history at a national tournament. In all, Fox had 20 national qualifiers in his four years in charge, and secured a Region XIX championship for the Falcons, before stepping aside after the 2021 spring season.
Fox is the head coach for both the men's and women's wrestling programs.
A northeast PA native, Fox has the respect of the local sports and wrestling communities. A graduate of West Scranton HS, Fox was a four-year starter for the Invaders on the mat, serving as team captain for three years. He won 105 matches in his career, and was a four-time Lackawanna League All-Star, while winning a pair of district championships and qualifying for the Northeast Regionals all four seasons of competition. Fox attended Wilkes, where he wrestled for two years and was a starter for the Colonels before an injury ended his career. Fox earned a Bachelor's degree in Education, then got a Master's degree in Classroom Technology from Wilkes. He currently lives in Taylor with his wife and women's assistant coach, Kate Fox, and he is a teacher in the Riverside School District.
