Cal Poly Athletics Hall of Fame
Montano, Lou
Lou Montano
- Induction:
- 2022
Lou Montano was a three-time national qualifier and two-time All-American at Cal Poly.
He placed second in NCAA Division I National Championships at 158 pounds in 1983 (eighth in 1982) and earned 41 wins in 1983, sharing the school record with Cedric Haymon. He was a two-time NCAA Western Region champion and compiled a 112-16-1 record from 1978-83 at Cal Poly.
Montano was a team captain and selected Most Valuable Wrestler of the team three times (1981-83). He was inducted into the California Wrestling Hall of Fame in 2012 and the National Wrestling Hall of fame in 2016.
Montano was a two-time Greco-Roman national place winner and qualified for the 1984 U.S. Olympic Trials.
Montano lettered in football, wrestling and baseball at Calexico High School. His coaching career began as an assistant coach at Cal Poly (1984-86) and CSU Bakersfield (1987-91), followed by becoming head coach at Columbia (1991-2000), where he was 69-46-1 in nine seasons.
Montano earned his bachelor’s degree in physical education from Cal Poly in 1986 and obtained his master’s degree in education at CSU Bakersfield in 1990. He has worked for the last 22 years as director of testing and principal investigator/director for the High School Equivalency Program (HEP) at CSU Bakersfield, securing grants from the U.S. Department of Education to assist migrant students successfully complete GED tests and progress into higher education.
Montano also has served as assistant tournament director of the California State High School Wrestling Championships since 2003.
Montano and his wife Sharon live in Bakersfield.
He placed second in NCAA Division I National Championships at 158 pounds in 1983 (eighth in 1982) and earned 41 wins in 1983, sharing the school record with Cedric Haymon. He was a two-time NCAA Western Region champion and compiled a 112-16-1 record from 1978-83 at Cal Poly.
Montano was a team captain and selected Most Valuable Wrestler of the team three times (1981-83). He was inducted into the California Wrestling Hall of Fame in 2012 and the National Wrestling Hall of fame in 2016.
Montano was a two-time Greco-Roman national place winner and qualified for the 1984 U.S. Olympic Trials.
Montano lettered in football, wrestling and baseball at Calexico High School. His coaching career began as an assistant coach at Cal Poly (1984-86) and CSU Bakersfield (1987-91), followed by becoming head coach at Columbia (1991-2000), where he was 69-46-1 in nine seasons.
Montano earned his bachelor’s degree in physical education from Cal Poly in 1986 and obtained his master’s degree in education at CSU Bakersfield in 1990. He has worked for the last 22 years as director of testing and principal investigator/director for the High School Equivalency Program (HEP) at CSU Bakersfield, securing grants from the U.S. Department of Education to assist migrant students successfully complete GED tests and progress into higher education.
Montano also has served as assistant tournament director of the California State High School Wrestling Championships since 2003.
Montano and his wife Sharon live in Bakersfield.
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