Dynamite in a small package. That was Pat McMahon in a nutshell. After winning a state championship at Tinley Park High School in 1979, he went to the University of Illinois but soon found his way to Rock Island. He proved to be the perfect fit at Augustana and he enjoyed a tremendous three seasons with the Vikings.
After sitting out the 1980-81 season, McMahon wasted no time making his mark at the NCAA Division III level. He posted a 23-5-1 record as a sophomore in 1982 with wins at the Olivet and Wheaton invitationals and captured the first of three straight CCIW titles. He was named the Most Outstanding Wrestler in the CCIW in 1982 and went on to win NCAA Division III All-America honors by virtue of his third place finish in the national tournament.
As a junior he went 25-4 and won the Warhawk and Wartburg tournaments as well as a second straight CCIW title. In the national meet that year he placed second, losing to Bob Adams in the final by a score of 10-5.
He battled injuries his first two years at Augustana but his senior year was relatively injury free and he responded with a 42-6 record. He won the Wartburg, Olivet, Cornell, all-Lutheran and Wheaton Invitationals during the regular season and then captured a third straight CCIW title at 134 pounds. At the national meet he won the national championship with a 10-7 win over Bart Morrow of Ithaca in the finals.
“I have really had a pretty good year,” said McMahon, who was his usual understated self after winning the title. “Things just fell into place for me and I was happy to win a national title, especially after finishing second in 1983.”
He ended his career with a 90-15-1 overall record, which at the time of his graduation ranked him third on the school’s all-time victory list. The 42 wins in his senior season is still 11th on the Vikings’ single season win list. He was also a member of Augustana’s 1981 football team that went 9-0 in the regular season, won the CCIW title and participated in the NCAA Division III playoffs. He helped the Viking wrestlers win conference titles in 1982, 83 and 84 and record fifth place national finishes in 1982 and 1983 and a sixth in 1984.
Pat and his wife Karen have been married 25 years and the couple has four children: Kelly (23), Heather (20), Colleen (15) and Sean (11). For the past nine years he has been the owner of Spartacus Transportation, a freight logistics company. He graduated from Augustana with a degree in biology and he taught biology and coached football and wrestling at Hoffman Estates High School and Marian Catholic High School. He also was involved in sales at Roadway Express.
He still stays active in wrestling as a club coach for the Tinley Park Bulldogs. McMahon is straight and to the point about his experiences at Augustana, saying “Great people, great sports and a great education. Some of my best friends today are people I went to Augustana with.”
