Donald Tabar, II is in his eighth year as head coach of the Shippensburg University wrestling team. He has qualified at least three wrestlers for the NCAA Division II National Championships in five of his seven seasons as the Red Raider head coach.
Twelve All-Americans, including 2005 national champion Corey Jacoby (197 pounds), have been recruited and mentored by Tabar over the last three years. In seven seasons as a Red Raider head coach, Tabar boasts a total of 16 All-Americans, 24 national qualifiers, six region champions, a national champion and four national runners-up.
Last season, Shippensburg had three wrestlers place at the NCAA Division II East Region Championships, including Steve Fittery’s championship at 141 pounds. For the second consecutive year, Fittery advanced to the national championship match at 141 pounds, and became the third Red Raider in the last four years to do so, joining Corey Jacoby and Jamie Thomas.
During the 2005-06 season, Tabar guided the Red Raiders to a third-place finish at the NCAA Championships, which was the highest-ever finish by a Red Raider team. Three of Tabar’s wrestlers were also champions at the NCAA East Regionals. For his success, Tabar was named National Wrestling Coaches Association (NWCA) Coach of the Year.
In the 2003-04 season, Tabar instrumented a significant turnaround for Shippensburg, leading the Red Raiders to an 11-5 record. After two rebuilding seasons, Tabar guided Shippensburg to an eight-match improvement in its win total from the previous season, helped in large part by wins in its final six matches.
Tabar wrestled for 21 years from junior high to senior high, college, and open amateur levels. He had approximately 1,000 wins and 200 losses. Tabar has finished in the Top 12 at the U.S. Open Freestyle Championships twice and was an Eastern National place winner in 2000 and 2001. In high school, from 1984 to 1988, he was a two-year varsity starter for the No. 1-ranked St. Edward High School squad in Lakewood, Ohio.
Tabar was a starter at Kent State for one season before joining the U.S. Air Force. He was on active duty for four years. Following his tour of duty he joined the West Virginia Air National Guard.
While in the Air Force, he earned an Associate of Arts degree in secondary education at Okaloosa-Walton Community College in Niceville, Florida. He also has an Associate of Applied Sciences degree in fuel technology from the U.S. Air Force Community College.
Tabar graduated from Shippensburg University in May of 1998 with a bachelor of science degree in education and later obtained his a masters degree in Educational Administration from Shippensburg in 2002. As a student, Tabar was an active counselor with the Cornell-Abraxas Leadership Development Program in South Mountain where his responsibilities included counseling and direct service work in the rehabilitation of delinquent youth. He also was active with the Renfrew Institute for Environmental Studies.
Following graduation, Tabar taught in the Big Spring School District until January 2001 and moved on to teach earth science and astronomy in the Greencastle-Antrim School District until June 2008. He is currently finishing his principal’s certificate.
Tabar has been involved in coaching since 1991. He was a volunteer assistant wrestling coach at Niceville High School in Florida from 1991 to 1994 and a volunteer assistant at North Hagerstown High School in 1995.
He also served as an assistant at Big Spring High School during the 1998-1999 academic year and was head coach of Big Spring Junior High School from 1999 to 2001. From 1995 to 2001 he volunteered some of his time to help with the Shippensburg University wrestlers.
Tabar and his wife Ellen live in Shippensburg with their daughter, Lily Marie.
