LEAVING THE RING

Iconic Wrestling Coach Known for ‘Seinfeld’ Episode Dies at 85

Al Bevilacqua was notably referenced in “Seinfeld” by his former student.

Al Bevilacqua, the legendary wrestling coach famously name-dropped in a Seinfeld scene, has died at 85. The beloved Long Island athlete got his 15 minutes of fame when Jerry Seinfeld referenced his former teacher in an episode of the show. Bevilacqua taught driver’s ed to Seinfeld and clearly made an impression—the actor mentioned Bevilacqua in a 1994 episode of his show called “The Race.” In the scene, Seinfeld’s character prepares for a re-do of a high school run and calls in “Mr. Bevilacqua” to officiate the rematch. Even though Bevilacqua never really watched the “show about nothing,” his family said, he said Seinfeld was a “nice kid.” Bevilacqua’s son Christopher told the New York Post that his father “thought of himself first as an educator who was teaching kids and youth on the subject of life,” and his “humanity” shined through in everything he did. Bevilacqua coached at his town’s high school for 15 years since the early 1960s and later at Hofstra University in the late 1970s. He was inducted to the National Wrestling Hall of Fame with its highest honor, the Order of Merit, in 2012. Along with Seinfeld, the Long Island icon also taught Born on the Fourth of July author Ron Kovic, who wrote about him in his book, and he was a beloved friend of actor Alec Baldwin and his family.