U.S. Olympian Joe Rau named Head Coach of Beat the Streets New York

Rau spent three seasons as an assistant coach at Northwestern University.

Beat the Streets Wrestling, Inc. (BTS), a nonprofit dedicated to making a lifelong impact on New York City boys and girls through the sport of wrestling, is proud to announce U.S. Olympian Joe Rau as its new Head Coach. 

"I am honored to serve New York City’s youth through Beat the Streets,” Rau said. “This coaching role is an incredible opportunity to give back to the sport that shaped me and help students grow as wrestlers and as people. With more than 25 years in the sport, I am excited to put my experience to work and make a real difference in their lives.”

Rau, who represented Team USA in Greco-Roman wrestling at the 2024 Summer Olympics in Paris (97 kg), brings experience as a world-class competitor and collegiate coach.

A decorated wrestler, Rau is a three-time Senior World Team member (2014, 2019, 2023), three-time U.S. Open champion (2016, 2019, 2023) and three-time Pan-American champion (2015, 2020, 2023). He earned his 2023 World Team spot by sweeping a best-of-three series against Christian DuLaney (3-2, 8-0) at the 2023 BTS Annual Benefit, Final X, which is USA Wrestling’s World Championships Team Trials event.

Rau competed collegiately for Elmhurst College, where he was a 2013 NCAA Division III national champion, a three-time All-American and four-time CCIW conference champion. The Chicago, Ill. native also earned a junior national title in Greco-Roman and All-American honors in freestyle in high school.

Rau comes to BTS after his third season as an assistant wrestling coach for Northwestern University, where he primarily worked with upper-weight athletes. Under Rau’s guidance, heavyweight Lucas Davison earned NCAA All-American honors in 2022 and 2023, and four additional upper-weight Wildcats qualified for the NCAA Division I Championships.

As BTS Head Coach, Rau will lead the organization’s execution of high-quality wrestling and youth development programming for New York City K-12 student-athletes across all five boroughs on and off the mat. He will mentor and support NYC student-athletes, develop curriculum and training plans for long-term development, and promote personal growth and academic success.

Since being founded in 2005, Beat the Streets has pioneered a movement that now includes 150 individual wrestling programs, a youth league and the first girls high school league. 

BTS works to develop the full human and athletic potential of New York City youth and strengthen the city’s wrestling culture. We aim to make a lifelong impact on student-athletes through the lessons learned on the wrestling mat – discipline, perseverance, self-reliance, humility and a strong work ethic. Discover how you can make a meaningful contribution to our work at btsny.org/donate.