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Family, friends and the Long Island wrestling community paid their respects today to Mike Falcon, one of Suffolk County’s all-time great high school wrestlers, at a funeral Mass held in Holbrook.
Falcon died on Nov. 16. He was 61.
Falcon graduated from Sachem High School in 1980, following a stellar varsity athletics career in high school. He remains Sachem’s only wrestler to win two state championships.
In 1979, he won the title at 155 pounds, and in 1980, he bulked up to earn the crown at 167 pounds. Following high school, he wrestled for three seasons at Hofstra. Below is a video of his championship match victory in 1980 against Bellmore-Kennedy’s Bill Lubell.
Following his death, condolences poured onto social media, as well as on his obituary page at Moloney Family Funeral Homes, Inc.
“He was such a great guy and he loved his family,” Holly Shivers wrote in a message at Moloney. “He will be missed by so many.”
Edward Pidgeon wrote of Falcon’s kindness off the wrestling mat.
“You will be forever remembered by all who knew you for your wrestling talent as I will too,” he commented. “But I will remember you more for your kindness as you were like one of my brothers. Memories of you are many and I will cherish them all.”
Visitation services were held for Falcon at Moloney’s Holbrook Funeral Home on Sunday, Nov. 26. A funeral Mass for Falcon was celebrated at Good Shepherd Roman Catholic Church.
Falcon’s friend Edward Darcey shared a heartfelt post about his longtime pal.
“I was saying I had to text him this weekend to see how he was! I am so upset I didn’t reach out sooner!” he wrote.
The Sachem Alumni Association also paid tribute to Falcon, noting the dichotomy between his ferociousness on the mat and his kind demeanor off of it.
“Mike Falcon was the nicest man you’ll ever meet, but he was tough and unpredictable on the wrestling mat as he flipped a lauded and feared switch,” read a Facebook post from the group.
Falcon’s son Michael followed in his footsteps, wrestling at Sachem North. The 2013 graduate went on to wrestle at SUNY Brockport.
Along with his son Michael, Falcon is also survived by his mother; brother, Patrick; and sister, Virginia, according to the Sachem Report.
