Sal Rizzo, ’82
Speech and Debate Coach
Biographical Info
I have been involved with the Notre Dame Speech and Debate program (fka Forensics) for 38 years. Under the tutelage of the late Mrs. Eleanor Wise, I competed as a junior and a senior. I volunteered for the program for 14 years and I have been the coach for the better part of 22 years. I have coached several state and national award winners including the 2005 National Right to Life Oratory Contest National Champion, the 2014 National Speech and Debate Association Congressional Debate House National Champion and several state champions. Also one of my students was selected to be part of Team USA in World Schools Debate. Our team has won several sweepstakes awards including a Debate Schools of Honor award from the National Speech and Debate Association and two Diocesan Cumulative Sweepstakes Championships. I currently serve as a member of the Pennsylvania High School Speech League District 8 Tournament Committee and have promoted speech and debate in several public appearances. I also had the privilege to serve on the Pennsylvania High School Speech League 2016 State Tournament Committee. I served as the PA Mideast Regional Coordinator for the National Right to Life Oratory Contest, from 1993-2014 through the support of Pennsylvanians for Human Life, Bethlehem/Easton Chapter of which I have been president since 2004.