He was as talented, caring and unselfish a person as we’ve ever had in our midst. Pat Reilly was an incredibly gifted coach and a unique and effective classroom teacher who touched so many lives in a very positive way. He easily made my book’s Top Ten List of all-time greatest Amsterdam coaches but if I had ever put together a Top Ten List of the greatest Amsterdam love affairs, Pat and Audrey Reilly would have been at the very top of it. My deepest sympathies to his wife, his daughters & grandkids, his wrestlers, softball players and students.There was no Amsterdam High School wrestling program when Pat Reilly was hired to teach history at the Wilbur Lynch High School in 1965, This guy started it from scratch, nada, nothing! Three decades later, thanks to his passion, skill and leadership, the school had one of the best mat programs in all of Section II.
Here’s what his grapplers produced during his career as head coach: 267 dual meet victories; 9 Big Ten titles; 3 Sectional championships; 10 individual Section II crowns, and 25 individual Class A champs. Is it any wonder why the high school’s wrestling room is now named the Patrick H. Reilly Hall of Fame Wrestling Gymnasium? Mr. Reilly also served as head coach of AHS Softball at both the Varsity and JV level. One of the most beloved figures in the history of Amsterdam High School athletics, he was named to the Section II Wrestling Hall of Fame in 2009, the New York State Wrestling Hall of Fame in 2010 and the AHS Hall of Fame in 2015.
His was a life well lived. Thank you Mr. Reilly for all you did for this community.
