Wrestling: Desi McNelis

Wrestling: Desi McNelis

Parkville wrestling coach, Desi McNelis, celebrates his 600th victory. The milestone highlights a coaching career spanning 46-years and 5 locations: St. Paul’s School, Delaney High School, Pikesville High School, Parkville High School, and the Maryland National Junior Team. A former teammate of mine at Loyola High School, and a fellow participant in the EIWA tournaments as a collegiate wrestler, I am proud to lightly edit this Wrestling recognition post in honor of his personal commitment to the next generations of US wrestlers.

Thank you, Desi. Way to set such an important example for all of us who love wrestling!

By Michael Howes PUBLISHED in the Baltimore Sun: January 23, 2026

Desi McNelis thought that he might have a moment to breathe and sigh, when it finally happened.

He didn’t.

Seconds after Parkville wrestling secured its win over New Town in the third round of the Digital Duals, McNelis was surrounded. Teammates handed him slips of paper marked “600,” unfurled a poster signed by the team and chanted the number as they posed for photos — a celebration of his milestone 600th career victory.

“It’s a big relief,” McNelis said. “To do it with this year’s group means a lot. They’ve been a great group.”

It is a number McNelis never set out to chase — until it was within reach — and one he has spent the past few seasons circling. On Friday, it finally arrived in his last season as coach.

The Maryland Public Secondary Schools Athletic Association could not confirm whether another coach has ever reached the milestone, but among active coaches, McNelis is the first to do so. North Hagerstown’s Greg Slick is also closing in, with 583 career wins as of Thursday.

“Without Desi, Baltimore wrestling wouldn’t be what it is,” 280-pounder Kris Lloyd Jr. said. “This man is very special.”

McNelis’ path to coaching began with a long and decorated wrestling career of his own.

Wrestling Beginnings

A Loyola Blakefield graduate, Desi wrestled in high school and through college, starting at Loyola College and Essex Community College, before transferring to East Stroudsburg State College in Pennsylvania. As an ESSC Warrior, McNelis became a Division I starter.

McNelis continued competing well beyond college, qualifying for the U.S. Olympic Trials four times and wrestling internationally. Those trips abroad included representing his deep family roots from Ireland in foreign competitions.

McNelis began his coaching journey at St. Paul’s School in 1980. As a high school wrestler, he was frustrated by coaches who had never wrestled themselves. His own wrestlers never dealt with that impediment.

Andy Schnydman, who wrestled for McNelis from 1987 to 1992, described him as a “technician,” who got on the mat to demonstrate moves and wrestle with his athletes. McNelis took pride in development over results, Schnydman said, molding athletes into strong competitors by tailoring techniques to each wrestler’s body and strengths.

“He’s not going to teach you what everybody else is being taught,” Schnydman said. “He’s gonna find out the way you work, and then find out what works for you.”

While Schnydman arrived at St. Paul’s as a lacrosse player, wrestling under McNelis sparked a lifelong attachment to the sport.

After a heralded college lacrosse career, Schnydman went on to coach wrestling for more than 20 years, modeling the same teacher-first approach he learned from McNelis. In 2016, their paths crossed again when McNelis joined Schnydman’s staff as an assistant at Pikesville, later taking over as co-head, after Schnydman lost his vision.

“He made me love wrestling,” Schnydman said. “There’s nobody like him. He’s one of a kind. He wants to win, and he always finds a way — no matter the situation.”

Outside of wrestling, McNelis is a runner and a weight lifter. He has called himself a “jack-of-all-trades.” He was a standout endurance and strength athlete, placing 19th in the Maryland Marathon, competing on a Guinness World Records-holding 100-man, 100-mile relay team and winning three Mid-Atlantic weightlifting championships in lighter divisions.

Although he hit some remarkable personal milestones, McNelis said as a coach he never set out to chase records. But after reaching 400 wins, then 500, the milestone began to feel attainable — and eventually became an aspirational goal.

The self-proclaimed “tech idiot,” Desi won’t miss entering lineups and statistics into a computer, but he doesn’t plan to walk away from the sport entirely. McNelis said that he hopes to remain involved as a volunteer coach for years to come.

“I want to teach,” he said.

Over the years McNelis put his body through some of the toughest personal endurance tests. As a result parts of his frame have failed — he has had four separate hip replacements. Through it all and beyond the pain, he has the heart of a coach. To this day McNelis can still be found on the mat with his wrestlers. His nephew, Kieron McNelis, said that family gatherings often turn into impromptu lessons, with McNelis dropping to the floor to demonstrate techniques and break down movements for his children.

“His passion is passing it on to the next generation,” said Kieron McNelis, who wrestled for his uncle at Delaney in 1998-99. “If you want to talk wrestling, he’s in. He’s always willing to get on the mat and teach.”

McNelis’ wrestling career has already earned its share of honors. In 2006, he received the Lifetime Service to Wrestling Award from the Maryland chapter of the National Wrestling Hall of Fame. He was inducted into the Baltimore County Wrestling Hall of Fame in 2015.

But 600 victories carries its own weight, a rare achievement in Maryland high school wrestling. And its one achievement with which McNelis can finally exhale.