Roger S. Penske/Lehigh Athletics Hall of Fame
Stuart*, Billy
Billy Stuart*
- Induction:
- 2002
- Class:
- 1966
When entering college, William “Billy” Stuart had two dreams. He wanted to become a national champion on the wrestling mat and wanted to become a doctor. After spending one year in the Brown University wrestling room, Stuart realized that only one component of his two-part dream would come true. So he wrote two letters, one to Penn State and one to Lehigh. Gerry 
Leeman, then head coach for the Engineer's responded, and the Penn State coach did not. The rest is Lehigh history.
“Billy Stuart is the perfect example of what Lehigh strives to be,” said former teammate at Lehigh and Hall of Famer Mike Caruso. “He is a true scholar-athlete. He reached the pinnacle of success and distinguished himself in his profession as a doctor.”
The second member of the “Terrific Trio” to be inducted into the Hall of Fame, Dr. William “Billy” Stuart joined an elite company of past Lehigh wrestlers in the Hall. A national champion in 1965 and an NCAA third-place finisher in 1966 at 137 pounds, Stuart along with Joe Peritore and Hall of Famer Mike Caruso, made up the Terrific Trio that was featured in Sports Illustrated and Newsweek in 1965.
“Billy was a ferocious guy on the mat,” added Caruso, who won three national championships for Lehigh in the late 1960s. “He was not the most highly technical wrestler, he had a few good moves, but if you beat him, you knew you wrestled someone. He was a perfect example of if you have a dream and a goal, no one can stand in the way of achieving that goal.”
After spending his freshman season at Brown, Stuart transferred to Lehigh his sophomore season and found immediate success. He went 9-2 in his first year as an Engineer and was runner-up at 130 pounds in the EIWA Tournament. He earned instant acclaim from his admiring Lehigh fans, who were always on the lookout for his unstoppable sit-out and spectacular pancake moves.
The Terrific Trio shined in 1965 and Stuart, a junior at the time, was the fearless leader as Caruso and Peritore were both just sophomores. Stuart went 21-0 that season and 12-0 in dual meet competition. Stuart and Caruso both won national championships and Peritore finished second. The Engineers had for All-Americans that season with Dick Warnke finishing fourth.
As a senior, Stuart again appeared to be on his way to All-American status and perhaps another national championship. He finished the season with a 9-0-2 dual meet record and earned a third-place finish at the NCAA Championships after suffering a heartbreaking semifinal loss in overtime to 1964 NCAA champion Mike Sager of Oklahoma.
After graduation, Stuart wrestled at the New York Athletic Club and was named the Most Outstanding Wrestler at the Eastern AAU Championships in 1967 at 136.5 pounds.
“I am honored and humbled to be inducted into such a distinguished group of men and women and it's great to be permanently back together in the Hall of Fame Room at Taylor Gym with Leeman, Hamer and Caruso,” Stuart said. “It is really exciting to be coming back to campus to receive such an honor. Being inducted into the Lehigh Athletics Hall of Fame is the biggest post-wrestling honor I could have ever hoped for. I hope I have honored Lehigh as much as they have honored me.”
Stuart earned his bachelor's in 1966 and worked towards his master’s in biochemistry at Penn State prior to going to medical school. He eventually earned his M.D. from Maryland-Baltimore Campus in 1971, interned at University Hospital in Baltimore, and did his residency in family practice at Harvard Medical School from 1973 to 1974; where he was an instructor in the Department of Family Practice.
Stuart was an assistant professor at the University of Illinois School of Medicine from 1974 to 1975, and later served as an ER physician at Saints Memorial Medical Center in Lowell, Massachusetts. He was board certified in Emergency Medicine in 1991 and recertified in 2001. He performed a wide variety of community service acts including occasionally coaching wrestling at local high schools and lecturing to paramedics, EMTs, and the police academy.
Stewart has three children, Kristen, Erica and Nathaniel.
Leeman, then head coach for the Engineer's responded, and the Penn State coach did not. The rest is Lehigh history.“Billy Stuart is the perfect example of what Lehigh strives to be,” said former teammate at Lehigh and Hall of Famer Mike Caruso. “He is a true scholar-athlete. He reached the pinnacle of success and distinguished himself in his profession as a doctor.”
The second member of the “Terrific Trio” to be inducted into the Hall of Fame, Dr. William “Billy” Stuart joined an elite company of past Lehigh wrestlers in the Hall. A national champion in 1965 and an NCAA third-place finisher in 1966 at 137 pounds, Stuart along with Joe Peritore and Hall of Famer Mike Caruso, made up the Terrific Trio that was featured in Sports Illustrated and Newsweek in 1965.
“Billy was a ferocious guy on the mat,” added Caruso, who won three national championships for Lehigh in the late 1960s. “He was not the most highly technical wrestler, he had a few good moves, but if you beat him, you knew you wrestled someone. He was a perfect example of if you have a dream and a goal, no one can stand in the way of achieving that goal.”
After spending his freshman season at Brown, Stuart transferred to Lehigh his sophomore season and found immediate success. He went 9-2 in his first year as an Engineer and was runner-up at 130 pounds in the EIWA Tournament. He earned instant acclaim from his admiring Lehigh fans, who were always on the lookout for his unstoppable sit-out and spectacular pancake moves.
The Terrific Trio shined in 1965 and Stuart, a junior at the time, was the fearless leader as Caruso and Peritore were both just sophomores. Stuart went 21-0 that season and 12-0 in dual meet competition. Stuart and Caruso both won national championships and Peritore finished second. The Engineers had for All-Americans that season with Dick Warnke finishing fourth.
As a senior, Stuart again appeared to be on his way to All-American status and perhaps another national championship. He finished the season with a 9-0-2 dual meet record and earned a third-place finish at the NCAA Championships after suffering a heartbreaking semifinal loss in overtime to 1964 NCAA champion Mike Sager of Oklahoma.After graduation, Stuart wrestled at the New York Athletic Club and was named the Most Outstanding Wrestler at the Eastern AAU Championships in 1967 at 136.5 pounds.
“I am honored and humbled to be inducted into such a distinguished group of men and women and it's great to be permanently back together in the Hall of Fame Room at Taylor Gym with Leeman, Hamer and Caruso,” Stuart said. “It is really exciting to be coming back to campus to receive such an honor. Being inducted into the Lehigh Athletics Hall of Fame is the biggest post-wrestling honor I could have ever hoped for. I hope I have honored Lehigh as much as they have honored me.”
Stuart earned his bachelor's in 1966 and worked towards his master’s in biochemistry at Penn State prior to going to medical school. He eventually earned his M.D. from Maryland-Baltimore Campus in 1971, interned at University Hospital in Baltimore, and did his residency in family practice at Harvard Medical School from 1973 to 1974; where he was an instructor in the Department of Family Practice.
Stuart was an assistant professor at the University of Illinois School of Medicine from 1974 to 1975, and later served as an ER physician at Saints Memorial Medical Center in Lowell, Massachusetts. He was board certified in Emergency Medicine in 1991 and recertified in 2001. He performed a wide variety of community service acts including occasionally coaching wrestling at local high schools and lecturing to paramedics, EMTs, and the police academy.
Stewart has three children, Kristen, Erica and Nathaniel.
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