from staff
Greg DiFranza, tactical enforcement coordinator at the University of North Florida Institute of Police Technology and Management, recently won his fourth national judo master’s heavyweight title.
DiFranza, a Jacksonville Beach native, won both of his matches in a total of less than 2 minutes to claim the gold medal at the 2010 USA Judo Senior National Championships in Myrtle Beach, S.C.
Last summer, he won a gold medal in judo for the grandmaster heavyweight division at the 2009 World Police & Fire Games in Vancouver, British Columbia. He won two matches in under 30 seconds, giving him his third consecutive gold medal win in the biannual event. DiFranza, 53, was the only judo player from the USA to win a gold medal, and one of only three USA medalists in the two-day judo event.
He has been an institute of police technology instructor at UNF for more than 20 years, has actively competed in Kodokan Judo since 1965 and currently holds the instructor ranking of Sandan (third-degree black belt). He has held divisional, state and Southeastern U.S. championship titles, including a gold medal in the Florida State Police Olympics in 1982.
DiFranza is the head instructor at First Coast Kodokan Judo in Orange Park.